Sarah Ahiers' Jars

If you're expecting company and need decorations fast, you must try this one.

I was so excited when Sarah Ahiers agreed to be a guest on my blog. I love her crafty posts and her baking posts look so good you wished you had smellavision on the internet.

Take a look at how EASY and fast you can make decorations with what you have around the house. Sarah is a genius!



Sarah's Jars

I'm not even going to lie. I love jars.

For reals.

Jars are awesome. You can put so much stuff in them, both for storage and for decorations, and they look so cool. Kind of an old-school country feel.

Seriously, mason jars are some of the easiest things to craft with. And one of the best things about mason jars are, they're pretty affordable. You can get them at any grocery store usually for about $10 for a dozen or more, depending on size.

Right now, I've been using some smaller ones.

just so cute!
I like to fill them with fun things, depending on the season, and then throw a candle on top. We hosted a baby shower a few weeks ago and I got more than a few compliments on this arrangement. And it was super easy and cheap (see the bottom of the post for a few other ideas of what to put in your jars).

For winter time, I like things that smell nice. Now, I don't drink coffee, but I love the smell of coffee beans. I really, really wished coffee tasted liked the beans smelled. But alas.

Anyway, an easy solution to my "no reason to have coffee beans in the house since no one drinks it" conundrum is to make coffee bean accent jars.

So, take an empty jar. Or two, or three. I use four at a time, since I have a ledge between my kitchen and living room that is really suited to four mason jars and my terrarium.

Pick out a flavor of coffee bean you like. I chose almond vanilla, since the candles I'll be using are vanilla scented.

smells sooooo good


Then fill your jar to the max.






Next, add your tea light. You don't have to use scented tea lights, if you don't want. I'm just using them because they're what I had lying around





The best thing about this arrangement is, once you light the candle, it will heat the coffee beans and fill the room with the scent of the beans. MMMMMM.





When you're done using the mason jar for the season, just ditch the candle (or save for use in another craft or project) and close up with the lid that came with the mason jar.





This makes for super easy storage and you don't have to worry about the jar spilling accidentally.

You can pretty much put anything you want in mason jars. For autumn, I used pine cones and potpourri pumpkins.



these were the ones that garnered me the compliments at the party


And for Christmas decorations, I'm using cranberries, floating tea lights, water and a few sprigs of a silver leaf I picked up at Michael's.



I also reproduced this on a larger scale, for a center piece, and added dogwood branches sticking out of the middle


You could use acorns or berries or the fuzzy parts of pussy willows. Anything really. And if you buy the jars in bulk, you can just store them as is and take them out with the change in season or holiday (assuming you're not using fresh fruits or something else that would rot)

If you're feeling extra adventurous, you could check out Specialty Bottles, for tons of different jars or bottles available for purchase.

What are you waiting for? Go have fun with your jars!

Sarah Ahiers blogs about writing (mostly) MWF over at Falen Formulates Fiction. She often procrastinates from writing or cleaning by crafting, crocheting or hanging out with her dogs.

NOTE: This is the LAST day to comment on any of our past DIY projects. To view all of them, go here.  

Winners will be posted tomorrow! Good luck!

Comments

Anonymous said…
What a cool, cool idea! I have tons of canning jars from when my mother and I canned on a regular basis. Yay, another purpose for them :)

Brilliant.
Sarah Ahiers said…
It's so easy and so fun! I love looking at my jars now!
Luanne G. Smith said…
Very pretty. So many different seasonal/thematic possibilities. And who doesn't have a few canning jars in the cupboard?
I like your idea of the coffee beans and the candle. I'm with you - coffee smells good but it tastes disgusting. (I equate it to licking tar off the road, but that's just me.) I'm going to show my wife this and see if she'll make some.
Tracy Jo said…
So fun! Love Mason jars. So easy and beautiful decorations...thank you Sarah and Maria!
Kaye Manro said…
I actually love this idea. Thanks for sharing, Sarah and Maria!
Sarah Ahiers said…
L.G. - that's what i love about them, so many easy possibilites. And quick to switch out

Alex - oh i hear you. The only way i can even tolerate coffee is with tons of sugar and cream. But you don't need your wife, you could totally do these!

TracyJo - Mason Jars are just so cool.

Kaye - no problem! I'm all for sharing easy decorating ideas
Mike Keyton said…
Very nice. Again, another one for my daughter, a student with style
Sarah Ahiers said…
It's extra easy on a student budget, too, since most of the materials are so cheap
Angela Brown said…
That is such a simple, easy and beautiful idea. I love candles and I love smell good stuff so this would be fun...and I could set this up with my kiddo since they aren't difficult. Now my mind is churning with ideas. This is awesome Sarah!!!
Sarah Ahiers said…
Thanks! It's one of those simple things where i was amazed i hadn't realized the potential sooner.
Shelley Munro said…
What an excellent idea! It's simple yet effective and a good excuse to keep more jars in the cupboard. hubby won't know what hit him!
Al said…
The simplest ideas are the best!
Sarah Ahiers said…
Shelley - you can never have too many jars, in my opinion

Al - yes they are!
LD Masterson said…
Fantastivc idea. My mind is hopping all around thinking of things I could put in thoses jars.
Sarah Ahiers said…
And there's so many options! Once i did one, i got super excited and couldn't wait to do more
Denise Covey said…
Coffee cake and now coffee scent. Glad I had to pop back and tell you I'd missed the 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream out of my Toblerone Cocktail recipe. Might be a bit flat without that all important ingredient! Hope you get to try it!

Denise
Really great idea. Love the coffee beans. I bet that smells terrific!
Unknown said…
I think about 25% of my blood is coffee right now. Love the idea of using the beans as decoration.
Unknown said…
How beautiful! I would those smells around my house.
Sarah Tokeley said…
What a fantastic idea, and so simple even I couldn't mess it up :-)
Sarah Ahiers said…
Denise - mmm, toblerone cocktail sounds delish!

Dee - it definitely does!

Janel - Hah! Well now you can supplement it with more coffee scent!

Clarissa - i'm not gonna lie. It smells great

Sarah - that is always a bonus in my book. No failing!
Unknown said…
This is an amazing idea!!! I've been searching high and low for a plain coffee-scented candle with no luck. Thank you for sharing your creativity! :)