Reusing Our Jars We've found loads of uses for our uniquely shaped jars. They are perfect for storing small items all around the house. From the pantry to the kitchen to the bath you'll find so many uses for the sturdy jars. Some other uses you may not have thought of are: Use them to make a spice rack for your kitchen Store buttons, clasps, and pins in the sewing room Nails, screws and bolts stay organized on the work bench. Leftovers are clearly visible in the fridge in our jars and the lids stay on tightly. Fill one of our pasta or salsa jars with soup to take to a friend Kids who love to collect things have a great way to keep them tidy and keep them on display… And the list goes on and on. Collection Display (right) Dazzle friends with a display of a prized marble collection. Store your collection in jars and place them on a window sill. Let the sun shine in and project a rainbow of colors all over the room. Make A Recycled Candle We all love candles, even when the wick has burned down and the wax is almost gone we've got a great way to reuse those pieces of wax to make a brand new candle to enjoy. You'll need some clean Stonewall Kitchen jars, old pieces of candle wax, a pencil and scissors and some wicking that can be purchased at any craft store. Gather together old, almost gone candles and melt them slowly on top of the stove in an old or disposable pan that can be thrown away after melting the wax. You could also melt the wax carefully in the microwave using a disposable bowl. If you like, add food coloring or liquid scent to the liquid wax making your candle special. Tie a piece of wick onto a pencil, making sure it is longer than the height of the jar. Suspend the wick over the jar and very carefully pour the melted wax into the jar. Note: never pour hot wax into a cold or cool jar, make sure it is at room temperature or warmer. Allow the wax to cool and cut the wick allowing approximately ½ inch to extend above the candle. Enjoy! Create a Bouquet Fill clean jars of all sizes with freshly picked flowers and display them together for a beautiful touch. Planters Our jars are also great to start seedlings or made a kitchen window herb garden. Start with 1 inch of gravel - then potting soil and plant your seeds. Place in a sunny, warm start, water and watch them grow. Desk Organizer (right) Our jars are so pretty you can actually use them right on your desk for storing paper clips, pencils or any office supplies. Mix Homemade Dressings or Vinaigrettes Place all the ingredients in a jar, screw the lid on tightly and shake. Not only is the dressing perfectly blended, you can store it in the same jar! Oil Lamp Traditionally an oil lamp is a candle without the wax. Try using one of our Maine Maple Syrup bottles to make your own oil lamp. The stoppers can be purchased through http://www.wickstore.com/ceramic.html or http://www.winelight.com directly and fill the clean bottle with lamp oil. Insert the wick and stopper and you're good to go! Oil and Vinegar Cruets Our smaller sized syrup bottles make excellent olive oil and vinegar cruets. They also can also be used for dish liquids dispenser. Clean the bottles thoroughly, fill and insert the pourer. Try making your own flavored olive oil: Adding herbs and spices to olive oil and letting the oil absorb the flavor creates oils that are distinctive and delicious for cooking or dipping. Fill a thoroughly cleaned jar (not quite full) with pure olive oil and insert your favorite herbs or citrus zest. Allow the oil to sit for several days on a shelf, preferably in a darkened cupboard. Take a taste of the oil frequently and remove the herbs when you have achieved the taste you prefer. When the oil has absorbed the flavor of your ingredients, pour it into a new container such as a cruet by straining the oil through cheesecloth into the syrup bottle and place stopper in the neck of the bottle. Suggestions for ingredients to use include lemon zest, orange zest, peppercorns, fresh rosemary, thyme, sage leaves, basil leaves, and fresh chives Spice Rack- Make your own spice rack using our jars. Step One Assemble your supplies: You'll need an 18-by-24-inch rectangle of 22-gauge steel (this can be found, pre-cut, in most hardware stores or can be ordered from a metal-supply shop), 6 clean Stonewall Kitchen Jam jars,15 heavy-duty 3/4-inch circular magnets, four flat-head sheet-metal screws, a drill and bits, a hot-glue gun and glue sticks, 6 of your favorite spices, a large nail, a hammer, and a permanent marker. Begin by using your nail and hammer to lightly tap four guide dents into your steel, about a quarter-inch in from each corner point (this will keep your drill bit from skidding across the metal's surface). Then place your metal flat onto a workbench or thick piece of scrap wood, load a 5/32-inch bit into your drill and bore holes through each of the four corner notches. Orienting your rectangle of steel levelly straight -- horizontally or vertically -- drill it onto your kitchen wall using the four screws. Step Two Hot-glue a magnet onto the lid of each jar. Allow to dry at least 30 minutes. Step Three Open the jars and using a funnel where necessary, fill each with a spice. Replace the tops. Then, using your marker write the name of the spice on the jar or make labels on the computer. (You don't want to be sprinkling cumin on your cappuccinos and cinnamon into your curries!) Finally, revel in the satisfying clicks as you attach the magnetic spice containers onto the sheet of steel. For the Kids Let a whole new generation enjoy the class and quality of Stonewall Kitchen products. Painters Palette (right) We use our mini jam jars to hold paints for our blooming artists. They also work great to keep your left over paint fresh from any project around the home. Make a Snowstorm Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! This darling little craft is made with our recycled jam or mustard jars. They make ideal gifts for Christmas, Halloween, birthdays or any occasion and are a great way to preserve memories from a special trip. Make a visit to a local craft store or souvenir shop. Look for small figures that tie a theme together. Hot glue these to the inside of the lid top to create a suitable scene. Allow them to sit and dry completely. Meanwhile, fill the jar almost to the top with distilled water. Prepare the "snow" using one of several techniques. A shell from a hardboiled egg can be used. Separate the shell from the membrane, place in a sturdy ziploc bag, and crush with a rolling pin. Finer particles will fall more slowly in the snow globe and have a more pleasing effect. However, avoid crushing eggshell into a powder as it will simply float in the water instead of falling gently. Try themed confetti (available at craft stores) to add an interesting element to your creation. If you're doing a Halloween or Thanksgiving scene, look for foil leaf confetti in fall colors, for Easter you can use foil flower confetti, for a sports theme use glitter in your favorite team's colors. Screw the lid on tightly, shake and turn the jar upside down to view your work of art. Rainy Day Counting… Teach kids money skills and counting by using jars to sort coins. Fun and educational and they can watch their savings grow.