For quite a while now I have been collecting glass jars. Stashing them away at first in an organized fashion, and then it started to be more of a stick it wherever there is room kind of thing. For a long time I have loved seeing the pictures of jars neatly organized in my friend Jen’s cupboard. Also, every time I have been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Chef Michael’s pantry on Chef at Home, with his beautifully lined shelves of jars containing everything from spices to beans and rice, I knew I wanted to do this in my home.
Last Friday, I finally got the kick in the butt I needed to stop the stashing of jars and start using them when I read the article 10 Great Ways to Use Empty Glass Jars and Bottles on The Mom Writes. The cute picture of a jar full of jelly beans gave me all the motivation I needed, and I got straight to work.
I have always had an affinity for glass jars. They look so much prettier than cardboard boxes, bags, and little baggies. I want my cupboards to be lined with beautiful glass jars so that I can open them and soak up the happiness seeing a lovely organized pantry.
Today I grabbed as many jars as I could easily find from my stashing days. One of the very few times holding onto something I wasn’t currently using proved worthwhile. Although this probably only happens about 1 in 100 times, which is important to keep in mind when simplifying your home. I have always had high hopes for these jars and now the time seemed right to take action!
Before going through my cupboards today I currently had one jar out filled with chalk.
Doesn’t the chalk look so much prettier in a jar? J I have always had a special place in my heart for craft and desk supplies.
I started filling my available jars with brown sugar, white sugar, and rice. These items all look so much nicer in the jars than they did in the bags they were previously in. Next I moved onto my baking soda – a 1000 times nicer than the box! As well as chilli powder – tis the chilli season right around the corner! And my new favorite spice that has found its way out of a baggie and into a lovely glass jar is a curry masala powder Traveling Pat brought back all the way from India! Thanks Pat!
I should really give a double thank you to Traveling Pat and Aaron because a lot of these jars found their way into our home through delicious jams and fruits they canned for us. Are you still going to bring us more if I ummmm….don’t give you your jars back?! 😎
My kitchen smelled of beautiful spices, and was looking much nicer, which was very rewarding! After filling the jars and looking around I realized I have SO many other things I would like to put in jars, from desk supplies to many other pantry items. I think I am on a glass jar high of some kind.
I even took my jar obsession so far as to remove the emergency supply of Starbucks VIA packets from their box and into a jar.
Much better!
VIA is not my regular coffee but I find having a few of these on hand is never a bad idea. You never know when you might need one of these in a pinch, or if you are having a super lazy day and there are no pre-ground beans in your house, and YOU sure as heck aren’t going to do it! This may or may not happen to me a few mornings a month 😉
Looking in my fridge at the pasta sauce jars I couldn’t help but be excited to use them up so I can wash them and fill them with new things. This project doesn’t have to be expensive. When you are conscious of it there are so many jars that come into your home on a regular basis that you can re-use so that you don’t even have to purchase jars. That being said, if you ever see a great deal on glass jars please let me know!
My name is Wendy, and I am now officially a glass jar addict.
The only question left to ask is:
Can I get away with feeding my family pasta every night this week for dinner? I really want to use those jars!
