Upcycled Pickle Jar – Move over Mason Jars!

Let’s talk about the underrated pickle jar. I made this upcycled pickle jar vase because everyone on the internet has this love affair with mason jars. Mason jar drinks. Mason jar gifts. Mason jars for canning. Mason jars at birthdays. Mason jars for everyone!

Look, I like them too, don’t get me wrong. I’ve done enough projects with them. But sometimes I find we’re so obsessed with mason jars, that we forget all the other goodies that lay around in the condiment section of our refrigerators.

And ever since I started using pickle jars to hold things around the house like straws and pencil crayons, I’ve been hoarding these jars.

Pickle Jar are the underrated jar of the DIY home organization and decor world. Why?

A) They have no embellishments on them at all. That means you can decorate them any way you’d like without having to worry about getting around writing, logos, etc.

B) They have a wider opening at the top, and because they’re taller, can store taller and longer things. Such as flower stems.

So I decided to make two vases from two of them.

How to make an Upcycled Pickle Jar Vase

Despite my love of vintage and antique items, our home decor overall has a very contemporary feel with the former used as accent pieces throughout. There’s a lot of IKEA and a very heavy Scandinavian decor influence. I have also always been a big fan of the Swiss Cross decor items so I went with that as the two compliment each other quite nicely.

STEP 1

Because I didn’t have a cross stencil, I made one out of Removable Self Adhesive Vinyl (that you can find at the dollar store) and an X-Acto knife.

I know. This would be much easier if I had a Cricut no?

 

But until then it’s old school stencil time. Straight edge shapes are easy to make stencils out of this Vinyl. Curved shapes and letters are a different story.

STEP 2

I stuck the stencil on the jar and use simple inexpensive acrylic paint and a foam brush to dab the paint on.

I applied the paint in thin layers vs thick to allow for additional paint layers.

STEP 3

While the paint was still wet on the white cross one, I pulled it off the stencil and it turned out perfectly with no smudges and pretty crisp lines. But I let it harden a touch too long with the red.

The verdict? I had to touch up the red one as some parts peeled off with the stencil.

So take it off while the paint is still damp.

STEP 4 – BAKE YOUR UPCYCLED JAR VASE

Once the paint was dry I baked them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes to seal the paint and make them waterproof.

You basically take the jars and put them on a cookie tray into a cold oven. Turn on the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes (this includes the warm up time).

After 30 minutes turn off the oven and leave the jars inside the oven until they cool down. Don’t take them out and immerse them in cold water or whatnot or they may crack. Once they’re cool feel free to use them at will.

Do not forget this part or they will not be waterproof.

I know right? That’s a pretty cute looking pickle jar turned upcycled jar vase!

I wonder how much this would sell at a store like Anthropologie or Urban Outfitters. Maybe I should ask. Etsy business potential? Hmm…

Upcycled Jar Vase.

Storage jar.

First aid kit.

Gift “box”.

Planter.

Whatever floats your boat. I’m very happy with it given that it probably would have wound up in the recycling bin. So start saving your pickle jars!!