I use mason jars for just about everything. You’ll find jars with homemade kombucha in my fridge, and jars with sprouts growing on my counter. They’re sturdy, non-toxic, and versatile containers, making them perfect for the kitchen.
Expand your mason jar horizons with these 25 unique ideas for mason jars.
1. Soap Dispensers
Turn your mason jar into a reusable soap dispenser for the bathroom or kitchen.
2. Matchstick Mason Jars with Striker Lid
Flimsy matchboxes can be frustrating. If you need something to take out to the barbecue grill or on your next camping trip, then try one of these matchstick mason jars with its own striker lid.
3. Mason Jar Herb Garden
I’m a big fan of using herbs for home remedies and cooking, but I don’t always want to take a trek out to the garden to load up on the herbs I need. Kick your windowsill herb garden up a notch with this mason jar herb garden. It can be mounted on the wall, or set on a counter where there’s plenty of sunlight for easily accessible herbs while cooking.
4. Storage Container for Twine
Or ribbon, or yarn, or string, or… Use a lid with a hole in it to keep your yarn tangle free as you use it. This is great for craft time with the kids, since little hands can’t always figure out how to use an item like these without making a big tangled mess. See how to do it here.
5. Salt or Herb Shaker
You can easily put a spout onto your mason jar so that it can pour spices out just like a conventional salt container. Use it for unrefined sea salt, or ground herbs like minced garlic, basil leaves, or your own homemade seasoning blend.
6. Vintage-Vibe Mason Jar Lights
Make mason jars a part of your home décor with these mason jar lights that have a vintage vibe. These are a little more time consuming than some of the other crafts since you’ll need a light kit, but it’s still a very simple and straightforward project. They can be placed on a table for a standing lamp, or hung from the ceiling.
7. Chalkboard-Painted Mason Jar Pencil Holders
These painted jars make great teacher gifts, or would be perfect for a homeschool classroom or home office. You can use some chalkboard paint markers to draw on your painted jars. Use them to store pencils, markers, or crayons for writing notes, coloring pictures, or whatever your heart fancies.
8. Storage Shelf
If you love using mason jars for storage but want something that’s a little more anchored, then try this mason jar storage shelf. The tutorial is for storing sewing supplies, but it would work just as well for craft supplies. You can even use this to store herbs in your kitchen as a mason jar spice rack.
9. Snow Globe
Kids love things that sparkle and glitter, like these DIY snow globes. You can even change up the objects inside to match any season.
10. Single-Serving Smoothie Maker
Did you know that your blender blades may fit perfectly onto a pint-size mason jar? Load your mason jar up with fresh fruit, veggies, milk kefir or whatever else you like and use it for a single-serving smoothie.
11. Bird Feeder
This feeder is intended for birds, but we all know squirrels and raccoons will go to great lengths to get a nibble. This is a great way to attract more birds to your yard and garden. Be sure to use some healthy bird feed, and get the instructions for a mason jar bird feeder here.
12. Mini Sewing Kit & Pin Cushion
If you’re the sewing type (or know someone who is!) then this is the craft for you. You can store small sewing supplies, like thread and mini scissors inside, while the lid doubles as a pincushion. Get the tutorial here.
13. Toothbrush Holder
Bring the mason jar vibe into your bathroom with this rustic toothbrush holder. It uses chicken cage wire on the top to keep the toothbrushes separate. Now all you need are some Bass toothbrushes to put in it and some homemade toothpaste on the side.
14. Tiki Torch
When you’re outside with the family and in need of some lighting, pull out some mason jar tiki torches. They’d also make cute center pieces for an outdoor event. Since most tiki torch fuel is derived from petroleum and is very toxic, you’ll probably want to use a safer, eco-friendly oil like this one that’s sustainably derived from palm kernels.
15. Painted Salt & Pepper Shakers
This DIY uses matte paint and a stencil design to create matching salt and pepper shakers worthy of any dinner table. You’ll need the 4 oz jelly jars for this craft. Get the directions here.
16. Mason Jar Chandelier
Mason jars make for great lighting and cute chandeliers. You can use the blue tinted jars if you want some color, but don’t want to use a glass stain paint. Get the tutorial for a mason jar chandelier here.
17. Frosted Mason Jars in a Wooden Caddy
This blogger used frosted glass spray paint on her mason jars and then loaded them up into a repurposed wood caddy. The caddy and mason jar bands are both painted blue for a splash of color. You can use it at a picnic or just on the kitchen counter to hold your silverware or reusable straws. Get the tutorial here.
18. Single-Serving Meals
Almost any meal can be put into a mason jar. There are mason jar salads, mason jar trifles, or even overnight oats. They store well in the fridge, and the lids are leak-proof, making them great for on the go too. They’re also great to put kid snacks in. I talked about how I use them for single-serving meals in this post about my best Mommy Hacks.
19. Mason Jar to Go
A step up from just using a mason jar to store a meal. I love these Mason Jar to Go lids which let you attach two mason jars with one lid. They’re BPA free with an optional silicone liner. I use this for yogurt and fruit, salads, dressing, and so many other things!
20. Pudding Cups
Jello and pudding cups are convenient, but they’re full of junky ingredients I don’t want to feed my family. You can make your own pudding cups though using the short 4 oz mason jars. You can make a bunch up at the beginning of the week to store in the fridge, and pull out as needed for lunch boxes, days out, or whenever needed. Here’s a chia seed pudding recipe.
21. Drinking Cup
We use mason jars in place of glasses in our kitchen. There are also so many ways to get fancy with using them for drinking! You can even purchase mason jar lids and steel straws like this one.
22. Botanical Aromatherapy Oil Lamp
Mason jars are filled with beautiful plants and botanicals for an eye catching decoration that’s also functional. You can add different essential oils, and a wick to create a fabulous-smelling botanical aromatherapy oil lamp. You can get the tutorial and lots of recipe ideas for your oil lamp here.
23. Beeswax Candles
I love using my homemade beeswax candles to cleanse the air and add a warm honey smell to the room. They release negative ions as they burn that help to remove mold, dander, and other allergens. Pillar candles can make a mess, so I like to pour these homemade beeswax candles into mason jars.
24. Homemade Yogurt
I started incubating yogurt in my oven for simplicity’s sake. Instead of culturing homemade yogurt in the crockpot or in a yogurt maker, you can do it in mason jars. They stack and store well in the fridge (with the million other jars I have in there!), and they also travel well. Get the recipe for my homemade yogurt here.
25. Lavender Mint Bath Salts
With six kids constantly running around, I don’t always have time for a relaxing soak in the tub, but I enjoy those moments when they come around. You can make up a batch of these lavender mint bath salts, put it in some mason jars, and give them out as gifts. Adding some pretty ribbon or a nice gift tag to the jar are some nice extra touches.
How do you use mason jars around your house? Share in the comments below!
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