Mason jars might just be the greatest invention ever. Whether you enjoy canning with them in the fall or you just have a few around that you use for various crafts and DIY projects, these things are just so versatile! I love how you can totally turn them into something completely different than a mere canning jar, and to show you just how much I love them, I have found 30 different ways that you can use those mason jars to help get your home – and your life – a bit more organized.
I just can’t get enough of using mason jars for everything. The jars themselves are so versatile and are perfect for so many DIY crafts. You could use them to store everything from cereal to cotton balls, and I’ve found so many creative ways that you can make organization easy with your mason jars.
From coin holders to sewing kits and so much more, there is a project in here that is sure to make you happy. I love them all and I hope you do, too. Whether you need something to store your homemade laundry detergent, which by the way I have a recipe for, or you just want to bring a bit of decorative organization to the kitchen, you are sure to find these projects helpful.
I love finding useful ways to use old jars. Whether you have mason jars on hand or you need to head out to the Dollar Store and buy them – they’re less than $10 a case, you can completely organize your household, your office, or your life with just a few simple steps. We’ve all seen those cookies in a jar that you make with mason jars, and those are wonderful. I also love that you can use these jars to make just about any type of storage and organization that you need, and you just have so many ways to make your jar storage unique. I’ve covered mason jar Christmas decorations in a previous post, so be sure to check that out, as well.
Now, let’s take a look at all of the wonderful ways that you can create your own DIY organization with those old mason jars. I’m sure you’re going to find all of these projects helpful and I can’t wait to hear which one you’ve tried!
1. Pin Cushion Sewing Kit
This sewing kit with a pin cushion on top is the best way to keep your hand sewing essentials organized. You create the pin cushion on the lid of the mason jar and store your sewing necessities inside the jar. How cool is that? If you don’t have a dedicated sewing box or basket, this is perfect for keeping those items neatly in place and all together so that you can find everything easily. You even have room to place a small pair of scissors if you use a large jar.
Tutorial: sewmanyways
2. Twine Organizer And Dispenser
What better way to organize your twine than with this mason jar organizer? I love creative ideas and this one is the most creative I’ve seen in a while. You just put your rolls of twine into the jar and feed the ends through the lid, which you use to create a feeder. When you need twine, just pull on the one that you need and it comes out seamlessly. Twine is kept organized and flowing properly with a screw that is bolted to the lid.
Tutorial: acasarella
3. DIY Bathroom Organizer
I love this DIY mason jar bathroom organizer for the storage as well as the design. It’s made by affixing mason jars to an old pallet, which you can re-stain to give it that great rustic look. The jars are held in place with clamps, which you could paint if you wanted, to make them better match your bathroom décor. You could also paint the jars white and distress them a bit if you really want a rustic look. Then just fill your jars with cotton swabs, hair bows, or whatever else you need to organize and store.
Tutorial: skinnymeg
4. Mason Jar Matchbox
This DIY matchbox jar is a great idea, especially if you have trouble keeping your matches organized and in place. Instead of having those large unsightly – or small – matchboxes sitting around, you can create a matchbox from a mason jar that will easily store your matches and the top doubles as a striker. You can use a small jelly sized jar for smaller matches or grab a larger mason jar if you want to organize your longer matchsticks.
Tutorial: theburlapbag
5. DIY Mason Jar Spice Rack
I’ve been planning to make this DIY mason jar spike rack forever. It’s a great way to keep spices fresh and organized with the chalkboard tops and if you use smaller jars you can easily fit them into a drawer or build a spice rack to hang on the wall. Just label each jar lid with the name of the spice inside. Since it’s chalkboard paint, you can change them up as you need to. Add some really colorful spoons for measuring and you have a really decorative spice rack that keeps all your spices perfectly organized.
Tutorial: raisinguprubies
6. Cupcake Liner Storage
If you tend to bake a lot of cupcakes or muffins, you may notice that those plastic cupcake holders don’t always hold up under pressure. I love the idea of organizing cupcake liners in mason jars. Not only do they fit perfectly inside the jars, you can organize them in smaller jars by color, so if you’re doing a particular theme, you don’t have to dig through all of your cupcake liners for the color you want. Just grab the jar that you need and go.
Tutorial: texasjoy
7. Desk Organizer
You know you need more desk organization – we all do. This mason jar organizer is a great way to get that desk cleaned up so you have more room, and let’s face it – when you’re organized, you get so much more work done! I love the idea of putting all those work necessities in an organized place and mason jars make it so easy. You can dress those jars up to match your office theme – or maybe a beach theme if dreaming about vacation makes you more productive.
Tutorial: itallstartedwithpaint
8. Utensil Caddy
I’ll admit – I cook out a lot during the warmer months. I’ve even been known to grill out when it’s snowing! That being said, we can all use an easy way to keep utensils organized when it comes to eating out on the patio. I love this idea for family cookouts or even taking things to the lake for a picnic. You can build the box yourself or buy one – the Dollar Store has things like these for under $10. Just decorate your mason jars and add your utensils. It’s a great way to keep forks and spoons separated and it makes carrying utensils outdoors much easier, too.
Tutorial: consumercrafts
9. Magnetic Under Shelf Storage
This magnetic storage solution fits neatly under your shelf so you have additional space for organizing those essentials without taking up much needed counter space. A magnetic strip holds the lids of your mason jars snugly in place. When you need something from the jars, just remove them, take off the lid, and get what you need. Then replace the lid and the jar sticks back perfectly into position. You could do this under any shelf or cabinet for added storage.
Tutorial: momspark
10. Back To School Organizing Jars
Back to school may be my least favorite time of year, mostly because everything can get so disorganized. If you typically have trouble keeping things in place and finding them easily when you need them, then you really need these DIY back to school mason jars in your life. Just paint your jars – you could use chalkboard paint which is a great back to school idea – and then label them with the supplies. Make jars for pens, pencils, rulers, and whatever else you need to keep organized.
Tutorial: masonjarcraftslove
11. DIY Herb Garden Jars
Keeping your herb garden neatly organized can be difficult. I mean, those little planters are great but you may need something that you can easily label to keep herbs readily at your fingertips. Growing an herb garden is a great way to get healthy flavors in your foods and this DIY herb garden organizing trick is a great way to make sure you can always find the herbs you need easily. You can hang this on the porch or in the kitchen – it organizes those herbs and serves as a great DIY décor idea, as well.
Tutorial: camillestyles
12. DIY Craft Storage
If you love crafting as much as I do, you know that there are times when you just want your craft room to be more organized. This DIY craft storage with mason jars is perfect for keeping all of those supplies neat and tidy and easy to grab when you need them. You’ll need chalkboard paint so that you can label the lids, and something decorative to store them in. Wire baskets can be purchased at the Dollar Store or Wal-Mart for just a couple dollars each and most will fit up to six jars of craft supplies.
Tutorial: itallstartedwithpaint
13. Paint Storage
Let’s face it, painting is great and all but what do you do with all that leftover paint? You could leave it in the jars it comes in, or you could create this great DIY paint storage from small mason jars. Paint the lids with the color that you’ll put inside and then label so that you can easily find the color you need when you start a new project. You could also use chalkboard paint on the lids – I mean, you’ll see the colors in the jar from the paint itself. Smaller jars store easily in a drawer or you could build a small shelf to hold them all.
Tutorial: iheartorganizing
14. DIY Wall Planter
If your plants tend to take up too much counter space and you want to get them more organized, this DIY wall planter is the perfect way to do that. This is great for succulents on the porch or smaller plants in the house that you are growing for transplanting outdoors. Just take an old strip of wood and use clips to hold your jars in place. Whether you’re growing flowers for your flower bed or you want to get a start on spring vegetable planting, this wall planter will help you to keep all those plants neatly organized.
Tutorial: notjustahousewife
15. Handled Canisters
I love the gorgeous handles on these handled canisters. You could use these to keep makeup brushes or other bathroom supplies organized or even put them in the bedroom for hair ties or the kitchen for smaller items. Whatever you need them for, they are beautiful and offer so much wonderful storage space. Add them all to a shelf or leave them on the counter. They’re as decorative as they are organizational.
Tutorial: consumercrafts
16. Paint Dipped Utensil Holders
Kitchen utensils can be so difficult to keep organized. I use to keep all of my spatulas and spoons in a drawer until I realized that there is a much better way to keep them stored that also make it easy for you to get to them when you need them. I love this paint dipped mason jar for utensil storage. These are very decorative so you can put them right on the counter, and if you use different materials – like wooden spoons and metal spatulas, you could have a different jar for each one.
Tutorial: lovegrowswild
17. Glue Stick Organizer
If you tend to do a lot of crafts, you probably use a glue gun. Those glue sticks can be very difficult to keep neat and tidy. The plastic container that they come in doesn’t always last as long as the glue sticks themselves, and then you’re stuck wondering how you’re going to keep your glue sticks stored within easy reach. Enter the mason jar! I love this idea mostly because of the chalkboard tags and because a large mason jar will hold even the longest glue sticks and keep them neat and tidy.
Tutorial: theboldabode
18. DIY Chore Chart
So the kids may not like this idea but I love it. You can use your mason jars to keep a chore chart neatly organized so that you – and your little ones – always know what chores need to be done on which days. There’s a jar for things that need to be done and one for things that are finished. As their chores are completed, they simply move the stick for that chore into the done jar. The organizing itself is such a fun task that kids may even like getting their chores done just so they can watch that done jar fill up.
Tutorial: tatertotsandjello
19. Sectioned Toothbrush Holder
I love the idea of making a toothbrush holder from a mason jar. If you like the rustic country look in the bathroom, you will really like this toothbrush holder. The sectioned lid is made from chicken wire – or any other wire that you may want to use. Just create the sections and there’s a place for everyone’s toothbrush. You can buy a sectioned toothbrush holder but why would you when you can make this gorgeous mason jar one for free?
Tutorial: thecountrychiccottage
20. Homemade Laundry Soap Storage
Do you make your own laundry soap? If not, you’re seriously missing out on a great way to save money. If you do, here’s a great way to keep that homemade laundry soap stored and organized with mason jars. You literally just print out – or use chalkboard paint and write out – a label for the soap and then maybe decorate the lid a bit. Mason jars store your laundry soap perfectly and you can have different jars for your homemade fabric softener, too.
Tutorial: yesterdayontuesday
21. Double Decker Craft Caddy
If you do a lot of crafts – and by that I mean if you have a lot of different craft supplies – maybe this double decker craft caddy is what you need to keep those supplies organized. You build the box to double as a lazy susan, so you can just spin it around to grab the supplies that you need. Each section holds a large mason jar, so you get enough storage for eight different jars with both levels. You could also make it larger if you want and build a box big enough to hold twelve jars.
Tutorial: addicted2diy
22. Teacher’s Organization Gift
I really love the thought of giving an organization gift to teachers. Whether it’s for a birthday, Christmas gift, or just because you want to do something nice for your child’s teacher, this is definitely the gift that keeps on giving. I really love the “You Write Up My Life” message, but you could do any message that you want. The idea is to give the teacher a way to keep markers, crayons, pencils, or other writing utensils organized and neatly in place.
Tutorial: yesterdayontuesday
23. Button Organizing Jars
So we’ve determined that mason jars are perfect for organizing. I love the idea of keeping buttons organized with those jars. Whether you use small jelly sized jars or you need larger jars because you do a lot of sewing, you can keep buttons organized by size, shape, color, or even project need. Buy a basket at Wal-Mart or the Dollar Store and keep those button jars in the basket. When you need them, you won’t have to sift through hundreds of the wrong buttons to find the ones you need.
Tutorial: thecountrychiccottage
24. Coffee Station Creamer Jars
I drink a lot of coffee – and I mean a lot. That said, I always find myself buying different flavors of creamer. If you do the same, you can set up a great coffee station and keep your powdered creamers neatly organized with your old mason jars. This is a great idea for those of you who tend to entertain regularly. Your guests will be able to find the creamers that they need easily and let’s face it – mason jars are much more attractive than those plastic jars that creamers come in.
Tutorial: yesterdayontuesday
25. Toothpick Dispenser
Toothpicks don’t come in the most attractive packaging as a general rule. Some of them come in cardboard boxes that are really difficult to keep organized, especially when you try to dispense one toothpick and end up with a floor full of several. This DIY toothpick dispenser from a small mason jar will solve that problem. You cut holes in the lid for dispensing and each small jelly sized jar will hold so many toothpicks!
Tutorial: domesticallyblissful
26. Mason Jar Pantry Organization
I found this brilliant pantry organization idea on Etsy, but you could easily recreate it for much less than the $70 price tag. Just build a shelf – maybe out of an old pallet – to hold mason jars and then use those jars for storing your dry food supplies. Beans, lentils, flour, sugar – there’s really nothing you can’t store in a mason jar and you do away with worries of bugs or other creatures tearing holes in your foot storage bags.
Tutorial: etsy
27. Jar Meal Organizers
I really love the idea of having meals planned out and even put together for the week. With mason jars, you can plan out meals way ahead of time so that all you have to do is cook when you get home in the evening. Talk about a time saver! This is also a really great idea for those of you who are eating healthy – you can fill your jars with salad or other items for lunch and then just grab that jar in the morning before you head out to work.
Tutorial: thedecoratedcookie
28. Vitamin Organizers
Vitamins are so important – especially if you tend not to eat as healthy as you should. If you take different types of vitamins, you can easily sort and store them in small jelly sized mason jars. This is a great way to keep those vitamins in the open where you can see them so you won’t forget to take them every day. When you have them in the cabinet, you may simply forget that they are there. With these vitamin organizing jars, you can have them out because the jars are so decorative that you’ll want to display them.
Tutorial: carolynshomework
29. Footprint Nursery Supplies Organizer
Not only do these footprint nursery jars help to keep the nursery organized, they allow you to preserve your baby’s footprint forever. I adore this idea! You just make the footprint on the mason jar and then use those jars for keeping the nursery organized. You could turn one into a lotion dispenser and use others for keeping cotton balls and swabs and other supplies neatly in place. Plus, they are wonderful decorations for baby’s room.
Tutorial: Decoart
30. Laundry Room Coin Keepers
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done laundry and found coins in my kids’ pockets. I love this idea of mason jar organizers to hang in the laundry room for holding those coins. You just attach a mason jar to a piece of wood and hang it up. Use whatever message you want and even paint the jar if you want it to be more decorative. You could save up those coins and when the jar is full, use the money to do something special with the family.
Tutorial: etsy
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