Hot! Hot! Hot! And right off the presses!!
Mason Jars are EVERYWHERE!!!
And they are being used for EVERYTHING!!!
Mason jars have been around since 1858. I found this bit of history about the Mason jar on www.pickyourown.org.
Mason Jars
"But in 1858, an inventor and tinsmith from New York City, John L. Mason, invented the Mason jar. He invented a machine that could cut threads into lids, which made it practical to manufacture a jar with a reusable, screw-on, and lid. This was the difference between his design and predecessors, the sealing mechanism: a glass container with a thread molded into its top and a zinc lid with a rubber ring. The rubber created the seal, and the threaded lid maintained it. The jar included his patent: "Mason’s Patent November 30th. 1858."
The ease of use and affordability of Mason jars helped home canning spread across the nation, not only among farmers, homesteaders and settlers, but also urban families, who began family traditions of canning sauces, pickles, relishes, fruit and tomatoes. Sadly, Mason sold off his rights to the jar to several different people and died a relatively poor man around 1900.
Interesting!!
I grew up with huge gardens in our backyards and family and friends who were Farmers. So, canning was a way of life!!! My mom and dad in the kitchen in the dense heat of August lowering full jars of tomato sauce, mixed corns, pickles, snap peas, green beans, lima beans, chic peas and lentils into the boiling water for sealing is an indelible memory that I carry with me.
During the winter, all of these homegrown foods would be devoured still emitting their summertime sweetness. The empty jars would pile up and we would wash them thoroughly and place them back into the original Mason jar box and put it in the basement to be brought out again next August when the process would begin again.
But, today, those good old Mason jars have a whole new way of being used!!! And those ways number in the 100s!
Of course, using the standard Mason jar as part of your storage and organization design is simply a given! Put extra change in a jar. Left over buttons accumulates in another. Pieces of ribbons and threads find their way into yet another. Dad’s workshop is loaded with Mason jars dividing nails from screws, bolts from nuts, fittings from fuses! Even kitchen cupboards have embraced the Mason jar as storing things other than garden foods! Pasta and rice, cereal, brown sugar, drying basil, cinnamon sticks and tea packets can all be found in a tight lid Mason jar!
Both photos above provided by Zigzag Mountain Art
As usual, I have perused the internet for further ideas of the Great and Wonderful Mason jar. Each idea is accompanied by the website. So you can take a look, and hopefully try out some of these great Mason Jar DIY ideas!
http://img4.realsimple.com/images/1011/mason-jar_gal.jpg
Use Mason Jars to Bake Individual Cheesecakes
Fill jars about three-quarters full with cheesecake mixture. Bake uncovered in a large baking dish, with enough hot water to reach three-quarters of the way up the jars, until set, 25 to 35 minutes. Let cool and top with preserves, if desired. Refrigerate for at least two hours and up to three days.
Use Mason Jars as Night Lights
A Mason jar makes a magical homemade night light: Fill a large one with a strand or two of battery-powered lights to add whimsy to a walkway or a nightstand.
http://img4.realsimple.com/images/1301/jar-christmas-lights_gal.jpg
Use Mason Jars as Sewing Kits
Top with a pin cushion of your own making: Separate the sealer and the screw cap. Place the sealer bottom side up on fabric and, using a pencil, draw a circle around it, about an inch wider all around. Use a glue gun to pipe a bit of glue along the rim, then fold the fabric around the rim, creating little bunches as you do. When you’re three-quarters of the way around the lid, stuff cotton batting between the fabric and the lid, making sure it’s even; finish folding the fabric and seal. Apply hot glue to the inside of the screw cap, place the sealer, and press. Allow it to dry.
http://img4.realsimple.com/images/1406/jam-jar_gal.jpg
Use Mason Jars on Blenders
Busted your blender’s jar? Until you replace it, try this temporary fix: Many detachable blade assemblies screw right onto a small-mouth Mason jar (or a mayo jar, as shown). Don’t fill it by more than half, though, and as with any regular blender, avoid very hot liquids.
http://img4.realsimple.com/images/photo-gallery/jar-mixer_gal.jpg
Mason Jar Desk Organizer
(See website for instructions)
http://www.thecountrychiccottage.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/mason-jar-desk-organizer.jpg
http://cdn.hometalk.com/media/xer0c520c1a1dc7f72.jpg?size=594x594&nocrop=1
Coastal Inspired Netted Jars
I HEART THE BEACH!! Don't you? Sand, sun, seagulls, shells...what's not to love? So I made up some coastal inspired jars for my love of the beach, and I wrapped them with fisherman's netting because that's beachy, too, right?
http://cdn.hometalk.com/media/huij0xqnbu0cql75kd9g5097e6557c71a.jpg?size=985x985&nocrop=1
http://www.architectureartdesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ArchitectureArtDesigns-4413.jpg
Wall-Hung Bathroom Storage
Source: lizmarieblog.com
http://www.architectureartdesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ArchitectureArtDesigns-3611.jpg
Children’s Craft Storage
Source: housetohome.co.uk
http://www.architectureartdesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ArchitectureArtDesigns-2812.jpg
Yarn Dispensers
Source: mysisterscottage.blogspot.com
http://www.architectureartdesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ArchitectureArtDesigns-3711.jpg
Make a Soap Dispenser
Source: theblissfullycontentlife.blogspot.com
http://www.architectureartdesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ArchitectureArtDesigns-3213.jpg
Create a Chandelier
Source: casasugar.com
http://www.architectureartdesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ArchitectureArtDesigns-655.jpg
Single-Serving Pie in a Jar
Via: ourbestbites.com
http://www.architectureartdesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ArchitectureArtDesigns-4512.jpg
Oh My!!! I need to quit now! Phew! I could go on forever and ever with ideas!! You can use mason jars for just about everything…over & over again! They’re certainly for much more than preserving!
Mason jars can be found quite often in storage unit auctions and at garage sales. I’m going to be adding more of these diverse glass items to my art supplies collection!!
I guess I can kind of hint at what everyone is getting for Christmas this year!!
Well, I’m off to an auction!
Until next time!
Keep on Junkin’!
Amy
