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Creative Ways to Use Vintage Jars and Bottles

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vintage mason jar with white hydrangeas n wicker  tray



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If you know much about me at all, then you know that I can’t resist an old pretty bottle or jar. Whether it’s blue, clear, amber or green, and regardless of the size, it’s a true weakness of mine. I’ve found lots of creative ways to use them over the years and am sharing some of them today as part of the Lifestyle of Love blog hop, hosted by Cindy at County Road 407

I’m happy to join this group of vintage-loving ladies, and we’re all sharing ideas for vintage bottles and jars. If you’re coming over from Paula at Virginia Sweet Pea, welcome! Paula is one of my favorite bloggers and I always love her style. All of the posts are at the bottom, so be sure to visit everyone and get some clever tips for your jars and bottles. 

Creative Ways to Use Vintage Jars and Bottles

As a Vase 

The way I most frequently use old bottles and jars is as a vase. In the spring, I love to cut peonies and bring them inside to enjoy. And a vintage mason jar is a great way to display them. 

pink peonies in a mason jar vase

Summer hydrangea blooms look perfect in an old gallon size mason jar

blue and white decor with hydrangeas in a vintage mason jar

A vintage blue mason jar makes yellow spring daffodils really pop, don’t you think?

yellow daffodils in a blue mason jar vase

For a little fall vignette, I used some old extract and medicine bottles with hydrangea clippings.

vintage bottles with hyrdangea clippings

I used those same bottle at Christmas with a sprig of hemlock for a simple, Nordic themed mantel. You can see more if it here: Rustic, Natural Christmas Mantel

glass bottles used as a vase for hemlock branch, red glass ornament

And these Lily of the Valley flowers look like they were made for them in the spring. 

old glass bottles with lily of the valley

Never one to discriminate, I use beer bottles too! This vintage amber bottle makes an ideal vase for my watercolor leaves. You can see more about this little project here: DIY Sheet Music Watercolor Leaves

blue mantel with old brown beer bottle used as vase for paper leaves

And the blue-green of this vintage Dr. Pepper bottle was something I couldn’t resist. I popped a faux hydrangea bloom in it for this vignette with some of my recent vintage finds. 

old kitchen utensils and vintage dr pepper bottle with hydrangea bloom

I like big bottles and I can not lie. And vintage wine bottles and jugs. A vintage demijohn sits on our living room hearth and makes a dramatic statement as a vase for fall branches. You can see more of this mantel here: Cozy Fall Home Tour

white brick fireplace with fall decor including large glass wine jug in crate

Displaying collections

I have a lot of little collections/hoards and vintage jars are a pretty way to store and display them. Game pieces and dominoes fit perfectly inside them. 

vintage blue mason jar with dominoes and blue bottle with narcissus

And we all collect seashells at the beach. They fit nicely into a vintage mason jar too.

preserved boxwood topiary and vintage blue mason jar with shells

For organizing

If you’re a crafter or DIY-er, vintage mason jars are nice for storing your supplies. You can see exactly how much you have of everything and it’s much prettier than plastic anything.

wooden cutting board and blue mason jars with ribbons, thread, and bottle caps

Corral your clothespins in a jar for stylish organizing in your laundry room. 

pink tulips in a vintage blue mason jar on a dryer, vintage wooden clothespins in glass jar

As decor

The colors, labels, and shapes of vintage jars and bottles make them pretty enough to use as decor all by themselves. This old brown after shave bottle with the crown lid and charming label make a pretty addition to my fall tiered tray.

vintage amber and brown bottles as fall decor

Little amber medicine bottles also look amazing with fall decor. 

little vintage amber bottles and vintage silver in a fall tiered tray

And wicker demijohn bottles add texture and character any time of the year.

vintage wicker wrapped wine bottles

For a unique way to display little glass ornaments, try resting them on top of old extract and medicine bottles for a whimsical Christmas display.

little glass ornaments on top of vintage glass bottles

As a lantern

Earlier this year I used vintage mason jars as lanterns when I added solar fairy light lids to them. And inside the jars are actually old broken pieces of glass that I rescued from a local creek. So there’s a whole lot of vintage glass going on here. You can see this simple project here: Solar Powered Mason Jar Lanterns

solar powered glass mason jar lanterns with sea glass inside

And these bottles aren’t exactly vintage, but since we’re talking about using jars and bottles I had to share this little idea. I used some empty wine bottles for luminaries and added LED wine bottle lights to them. They’re so pretty in the fireplace. They’d make a nice centerpiece for outdoor dining as well. 

empty wine bottles with fairy lights on a painted brick hearth

Where to find them? Sometimes you can find old bottles and jars at yard sales, thrift stores, or estate sales. And you can always find them on etsy.

vintage mason jars with flowers and used for storage, solar powered mason jar lanterns

What are some ways that you use old bottles and jars in your house? Leave me a comment below and let me know!

And be sure to visit all of my friends to see how they use old bottles and jars around their houses. Next up on the tour is CoCo at The Crowned Goat. I adore her style and you will too!

See more of my vintage decor ideas here:

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8 Comments

  1. Oh my word, Angie! It's like you have THE perfect way to display beautiful flowers and stems in vintage jars and bottles no matter what the season. I loved every single one! Can't wait to follow along on what you have in store for Fall. I know it's going to be amazing! Hugs, CoCo

  2. Each idea was so beautiful and I love the clever lantern idea too! And I have one of the lids to the amber jars you have. I always wondered what the bottle must have looked like! So cool! Thank you for joining in. I love your collection. Pinned.

  3. As always, I had to slowly scroll through your post to enjoy ever detail of every picture. It was so enjoyable to read your ideas and to admire your decor.

  4. oh wow, I so love all your bottle displays but I'm totally wowed by the solar powered lids on the Mason Jars. that's totally amazing and I'm going to have to check those out. Happy early Fall!

  5. Wow! What an amazing collection of Mason jar and bottle ideas and I love each and every one! So happy to be hopping with you on this super-fun blog hop!

  6. So many creative decor ideas, Angie! They're wonderful to have a good stash so you can use them all through the year. I personally love the funky mini Christmas ornaments singly used on the small bottles:) Pinned! Always fun hopping with you!

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