Baby food jars are the perfect little treasure waiting to be upcycled. We all know by now how many amazing things can be done with old jars, so adorable little mini jars – really, what’s not to love? (And if you don’t happen to be hoarding baby food jars like me, I think these little beauties would look just as fetching using standard grown up sized jars.)
When our son was eating baby food, I hounded my husband to save the jars for me. He threw them out whenever I wasn’t looking (to avoid the chore of washing them out) and he questioned me regularly about what in the world I was going to do with a bunch of tiny little jars.
But I was adamant they would be something amazing.
And then they sat in the cabinet for 9 months while I tried to figure out exactly what to do with them.
I love using jars for storage around the house, so in the end I decided to turn these old baby food jars into stylish storage. Even though they are small, they’re perfect for storing spice blends, small snacks, paper clips, rubber bands, safety pins, beads, small crafting supplies, random jewelry pieces…
All they needed was a tiny little makeover.
I love the look of painted jars, so I started by painting these with some pure white chalk paint I had on hand. If you don’t happen to have any leftover chalk paint, craft paint is also pretty awesome for painting glass. (I used Americana craft paint on my striped aqua mason jar and it worked perfectly.)
After painting several coats of paint, it was time to deal with the lids. I thought about just painting the lids in pretty colors, but wanted to do something a little more special. So I broke out the washi tape.
For anyone who doesn’t know, washi tape is amazing! It comes in a million and one gorgeous patterns and colors for only a couple of bucks a roll. You can stick it just about anywhere just like regular tape, but it’s removable. So if you decide to decorate something with your washi tape but then get tired of it, you can just peel off the tape…without harming most surfaces. Genius!
So anyway, I decided to cover my jar lids with washi tape. I basically wrapped the lids in strips of tape and then trimmed off the excess, folding the edges under the lids.
I loved how my jars were looking but they really needed a little something else. So I decided to go with some labels. I made the labels using the same washi tape, some cardstock, and a craft punch. I taped a few strips of each color to the cardstock and then punched it with my craft punch. I don’t have a cute label punch but I do have a ‘tag’ punch. I figured out that I could just punch out a tag and then turn it around and punch the other side as well to make a really cute little shape. (Who knew!)
Once the labels were punched out, I just peeled the washi tape off of the cardstock and stuck it onto my jars.
And now I have the absolute cutest little storage jars around. (Plus, just as importantly, I can show my husband just how smart I actually was for saving all those jars!)
How’s that for recycling! Be sure to check out my fellow bloggers’ repurpose, recycle, reuse projects as well. As always there are some great ones. (And you know I’m drooling over that turquoise bed!)
Bar stool nightstand by Thrifty and Chic
Cannonball bed redo by Life as a Thrifter
Upcycled Floating Nightstand by Bigger Than the Three of Us
Alicia @ thrifty and chic says
These turned out so cute! Now I’m wishing I had saved some baby food jars!
Carrie says
Thanks Alicia! I just couldn’t resist saving some – they are so cute and little. Of course, now I am questioning how I could have thrown any of them away at all!
Holly @ Life as a Thrifter says
How wonderful! What a creative use for washi tape!
Carrie says
Thanks Holly! I love the fun colors and patterns of washi tape but haven’t really used any until now. I was happy to finally figure out a great use for it!
Lori @ Thrifty Decor Mom says
Those are so cute! I love using washi tape too. My kids are 13 and 18 so I definitely don’t have any baby food jars around but I’m sure I can find other small jars to use. This is such a great idea. I pinned this and am definitely going to make these. Thanks for sharing!
Carrie says
Thanks Lori – I think this would definitely work with any jars you can scrounge up. And I love washi tape too but this is one of my first times creating something with it. Until now, I’ve mostly just collected it!
Kendra @ www.joyinourhome.com says
These are soo cute!! I have a bag of jars laying around (waiting for the perfect project!!!) and think I’ll try these :) Thanks for sharing!
Carrie says
Awesome Kendra, I hope you love them!
[email protected] says
Love that you used Washi Tape. I have some around and haven’t figured out what to do with it. Thanks for the inspiration!
Carrie says
Thanks Ashley, I was in that same washi conundrum until this project. Suddenly I want to washi everything! I already have another washi project in the works!
Sarah @The Teacher's Wife says
These are so cute!! I’m pinning….I saved my son’s babyfood jars b/c I knew I could find something to use them for later!
Carrie says
Thanks Sarah! You sound just like me!
Judi Johnson says
I need to ask you about washi tape. I have used it to decorate some office containers and it peeled off on its own. How do you get it to stick more permanently? I love this idea and my son saves his jars for me. But before I use my washi tape can you give me advice on it?
Carrie says
Judi, great questions. I have had some trouble with washi tape in the past too. It is great because it is removable and it is horrible because it is removable. I tried to add some stripes to a lampshade with washi and within five minutes it had all fallen right into the floor. I have found (in my limited experience) that washi tape sticks really well to smooth, even surfaces. Flat is better than round, buy round can work. When making my jars, the tape stuck excellently to the sides. The lids were a little more temperamental, but when I pressed the tape down very firmly, it stuck well. If you want the washi tape to really be permanent, you might also consider spreading a thin layer of craft glue on the lid before applying the tape.
Alina says
Love this idea. Seems simple enough to make.