30 Ingenious and Practical Mason Jar Crafts and Transformations

The Mason jar is perhaps the simplest, most accessible, and most versatile item that one can use in DIY projects. It can be repurposed in tons upon tons of interesting Mason jar crafts, some more obvious than others.

Mason Jar Crafts

The idea, basically, is you can always find something cool and useful to do with Mason jars, so just keep a few around in case you get an idea. We’ve actually prepared a bunch of examples of some easy Mason jar crafts for you today, so let’s see if any of these are to your liking.

What Crafts Can You Do With Mason Jars?

Before you dive in and start crafting, let’s discuss some of the amazing things you can make out of mason jars. Because these jars are so versatile, there is likely something you need around the house that can be made out of a mason jar.

What Crafts Can You Do With Mason Jars?

Here are some of the most common mason jar crafts:

  • Piggy Bank
  • Candle Holder
  • DIY Snow Globe
  • Flower Vase
  • At Home Herb Garden
  • Yarn Dispenser
  • Bathroom Organizer
  • Oil Lamp
  • Bird Feeder
  • Soap Dispenser
  • Match Holder

See something on the list that your home needs? Then it’s probably time to buy a few mason jars and keep reading to find out how to make these items.

How to Make Mason Jar Crafts

Ready to make some awesome mason jar crafts? If this is your first time, you may not know where to start. Follow these steps to get started with making your mason jar crafts.

Step 1: Find a Craft

Prior to shopping for mason jars, you’ll want to find the craft that you want to make. Otherwise, you won’t know what size and shape of jars you will need. Some crafts, like a mason jar snow globe, require smaller jars, while larger crafts, like an at home herb garden, require larger jars.

Step 2: Shop the Materials

After deciding on a craft or two, head to the craft store, and buy all the materials you may need. It’s always best to get a little more than you think you will need just in case there are any mistakes along the way.

Step 3: Rinse Your Mason Jars

Whether you have purchased jars from the craft store, or are planning to reuse some you have on hand, it’s a good idea to wash and dry your mason jars before you begin. Then they will be free of dirt, debris, and anything else that could mess up your craft.

Step 4: Protect Your Space

Mason jar crafts can be messy, so no matter what craft you decided on, it’s a good idea to protect the space where you will be working. You can do this with paper, plastic, or even a tarp if it is a big project.

Step 5: Start Crafting

All that’s left to do is start making your mason jar crafts. Be sure you have the instructions on hand (maybe even printed) depending on how messy your craft is. Follow the instructions step by step and soon you will have your craft.

How Much to Sell Mason Jar Crafts For

Many people make and sell mason jar crafts on online platforms. If you are interested in this, you may be wondering how much you can expect to sell mason jar crafts for.

The amount of money you sell your mason jar craft for will depend on how much it costs you to make, as well as what it is that you are making. For example, someone may be willing to pay much more for a mason jar terrarium than a mason jar yarn holder.

You will want to ensure that you charge enough to make your craft however, otherwise you will be selling your products at a loss. When shopping for the materials, keep the receipt, then do a little math to find out how much you pay to make each craft. You’ll also want to take shipping into account.

Then, decide on a price that is higher than the cost to earn a profit. Decide how much you want to make for each craft. Take your time into account. The final number you come up with is how much you should sell your mason jar crafts for.

How to Paint Mason Jar Lids with Craft Paint

How to Paint Mason Jar Lids with Craft Paint

Did you decide on a craft that requires painting the mason jar lids? Painting mason jar lids isn’t always an easy task, follow these steps to get started.

Step 1: Buy Paint and Primer

Mason jar lids can be difficult to paint as their metallic surface is designed to be easy to clean—not hold paint. Spray paint is the best choice for mason jar lids, but you can use craft paint if you prefer.

Step 2: Clean the Jar Lids

Wash and dry your mason jar lids, regardless of where you got them so they will be clear of dust and debris. They need to be completely dry before you move on to the next step.

Step 3: Cover Your Space

Painting is messy, so prepare whatever space you plan to use to paint your jar lids. For spray painters, doing this project outside is recommended.

Step 4: Prime the Lids

Because the metal isn’t very adhesive, you will want to add primer to the mason jar lids. Only prime the outside of the lid if you want to later use the jar again for food.

Step 5: Paint the Lid

Once the primer has dried, you can go ahead and paint the mason jar lid whatever color you desire. Remember that if you are planning to use the mason jar for food, you won’t want to put any paint on the inner lid. Otherwise, it could get into the food.

Let the paint dry completely, and add a second coat if needed. Then you are ready to work on the next step of your mason jar craft.

What Size Mason Jars Do You Need for Crafts?

The size of mason jar you need for crafts will depend widely on the craft you decide to make. Some crafts, such as a bathroom organizer, even require different size jars.

Therefore, you should decide on a project before you purchase mason jars for crafting purposes. But mason jars are also just nice to have on hand, so feel free to buy some in a variety of sizes so you will have them on hand for kitchen use as well as crafts as you desire.

Fun DIY Projects to Transform Your Mason Jars

1. Mason Jar Wall Organizer

Mason Jar crafts Wall Organizer

Mason jars are almost exclusively used for storage but that can take lots of different forms. This for instance is a Mason jar wall organizer. You can make something like this for your kitchen, bathroom, or any other space that needs a bit of extra storage on the wall.

All you need for this project is a piece of wood, some leather straps, upholstery tacks, a hammer, and some jars. Three jars seem to be the magic number here but you can use as many or as few as you want to.

2. Mason Jar Mummies for Halloween

Mason Jar Mummies for Halloween

Here’s a great idea for some cheap and interesting Halloween decorations: turn jars into mummies. You can make a bunch of them and you can use jars of different shapes and sizes.

Decorate them with gauze wrap or anything similar that’s thin and stretchy. Make sure the material you use is not totally opaque so a bit of light can also get through.

3. Mason Jar Votives

 

Mason Jar crafts Votives

Mason jar votives are also super easy to make and require very few supplies and little effort. The idea is to spray paint the jars and to use painter’s tape to create a pattern or a design on them for the light of the candle to pass through.

This copper spray paint looks very stylish but of course, you can use other colors as well.

4. Create Table Centerpieces with Mason Jars

Create Table Centerpieces with Mason Jars

You can also use Mason jars to create beautiful centerpieces. The jars themselves don’t need to be the center of attention. You can use one or two as vases and fill them with beautiful and colorful flowers.

Others can serve as organizers and storage containers for cutlery, straws, and everything else. Tie ribbon and twine around the jars and decorate them a bit so they look lovely without standing out too much.

5. A Mason Jar Ceiling Light

Mason Jar Ceiling Light

A different idea is to turn Mason jars into light fixtures. It’s not as difficult as you may think and it can look really charming.

This Mason jar ceiling light is perfect for this cozy little corner space. They really brighten up the area and you can position them at any height you want to. You can also add more pendant lamps or use a single one if you prefer a simpler look.

6. Spray Paint a Mason Jar

Spray Paint a Mason Jar

Simply spray painting a Mason jar or part of it can be enough to change it into something beautiful and super versatile that can be used as a vase, storage container, or something completely different.

Use painter’s tape to create cool geometric designs on your jars. We really like how simple these painted jars look and also how elegant they are, even though they’re still nothing but decorated jars.

7. Make a Mason Jar Desk Lamp

Make a Mason Jar crafts Desk Lamp

There’s also a cool and pretty simple way to make a Mason jar desk lamp. The jar wouldn’t serve as the lampshade but it would instead be the base of the lamp.

It would be nice to paint the entire jar so you don’t see the wiring inside and also to add a bit of color to your design. You’ll also need to drill a hole into the jar for the wire to pass through and the lid is also necessary at the top and it can be painted too to match the jar.

8. Turn a Mason Jar into a Soap Dispenser

Turn a Mason Jar into a Soap Dispenser

Sometimes it’s the simplest ideas that turn out to be the most brilliant. For example, turning a Mason jar into a soap dispenser is such an easy thing to do you’re probably wondering why you haven’t done it already.

You can use a pump from another soap dispenser and glue it onto the lid. As for the Mason jar itself, the design possibilities are numerous but we suggest sticking with a simple look and just spray paint the jar in a nice color.

9. A Fall Mason Jar Centerpiece

Fall Mason Jar crafts Centerpiece

Now let’s go back to the idea of Mason jar centerpieces and check out a few ways in which you can decorate the jars. If you’re going for a rustic look, it would be nice to wrap some twine around the center of the jar and then tie in an ornament which could be something super basic like a silver washer.

You can add some details if you want to and come up with different patterns and configurations to make each jar look special.

10. Create a Beautiful Lantern to Hang Outside

Create a Beautiful Lantern to Hang Outside

Another really cute idea is to turn a jar into a beautiful lantern that you can hang outside, maybe on your deck or porch or in the garden. Use a piece of twine to make a little handle for the jar and some lace or ribbon to decorate the jar on the outside.

Then put a candle inside and you’re done. You can have several of these Mason jar candle lanterns, each with a different design. Also, you can use battery-operated candles to avoid any possible fire damage.

11. Display Your Beach Souvenirs in a Mason Jar

Display Your Beach Souvenirs in a Mason Jar

Mason jars can also help you display some of the souvenirs you brought back with you from the beach. It can be as simple as filling the bottom portion of the jar with sand and then adding a few shells, sea glass, and other things on top.

If you want to you can also decorate the jar with some ribbon and make a cute hanging tag. Check out diys for more details and inspiration.

12. DIY Straw Decorated Mason Jar Vase

DIY Straw Decorated Mason Jar crafts Vase

You can also use jars in ways that make it less obvious. By that we mean even completely hide the jar and although it would be an integral part of your design it won’t stand out. A good example is this beautiful vase.

Making something like this is rather simple. Take a bunch of paper straws and glue them around the outside of the jars, then add a cute little ribbon around them. You can find additional details and instructions on diyncrafts.

13. DIY Vintage Mason Jar Craft

DIY Vintage Mason Jar Crafts

Let’s talk about the whole decorating process a bit and include a few more specific details and ideas. As you know by now, simply decorating a Mason jar and making it look more pretty is enough to give it a completely new identity.

If you like the rustic style as much as we do, check out this project from diys. It shows exactly how this beautiful jar was decorated using jute twine, burlap and lace trim, and some thin white ribbon.

14. Mason Jar Chicken Vase for Spring

Mason Jar Chicken Vase for Spring

Isn’t this chicken vase adorable? It’s really cute and funny and like all the other projects on this list, it’s made out of a Mason jar. First, the jar was painted all yellow, then the eyes and the beak were painted on it, some twine was wrapped around the rim and finally, the bow with the little ladybug in the middle was added.

If you want more details you can head over to diyncrafts.

15. Mason Jar Herb Garden

Mason Jar Herb Garden

Mason jars can also be turned into flower pots. A cool idea could be to make an herb garden and it would be super easy and cheap if you just use some jars you already have.

Put some pebbles at the bottom for drainage, add soil and seeds, or plant herbs that have already grown. You can then keep them on the windowsill in your kitchen. The idea comes from hellonest.

16. Repurpose Old Doilies to Create Luminaries

Repurpose Old Doilies to Create Luminaries

There’s also a really nice project featured on craftsbyamanda which makes use of Mason jars in a very interesting way. These jars were turned into beautiful luminaries and they’ve been decorated with crocheted doilies.

This gives them a rustic look and also means you can repurpose a bunch of old and outdated doilies. Lace would also work as a decoration.

17. Valentine’s Day Mason Jar

Valentine’s Day Mason Jar crafts

Here’s a little something that you can do for Valentine’s Day. You need four Mason jars, some paper doilies, burlap hearts, and wood letters: L, O, V and E.

The doilies are used to decorate the jars but also to make beautiful and colorful paper flowers that you can fill the jars with. Make a little bouquet for each jar and display all four of them in a row.

More details about this project can be found on designimprovised.

18. Mason Jar Bathroom Organizer

Mason Jar Bathroom Organizer

Remember the very first project on this list? It was an organizer made using Mason jars.

Here’s a similar version of that but this is customized specifically for the bathroom. It’s like a small brushing station with one jar for each member of the family. The wooden back panel is decorated as well with white vinyl letters.

You can also use a stencil and some spray paint for that. This project idea comes from craftsbyamanda.

19. Mason Jars for School Supplies

Mason Jars crafts for School Supplies

The last project we want to show you today is also the cutest of them all. Check out how adorable these things are. Each jar has been turned into a unique storage container for school supplies and each has a different design.

It’s all done with paint, tape, paint pens, and card stock. You can come up with your own cute designs inspired by cartoons or entirely original. All the details you need can be found on colormadehappy.

20. A Mason Jar Piggy Bank

Mason Jar Piggy Bank

Kids will love creating their own mason jar piggy bank, as shown in this DIY project from Living Well Mom. They can customize the piggy bank to fit their tastes, and they’ll love making a bright and colorful jar to save their coins in.

A piggy bank is a great way to teach young children how to save money, and they’ll love adding any money they are given into this colorful pot. You’ll use acrylic paint to create this design, and you’ll start by adding a white base coat before your children can decorate the jar to their heart’s content.

21. Fishnet Wrapped Mason Jar

Fishnet Wrapped Mason Jar crafts

Reminisce on summers at the beach with this beach-themed mason jar from It All Started With Paint. For the base of this project, you’ll use a really pretty blue mason jar.

Twine is then used to create a faux fishnet, which you’ll wrap around the jars. We think these would make a lovely addition to any beach house or summery home and would look great in a bathroom, kitchen, or guest bedroom.

22. DIY Glitter Mason Jar Tutorial

DIY Glitter Mason Jar crafts Tutorial

Ka Styles shows us how to make these glamorous and colorful glitter mason jars. To create the glittery effect, you’ll need glue and glass glitter.

Of course, it’s going to get a little messy, so make sure you clear up enough space to prepare for the glitter going everywhere. These would look fantastic in a teenage girl’s bedroom or on a vanity.

You can use mason jars to store anything, and we think these would be ideal for make-up brushes.

23. A Mason Jar Candle

Mason Jar Candle

As you probably know, mason jars are one of the most solid types of glass jars available. This makes them absolutely perfect for holding candles.

We love this colorful birthday candle, which would make a fun present for your family or friends. Mason Jar Breakfast offers us this DIY candle project which shows you how to make your own candles from scratch.

It has a really natural scent to it, so you won’t have to worry about the chemical smell you sometimes experience when burning candles.

24. Glitter Play Dough Party Favors

Glitter Play Dough Party Favors

Mason jars are the ideal storage container for a wide range of items, including play dough. If you are looking for something to keep kids entertained, why not make them these fun, sparkly party favors.

You won’t believe how cute this simple project looks once it’s finished, as shown in these instructions from A Bubbly Life. It’s so fun to create the colorful and glittery play dough, which you’ll make yourself from scratch.

25. Football Party Mason Jars

Football Party Mason Jar crafts

Mason Jar Crafts shares these fun, themed mason jars, which are designed specifically for a football party. Whether you are looking to store snacks, cutlery, or straws in these jars, they’ll make a fun addition to your party.

Mason jars are ideal for snacking, and this is a much nicer touch than buying single-use plastic cups just for the occasion. You can customize each jar to match your team’s colors or just use a generic design that everyone will enjoy.

26. Halloween Spider Mason Jars

Halloween Spider Mason Jars

If you want to save money on your Halloween decorations this year, consider making these fun spider mason jars from Momdot.

These would be ideal for adding to your entryway, and you can add a little tealight or electric light into them to illuminate the entrance to your home. It will be the perfect way to greet trick-or-treaters this year at Halloween.

27. A Mason Jar Pineapple

Mason Jar Pineapple

This has got to be one of the most fun projects on our list today, and it will add a bright and vibrant addition to any kitchen or bedroom in your home.

Your kids will absolutely love using this DIY pineapple mason jar from Yesterday on Tuesday, which could store candy, stationary, or pens. You don’t just have to use this project idea in the summer, as you could enjoy brightening up your home with your new pineapple decoration all year round.

28. Mason Jar Oil Lamp

Mason Jar Oil Lamp

A Piece of Rainbow shows us how to make these beautiful oil candles, which take just two minutes to make. You’ll just use vegetable oils and water to create these beautiful lights, and they are even safer than a regular candle to have burning in your home.

Just one tablespoon of oil can last up to two hours, so you’ll love brightening up your home with these pretty designs. Oil lamps have been around for thousands of years but will still look great in any kitchen or living room today.

29. Mason Jar Bird Feeder

Bird Feeder

Mason jars aren’t just reserved for indoor use, as shown with this mason jar bird feeder from Little House Living. If you enjoy attracting local birds into your garden, this is the perfect way to encourage them to visit this year.

To get started, you’ll just need a mason jar, some twine, a small round chicken feeder, and bird seed.

30. Mason Jar Soap Pump

Soap Pump

Guests to your home will love this twist on a classic soap pump dispenser. Mason jars are the perfect size for soap in your bathroom or kitchen, and you’ll love being able to see the color of the soap you are using.

The Gracious Wife shares this quick and easy project which you’ll love making the next time you need a new soap dispenser in your home.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)FAQ

Can You Freeze Mason Jars?

Yes, it is perfectly safe to freeze mason jars.

Can You Microwave Mason Jars?

Yes, it is perfectly safe to place a mason jar in the microwave without the metal lid. Be careful, however, as the glass will get hot to the touch after heating.

Can You Put Mason Jars in Boiling Water?

Never put glass directly in boiling water, as it could shatter. Instead, put your mason jar in room temperature water, then turn on the heat to warm the water.

Where Can You Buy Mason Jars for Crafts?

Mason jars are also used for canning foods and can therefore be found at most grocery stores that have a section to purchase dishes. But when you can’t find them there, most craft stores will also carry mason jars for sale.

What Can You Do With Extra Mason Jars?

If you finished all your crafts and still have mason jars leftover, don’t be afraid to use them as a storage vessel for spices, flour, pasta, or almost anything else you find in your kitchen. You can also use extra mason jars for storage in your office.

Conclusion

Mason jars are one of the most versatile types of jars available, and you’ll find that they are a really strong option for any DIY project. Instead of purchasing containers from a store, reuse old mason jars for your next project.

They are also the perfect solution for storing drinks and snacks and would look fantastic in any fridge. Whichever one of these mason jar crafts you try first, have fun transforming your mason jars this year.