Tuesday, November 30, 2010

SALSA JARS REPURPOSED!




SALSA JARS REPURPOSED!

I don't know about you, but our family eats a lot of Mexican food and that means we have lots of empty salsa jars! I refuse to toss them in the trash so I use them, and other glass jars, for different things around the house. I often buy things with the reuse of their container in mind~I reuse candle jars, baby food jars, spaghetti sauce jars, etc. Not only is this Bi-Lo brand (Southern Home) picante sauce really good and a great price, the jar is a pretty shape, too.
Being the cheapo that I am, I started thinking that I could turn these jars into drink jars for my younger children, as opposed to buying some. They also fit into the cup holder of your car quite well.
Here's how I did it: remove label then glue and the printed numbers with nail polish remover. Clean jar and lid very well, let dry. If it still smells like salsa, soak in vinegar then let air dry overnight-works like a charm! For the top, I used a hammer and large nail to make the hole, checking the size often with a straw. You want the straw to fit loosely. File down any rough edges with a nail file, then use! I would love to find a waterproof way to decorate the top but for now they will stay the same. The kids think they are cool that way, anyway. I used a glass etching tool that I found at the Dollar Tree, of all places, to put my daughter's monogram on the glass jar. For the boys' jars, I just simply put their initial to be able to tell them apart-they will fight over anything! I think that is my new favorite tool! You could also use glass etching cream, either would be a cute way to decorate a jar for a gift~fill jar with homemade bath salts then the recipient has a pretty jar to use after the bath salts are gone!
So there ya go! Have fun but whatever you do, KEEP YOUR GLASS JARS! They are too useful to throw away!

1 comment:

  1. I soak my jars in bleach and hot water to remove labels and glue in one step.

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