3 Ways to Find Summer Fun in a Simple Glass Jar

Your average glass jar can double as any number of essential summer tools if you think creatively. You don't need to be particularly skilled at arts and crafts, nor do you need a lot of money to get the most out of your spare glass jars during the warmer months. Have you ever sipped refreshing lemonade from a mason jar on a July afternoon? If so, you're already in the right spirit. Here are a few other ways you can use glass jars to celebrate your summer. 

1. Spice Up Your Kitchen with an Indoor Mini Garden

Large glass jars make the perfect foundation for an indoor spice garden. First, take your glass jars and fill them up with some decent soil ideal for growing whatever herbs and spices your heart and tastebuds desire. Next, plant your seeds. From there, it's down to a bit of seed-specific research, like how often to water and how much sunlight your mini-garden will need. Certain spices require a bit more of a green thumb than others but herbs in general are a fairly easy starting point for a novice grower. When someone asks you how you spent your summer, you can tell them that you created life in a glass jar. What could be better? 

2. A Glass Jar Makes an Excellent Vase

Flower pots and vases can get surprisingly pricey. Fortunately, a glass jar can double as a vase and offer the same quality. There's even a bit of rustic charm to using a simple mason jar instead of a fancy vase and letting nature take the spotlight it so deserves. Brighten up your decor with a summer look by lining your windowsills with decorative glass jars filled with summer flowers like black-eyed susans and marigolds. You can even pop some roses into large glass jars for a romantic  summer evening. You'll be surprised how inspirational it is to have so many flowers around the house. 

3. Using Glass Jars to Prepare for Power Outages

In most U.S. cities, a working air conditioner verges on necessity to make it through the sweltering summer. Unfortunately, all the energy expended by keeping those air conditioners blasting often results in blackouts. But you can be prepared for that likely event by turning your everyday ordinary glass jar into a candle. It's fairly easy to fill up glass jars with molten wax with a hemp wick down the center for an all natural lighting solution in the event that a power outage leaves you in the dark for the night. Glass jars with lids are especially great for this project since the wooden lid keeps dust out of the wax while adding to a comfortably yet rustic style. 

Hopefully reading through these ideas will get your own creative thoughts flowing on how you can use a common glass jar to achieve summer greatness. Part of the beauty of these projects is that you can keep them as simple as you'd like or you can really challenge yourself by going all out on the decorative aspects. Either way, you can count on glass jars to make even the hottest summer a whole lot cooler.