The hipster movement has claimed mason jars as their holy grails for quite some time now—and for good reason. Mason jars balance the fine line of country comfort and an elegant touch of class. If you’re a little late to the jar fad, not to worry. Here are some excellent alternative uses for mason jars aside from their traditional use of storing canned fruits and jams.  

Food Gifts

When in doubt during times of gift-giving, you can never go wrong with baked goods in a jar—especially sweets. Layer up the ingredients for cookies, brownies, and cakes for the most appealing visual effects of colors and textures. For an extra pop of fun, attach a spoon with twine or ribbon to the top, along with some hand-written instructions on how to bake the jar’s contents.

Terrariums

Terrariums and mason jars go together like bees and honey. Add a little soil and some seeds, and you have yourself a mini garden. Terrariums are great decorative pieces around the house. Add them to spaces with a lot of natural light, like window sills and outdoor tables.

Natural Air Freshener

Store-bought air fresheners are often packed with chemicals and preservatives. So instead of using those, create your own scents by grabbing a mason jar, some citrus, herbs, spices, water, and a saucepan. Heat up your scented combinations, like lemon, cinnamon, and clove, in a small sauce pan or microwave. Once the mix is heated up, add it back into the mason jar and keep on a warm surface such as a mug warmer or candle warmer. You’ll love to sweet smell welcoming you into the room.

Kitchen Organizer

If your pantry is overflowing with boxes and bags, it may look more chaotic than full. Invest in several sized mason jars to store your food items instead. When your pasta, rice, cereal, and spaces are resting pretty in glass jars, your pantry will have a much more organized and attractive look to it. Not to mention, you’ll have a quicker idea of when it’s time to buy more of any given item.