Stop Throwing Those Baby Food Jars Away!

There are a myriad of household uses for empty baby food jars:

* They make great storage containers for office and craft supplies.
* They are the perfect size for toddlers to drink from.
* They are ideal to mix paint in for children's art projects, as well as for your own.
* They make wonderful storage containers for your "secret" spice concoctions in the pantry.

And of course, there are some really creative and attractive Eco-conscious craft projects you can use them for. In fact, after visiting this site with a huge list of ideas using old baby food jars, including candle holders, fake fish-in-a-jar (great to fend off kids who won't stop bugging you to get them a pet), homemade air fresheners and mini sno-globes. In fact, there are so many ways to use these that I think I might nominate them as the 'most craftable' item that I recycle.

In the spirit of Easter and Mother's Day, this lovely little 'garden in a jar ' is a very topical craft project, and easy too.

Another of my favorite ideas I have seen is this adorable little sewing kit with a pin cushion on the top at Craft Pudding. (There are tons of great craft ideas to browse through while you are there.) I tend to tackle sewing projects in fits and starts, as my fingers, eyes and patience soon tire of the tiny stitches, and I end up abandoning projects for weeks at a time. I like the thought of being able to store needles, pins and threads in jars that are small enough to be able to use one for each project. (I know, I know, I should finish one before I start another!)

As the weather begins to warm up again, another great idea are these firefly lights for your yard and garden. They are really quite simple to make and would be a unique gift for the kids to give to teachers and relatives. You might make up a whole passel of them and line your sidewalk and porch with them on the evening of a family barbecue this summer. I bet they will be quite the conversation piece!

I even stumbled upon a cute idea on Etsy....a jar of grass! These were so popular, she sold out of them in July of last year. I can see some possible variations on this idea. Try decorating the jars according to your taste and plant some catnip in them for your beloved feline. Perhaps you could decorate a few to match your kitchen and plant some herbs in them. I am sure you can come up with even more ideas of your own.

I have done my level best to give you some ideas on crafting with baby food jars; the rest is up to you!