How to Give Discarded Spice Jars a New Life

What would you do with 85 discarded spice jars after completing a spice pantry makeover? That was my dilemma.

Last week, I had the insane desire to transfer all my herbs and spices into uniform jars with matching labels. Now that’s a dilettante’s ambition. Still, I proceeded.

It took me several days but I love the look. (Tips for this project below.)

At this point, any intelligent person would toss the discarded spice jars into the recycle bin and walk away. Not me.

My first thought was repurpose. So the grandkids and I got to work.

From Spice Jars to Vases

I brought out tubes of water-based acrylic paint and brushes, and we transformed the bottles into vases. I think they turned out darned cute!

Later, I’ll seal them to keep the paint from running when washed. For now, I’ll be careful just to rinse the inside.

The Beauty of Spice Jar Vases

These little vases are wonderful because they don’t require many blooms. I picked a few flowers from our garden: a rose, some lavender stems, a yarrow sprig, and coyote mint flowers. I added a cluster of Alstroemeria from an existing flower arrangement.

First, I grouped the vases along the center of the table. It looked very pretty that way, but then I decided to set a vase at each place setting so that every diner could enjoy their own little bouquet for our Friday night family dinner.

What to do with Spice Jar Vases

There are so many ways to go from the basic idea:

• Have the grandkids pick the flowers and arrange them in the vases. It’s a wonderful way for kids to appreciate the beauty of nature.
• If you set a vase at each place for a dinner party, give the vases as a take-home favor.
• Theme vases to the occasion: paint them orange and brown for Thanksgiving and fill with bronze chrysanthemums. Paint vases pink and decorate with hearts for Valentine’s Day; fill with white carnations.

• Kids can make spice jar vases as gifts for parents or grandparents for any special gift-giving occasion. Present the vase gift-wrapped in a box or as a bouquet filled with flowers.
• Have kids make up a vase to cheer up someone who is ill.
• Keep a vase filled with blooms in a child’s room so they develop a love of flowers.
• These vases could also serve as candlesticks by half-filling the jar with dried rice or sand and burrowing a candle in the middle.

How to Re-Do your Spice Shelf

If you’re inspired to redo your spice shelf, here are some tips.

Selecting the Spice Jars

I purchased spice jars on Amazon. The brand I bought comes with labels, so if you use them, the project is a snap. The label selection is quite comprehensive and there are blank labels.

I like the square shape of these jars, which allows them to stand compactly on the spice shelf.

Preparing the Jars

Wash jars and dry on a rack over a baking sheet. Even left overnight, the jars may not dry completely; moisture can collect on the shoulders. Just run a towel to the inside to dry completely.

Also, water can collect between cap and liner. Use the tip of a paring knife to pry out the liner and wipe dry.

Preparing the Labels

I bought a label design on Etsy by DracaDesign. I like the minimalist look and clean typeface. Also, the label has a black border so it’s very forgiving if you cut the label imperfectly. The black lines ensure that the label still looks sharp.

For the label design, simply download the template using the vendor-provided software. Customize and print the labels on sticker paper.

If you are numbering your spices, you can have Microsoft Word alphabetize the list for you. Or here’s how you do it in Excel.

When you download your labels as a pdf, opt for “show trim marks” so you know where to cut the labels, and “tile different designs” to ensure you won’t get a whole page of the same label.

To cut the labels, I used a plastic ruler and an X-ACTO knife on a self-healing cutting mat.

Add a Protective Coating

I covered my labels with clear matte contact paper. Cut the contact paper with scissors and apply to the label before sticking it on the jar. Or you can add the contact overlay afterwards.

Assembly

When you affix the labels, determine where you want the bottom of the label to be, then wrap a strip of cardstock, cut to that height, around the bottom of the jar and tape it in place to make a collar. Position the bottom of your label just above the collar. This helps to ensure all the labels will line up properly on the spice shelf. You can simply slide the collar off the jar to position the next label.

To fill spice jars: I used a square of parchment paper, rolled into a cone. This way, you can have a new throwaway funnel for each new category of spice (I used the same cone for all the chiles, for example.) For leafy herbs, you can simply cup your hand around the mouth of the jar to guide the spices into the opening without spilling.

What Else Can You Do?

I’ve collected some ingenious ideas for discarded spice jars from clever people on Pinterest. Check out my Spice Jar Crafts board for more recycle ideas.

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