Here are a few neat ideas for turning mason jars into useful outdoor items. From lanterns to candles, these affordable projects will make your outdoor space both comfortable and pretty.
12 Mason Jar Crafts to DIY This Summer
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This post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. Read my disclosure here.
I’ve been pinning mason jar crafts like crazy on Pinterest this summer. Are you shocked to learn that I’ve got a thing for mason jars? (I’m so original, I know.) There’s a reason they are so popular – well, many reasons – they’re versatile, cute, durable, and cheap! Today I’ve got a roundup of neat mason jar crafts that caught my eye, and each of the bloggers who created these DIY projects has given permission for me to share them. I hope you’ll find some inspiration today!
Mason Jar Crafts for Organization
Mason jars can make organizing your supplies that much easier. Whether you need to corral bathroom goods, office supplies, or kitchen items, grab a few jars and try some of these fun craft ideas.
How cute are the painted designs on these fruit-themed jars? Of course, the fabulous artwork sucked me right in! Sam’s tutorial makes this project seem doable, even for the less-artsy among us. I think I could pull this off, and I know some short people around here who would love to stash their art supplies in cute jars like this.
Here’s a clever project to create your own mason jar canisters. Paint the jars, attach cute knobs to the lids, and boom! – you’ve got some lovely new storage containers. I’m thinking about making these for our kitchen with leftover knobs from our DIY kitchen reno.
The next two projects are both cute bathroom organizers. First, you could gather a collection of mason jars in different sizes, paint them to coordinate, and then fill with assorted bathroom items. Linda also provides directions to add a soap pump (look for it later in this post) and a grid for holding toothbrushes.
Casey shares how to make this wall-mounted DIY mason jar organizer with hose clamps. One advantage to this project is that it frees up counter space, while adding original and functional decor to your bathroom.
Upcycled Mason Jar Projects
From tissue holders to soap dispensers, one of these upcycled mason jar crafts might be perfect for your next DIY project.
If you love the idea of a mason jar soap dispenser, here are directions and a video.
Want to class up your Kleenex? This is a clever project, and you can dress it up with a cute phrase, if you have a Cricut. Or just paint a phrase by hand. One note – I appreciate that Gail explains how to roll and fit the tissues in the mason jar. It’s not as straightforward as you might think.
Mason jar planters are a great way to reuse your old jars. You could paint them with chalk paint and then pop in some succulents for a quick decor fix.
Or really make those planters work for you and create an herb garden. Add fun labels to identify your plants, either with paint pens or cute tags like these. Through this tutorial, Heidi also shares links to her directions for drying herbs. Save serious cash by growing fresh herbs AND making dried batches for the rest of the year!
Supplies
- A Mason jar
- Access to a 3d printer
- Black PETG filament – or a similar substitute
- A small amount of Cyanoacrylate glue
- Some masking tape
- Fine paint-brush
- Glass paints – DecoArt brand or similar
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Step 1: Creating the Frame
The basic idea of this project was to create a frame that outlines the colored segments on the glass. I have seen several projects that use a 3d printed framework to create flat pieces of stained glass. Some projects use lead strips to create a stained glass effect on jars. This project combines these two approaches.
The heart of the project was a 3d printed frame. Creating this frame was done using Fusion 360. I’ve included a sample STL file to print if you want to preview how this would work, but I would encourage you to try creating a 3d design yourself.
Before designing your own, you should consider a couple of constraints.
- The circumference of the Mason jar I used was about 260mm. The maximum 3d print size I could make on my printer was approximately 250mm. You may need to printer several segments to completely cover the jar. In my design, I left the back region of the Mason jar uncovered.
- The total height of the Mason Jar in my project was about 11cm. However, only the central 80 mm are flat. The top and bottom of the Mason taper inward. You could adjust the frame’s design to fit this taper, but it is much simpler to print the frame for the flat region of the jar.
I put together a video showing the design process if you want to repeat it. The steps below outline the basic workflow.
- You begin by defining the size of the outer rectangle of the frame. Within this rectangle, you can add different geometric shapes. I mostly stuck with rectangles, but my final design also a circle to offset the traditional Mondrian look. You could also import a vector drawing directly into the software. More conventional stained glass designs would work well with this technique. Any SVG image would work.
- Once you have the lines created. Use the offset tool to create an offset line for all the elements in your design. I used a 1 mm offset for my framework, but the details are up to you.
- After the offsets are complete, use the extrusion tool to create a 1mm thick piece of all the elements of the rectangle.
- Going back to your sketch, select all the rectangles that will form holes in your piece. Using the extrusion tool, cut them out of the rectangle. It turns out it is a lot easier to cut holes in a larger rectangle rather than extruding the individual sections of the frame.
- When you are happy with the design, click on the 3d body and save it as an STL file.
- Open the STL file with your favorite slicer software. Position it on your virtual printer bed, and then slice the model. Send it to your 3d printer, and you will have a frame ready to use in about 30 minutes.
Attachments
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Step 2: Gluing the Frame to the Jar
Gluing the frame to the jar is easy. I held the structure in place using masking tape and then added drops of superglue to tack it down.
I started gluing near the vertical center of the frame and slowly worked my way around the jar. I used the cyanoacrylate accelerator to ensure the glue would dry quickly. After I glued the shape to the Mason jar, I added additional glue in the corners to seal the piece to glass more tightly.
If you do get a few drops of glue on the glass, it won’t drastically affect the final result. As we will see in the next step, Mason Jars are textured, and painting glass will never result in a perfectly smooth surface.
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