I have a little obsession with old Mason Jars. Well, not only Mason Jars, any old jar or bottle really. I am not sure why but I think it has something to do with the fact most of them, if old, have history. Maybe they were used for homemade jam preserves in the 1950’s or maybe they held things such as extra buttons, loose change, or even used as a vase for some wild flowers. Each one was bought and used for something particular and in many cases, multiple times at some point or another.
Some of the jars I purchased at one of the small antique shops
More of the jars we got antiquing
All of the jars and the white cabinet
David and I were out antiquing the other day and I bought a couple new beautiful new jars (pictured above). I have big plans for these jars and I promised myself they would not collect dust on the shelves like other jars. These jars have a purpose.
One of our stops was at Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage, a beautiful old barn full of every old item you could imagine. Everything from doors and old wood beams to the most detailed old dresser nobs and stain glass windows. I didn’t get my jars from here but I did get an old white cabinet door featured in one of the above pictures.
Mike, the owner of Aurora Mills, took some time to show us around the previous dog food factory and originally a Hops Factory. This place looks big in the picture yet it still doesn’t even do it justice. It was as if we were lost in a maze, tunnels twisting and turning, uncovering more and more antique jewels. We spent some good time here lost in our amazement of how much history was sitting in this building. If you ever get to Aurora, Oregon I highly recommend coming in and taking a look at all the little treats hidden in this historical building. Remember to say hi to Mike. If you have something in particular you are looking for he is the man to talk to.
Aurora Mills
Antique shopping, like garage sales, takes patience, which I ran out of at about noon. But if you are patient, eventually, that shiny jewel you are looking for, and at the right price, will pop out at you. And in many cases, you will end up bringing home more than what you intended to. Like my jars. I love my jars.
Bullfrogs and Bulldogs 
My fiance’s parents love antiquing and we now have an antique oak kitchen table that they found years ago. It has a crank that opens it up for the leaf to go in. I’m hoping to find a somewhat-coordinating buffet to store my china and serving dishes in. Let me know if you see anything when you’re out there! xo, Em
I’d love to see a picture of it Em! If you ever want to go with me sometime let me know 🙂
I love mason jars! I like to store rice, oats, seeds, granola…you name it in them! They look so much prettier than crinkled up bags of stuff…AND it saves waste if you buy in bilk;)
I love them for this reason as well!
love it, your pics are beautiful…you have the eye babe!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Mama! I give thanks to you for being such an incredible creative example to me.
Amanda thank you so much for mentioning us in your blog. Hope to see you back at the shop soon.
Seth @ Aurora Mills
fun! brings me back to the days of antiquing with my grandfather.
These are so great — I’m a little obsessed with them, too. But admitting we have a problem is the first step toward resolving it, right? 😉
Oh yes! Definitely!
Beautiful pics! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for taking a look!
While I don’t use Mason Jars like all of your readers (and you) do, I do like them. They remind me of a simpler time.
I am absolutely in love with Mason Jars as well, especially the colorful ones!
I too love jars–containers of all sorts, really–drives my partner crazy–as she thinks it indicates I have too much stuff that needs containing. Great post and congrats on freshly pressed!
Kathy
I LOVE my mason jars. We like to buy our fruits and veggies from produce junction and they give you tons of everything and I felt bad cuz things were going to waste. But I started storing the cut up fruit in these jars and it stays good much longer! It also solved my problem of loose chocolate chips! lol
you have cool hobby. these jars you show looks uniqe i believe there is a lot of ways for useing it 🙂
I love mason jars. I sell cupcake jars. A delicious cupcake baked inside of an adorable mason jar! Check out my blog for some yummy recipes!
Congrats on being FP – you have a great blog!
You sell cupcake jars? Where could I get some?
I love mason jars and old bottles too! I’ve completely run out of places to put them, but I love to use them for fresh cut flowers from my garden. I even got soap dispensers on etsy made from an old, blue Mason jar and an old jelly jar.
Mason jars are cool. They used to make the perfect drinking glasses back in the day I’m told. A drinking glass with a lid. And it wasn’t just iced tea in them either.
That is great! Sometimes I like to drink wine out of itty bitty mason jars.
My boyfriend and I love to go antiquing on the weekends. He also loves garage and yard sales. I myself love mason jars or any old jar. They’re do make wonderful vases!
this is so cute, i hope there’s one in my school :p
I love the old ball jars with the glass lids and the metal hinges. Perfect for storing beans. Congrats on being Freshly Pressed.
I love mason jars, for our wedding we collected mason jars for a year and filled them all with candles and were married by candle light. Something I will never forget!
That sounds AMAZING! I will have to keep that idea in mind!
I love your pictures! The colors are so fresh and summery. You’re article has inspired me to gather my few mason jars and use them for both storage and decoration.
Thank you!
I have a fondness for old jars, too. I just don’t have a fondness for dusting so I had to choose to stop bringing home things that I won’t actually use often.
My favorite old jar is full of bits and pieces of ricrac, pop-pom trim, lace, etc.. It’s very prettily sitting in my sewing room.
I recently did a blog post about Mason jar chandeliers and solar lamps, http://theflorilegium.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/discovery-repurposed-mason-jars/
another glorious use for these fabulous, timeless jars! Great collection, thanks for sharing!
I love this idea! I will have to look more into that. Thanks for writing!
Nice captures, love the light feel to them.
Rob
http://robfranklin83.wordpress.com
I like jars of anykind, really, as long as they are interesting, and as long as they have a purpose. I love mason jars for storing bulk items – looks pretty in the cupboard and saves on packaging and waste! I also just started my foray into home preserves – jams and sauces and pickles and other delights. The mason jar served its place in history – preserving food and feeding people through the long cold winters.
Happy antiqueing!
Haha great!
I thought I was the only one who LOVED old Mason Jars. They are wonderful for keeping pencils, pens, paper clips, and just about anything else a writer could need in them. I’m glad to know my Mason Jar fetish is not unique to me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and have a wonderful day!
love mason jars! i enjoy filling them with marbles, buttons, and homeade strawberry jam. mmmm. there’s a great place in Des Moines, IA called West End Architectural Salvage and they’ve got mason jars and more cool old stuff than one can sort through in a day. It’s an old brick building with 3 floors of stuff. And they design and create customized pieces. if anybody is ever in the area check it out!
http://www.icouldntmakethisshitup.wordpress.com
My parents buy mason jars at antique shops and then sell them on ebay. They happen to be a very popular item!
I love mason jars as well, especially the old aqua blue ones. I have a vast collection of all things vintage mason jar/milk bottle/juice jar. Glad to see someone else loving this stuff as much as me!
I share your love of mason jars. I have several that were given to me by my grandmother. Some have the original metal screw-top lids, while a couple others have glass lids that are held in place with wire clamps (I have no idea how old those are, but they are just wonderful). Most of my jars are of the aqua blue variety and come in all sizes. One jar only holds a couple ounces – it’s so cute.
Aside from Mason jars, I can’t help but love old glass milk bottles. I keep my bottles and jars on top of the cabinets in my kitchen. The sunlight catches them just right and my cat can’t get anywhere near them.
Thanks for a post that reminded me to look up at my jars today. 🙂
Interesting post. I never knew they were called mason jars, i thought they were just jars.
-Bianca at http://theinbetweengirls.wordpress.com/
Me too! I love any kind of jar for reasons I have yet to figure out…!
I absolutely LOVE mason jars! I do floral design and just met with a bride that only wants mason jars for her containers (for a vintage feel). Lucky me! I can’t wait for this one!
Great post! You inspired me to search for some vintage blue jars for my own place 😉
Meg
http://www.designwinedine.com
I did not know that!
Really enjoyed your post, and I understand where you are coming from. I am a jar collector from way back. I posted about my “Jar-ophilia” problem on my blog “Something for (Almost) Nothing.” At least I know I’m not alone! The post is at: http://fmanos.wordpress.com/?s=jar-ophilia.
Great pictures. I too like things with history. Thanks for the great blog. I like your choice of fonts as well. Blessings.
http://www.brianlamew.wordpress.com
Thank you! If you are interested in the font, I just upgraded and was able to have more control over the look of my blog.
Those are nice jars there. Love the translucent light blue on it.
I am obsessed with old bottles and jars as well! My family used to live in the outback in WA and my grandad would put old jars on the water tank in the really hot sun where they would eventually turn a beautiful purple colour…
Oh man….growing up my mom used to make jam with me and my sister, and eggnog for the holidays, so there were always these jars lying around. Big old mason jars, hexagonal jars, round jars, miniscule sample jars,…fab. As an adult I’ve recaptured this by putting everything in jars – pasta, beans, coffee….yay! 😀
I love jars too, clear glass in general, am am always drawn to unique shapes and small bottles in particular.
Thanks for sharing!
Sheila
Hi. First of all. Congrats on your blog’s name. Nice choice.
Speaking of those jars. If you have an old – or not old – black-and-white photo put it in the jar and then fill it with olive oil. It looks quite nice… Sorry, if one of the almost 50 comments already recommended this idea. Haven’t checked all of them… – the transatlantic diablog
That sounds like a fun idea. Unfortunately, the only old black and white I have is of my great granny as a kid and I couldn’t part with it or take it out of the picture frame on my dresser. But maybe I’ll print off a newer photo in b and w and try it out! Thanks!
they are so cute. i put candles in them when i have a bath. feel like im surrounded by fireflies!
Oh! I love this idea. Thanks so much for sharing!
nice
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I love the whole idea of antiquing and vintage items. The thought that the product had a little adventure before it landed at my fingertips is thrilling!
Fab pics. I love glass to, not just jars. Great post.
Thank you so much!
Great jars!
Old jars are pretty cool. I love old and unique kitchen items.
Hi! Nice jars. I want to collect too. Unfortunately, we don’t have that shops thing in our country. 😦
I bet you could find a place that has old jars somewhere. What country are you in?
Great photos! I love Mason jars, too! I used to have some beautiful blue ones, like those in your photo, but they got lost in my move to DC. I have tons of new clear glass ones, though, that I use for my dried herbs and infused herbal oils. Something about them just makes me happy!
Indeed! They make me very happy as well.
very intrigued by those jars….. wondering what you’re thinking of putting inside them 🙂
Thank you! Right now I’m using them as flower vases. I have some carnations from another flower arrangement that was dying but I cut them back and put them in the jars. I love the contrast of the blue jar with the yellow carnations.
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I’m this way about old cookie tins. They’re fun, practical for storage, and often very cheap!
Gorgeous shots! I love old jars like that as well. Great post, congrats on freshly pressed!!
I love my jars too! They were hand-me-downs from my Granny. I carry a quart jar of water with me everywhere I go – everyone asks if it’s my moonshine. Can’t wait to read more of your blog.
Wow! That blue is super yummy! We have similar taste in the vintage aesthetic – http://beworthy.wordpress.com/ – such fun stuff!
Cheers! – Megh
Candles, money, Beach Sand, shells, food, etc. My grandma has canned food all my life & she is 86 & not able to do it anymore. I have had Mason Jars around me all my life. My in-laws just cleaned out there garage & we got an old one with a blue tint, with bubbles, this means it was it was Old Fashioned Blown Glass & not factory maid. It had butter beans in it & we are saving them & will plant them next year. A seed will grow even if it is 1,000 years old. LOVE THE BLOG. Love Mason Jars, thanks for making a place that we can honor the MASON JAR, an AMERICAN Symbol!!
i probably own a hundred mason jars, i love them! jars for drinking out of, jars for holding rice, flour, sugar, etc etc. mason jars full of seashells on my mantel, mason jars for holding pencils…you get the picture:) those blue ones are extra gorgeous though, i need to find some! my mom has been canning fresh tomatoes and green beans from our garden for my entire life, so mason jars have just always been an everyday item for us…our cabinets are always full of canned vegetables:) lovely post!
(check out me and my sister’s blog if you get a chance!)
oneinchapart.wordpress.com
Very cute blog!
thanks so much amanda!
Great pics and always love hearing about those unique places to find treasures. Not sure I’ll be making the trek from Kansas to Oregon anytime soon, but I’ll keep them in mind:). You are so right, thrift shopping takes patience! I have to be in the mood, but when I am I can make some great finds. Good luck on your adventures!
Those are fantastic
Oh how I love Mason Jars. I just emptied one that had homemade pomegranate juice in it, from my parents orchard. It is large, clear, and on one side has pictures of fruit on it. It is sitting in my kitchen window waiting for a purpose. Oh and shhhh…don’t tell them, but I think I am going to keep it!
I bet it is so cute! I love your blog by the way 🙂
I love the blue Mason jars! I have got to find some of those for myself. 🙂 I actually have a small jar sitting on my kitchen table right now with some tiny different colored shiny beads in it. I like to just sit there and shake it around in the sunlight. It’s a fun little toy.
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nice pictures!!
http://rodposse.com/
I really love the way you build your blog, and the pics are incredible…
also I must not forget to say that I love jars, that was the thing that drag me to your page
sorry about my english, I’m from venezuela, greetings and best wishes for your and your creativity