I Like Jars ♥

Small things can be important anyway.  Gladys Taber

Good Morning girlfriends!  I was cleaning out my kitchen cupboards yesterday; wiping off what has turned out, after all these years, to be my “collection” of old storage jars and they looked so cute and sparkly all together, I thought you might like to see them! ♥  

It all started with this salt jar.  I got it when I was in my twenties; I wanted one with a wide mouth that I could dip a teaspoon into for recipes and this was perfect.  I went to a stationery store and bought plastic sticky letters, picked out “SALT,” stuck them on, and they’ve been on there ever since, including trips through the dishwasher.  This little salt jar has been on top of every stove I’ve ever had.

 

 

 

 

Found this one , in an antique store . . . I use it as a cinnamon-sugar shaker for toast; it has the word “Handi” in raised letters on the side and the lid says “Pepper.”  It’s handy, but it’s not pepper.

 

 

 

The one with the red lid right in front is probably an old salt shaker, but I use it for vanilla sugar (that’s a vanilla bean in there).  Old jars have a charm to them; they’re handy too; you can see what’s inside and how much is left; plus they make my kitchen cupboards look good!  Makes me feel organized.  Also, I can get a full-size measuring cup into the wide opening of the sugar and the flour jars.  Different sized jars are good for keeping nuts, granola, rice, brown sugar, cookies, crackers, just about any loose thing you have, coffee, tea bags — and everything stays fresh. Collecting them slowly, piece by piece, when I see them, when they aren’t too expensive, has been fun; because of that, they each sort of carry their own little memory, reminding us of the times we packed up the van and went out “meandering.”

We’re all collectors at heart; everyone has their own style, their own collections, and their own way of arranging their kitchen cupboards; BUT if you are in the mood for a really nice jar with a ← red lid that screws on smooth as glass, looks old but is actually new . . . then I can help you.  We found a source for them and put them in our web store.  Just a little thing, but you know . . .

 

 

 

 

Those little things can just make someone’s day.  Fill one with Butter Croutons or Ginger Crisps (both recipes are in the Autumn book) and along with the jar, you would have a wonderful gift for someone you love.    xoxo

75 Responses to I Like Jars ♥

  1. Susan says:

    Good to know someone who loves old jars like I do. I’m a red fan too. I have some in my sewing room filled with buttons and ribbon. Susan C.

    • Shannon Stark says:

      Love the one with the star on the lid! I have begun saving all the glass jars!

    • Judy Young says:

      I save the jam jars that have red and white gingham lids. The glass jars also make great drinking glasses (great size for kids), but they hold buttons, and all manner of things and look so pretty at the same time. I love the jars in your photos that have the red lid with white star on top and little white stars around the sides. I know I have seen those in the stores, can’t wait to go grocery shopping again to look and see if I can find them. Do you remember what kind of food came in those jars? Was it coffee??

  2. Gillian Ferguson says:

    Hi there-I am looking for a recipe you may have published in a blog message a while ago. You used the Christmas tree” bundt pan! I just found the same pan and would love to try it using your suggested cake recipe!

  3. Madeleine Davis says:

    Arrived yesterday — SIX of the red lid jars! Nostalgic and so pretty.
    I love storing food in glass containers. These are exactly what I’ve been looking for. Tea bags, macaroni, rice, homemade cookies, nuts, and M&M’s!
    Thank you Susan for a lovely product.
    xo Maddie

    • sbranch says:

      Glad you got them — so many good things get discontinued! Nothing lasts long enough anymore! But so far, so good on these great jars.

  4. I love old jars too. I decided this year to make actual use of the ones I collected. After Christmas my craft supplies are going into them and on display. Make more room in the cupboards and drawers. Also make something pretty into something useful and actually see where things are.
    Janice

  5. Becky says:

    I love your new kitty sitting in your book shelf. Would make a great new card.

  6. Bobbie Ann Picard says:

    Oh! I love jars too and especially with red lids. Thank you for sharing your love and I am happy to know there are many spirits out there that share the same!!
    B. Ann xxoo

  7. Lisa says:

    Susan

    Can i purchase the red lidded jars with the large star ont he top of the lid and little ones along the edge? love them!! Lisa

    • sbranch says:

      That’s an old Folger’s Coffee Jar! The only ones we have on our website are glass with red lids, but no star!

      • MaryEllen says:

        Hi. My eye went right to that one,too. I would have pegged it as Maxwell House…straight out of my childhood. Whichever brand it was from, they don’t make instant coffee jars like they used too! I will leave a longer comment elseware; there’s so much I have have to say! But for now, thanks for this fantastic post. I love the vanilla sugar one. I recently heard that a vanilla sugar bean can be soaked in vodka for DYI extract. That s news to me too. To echo others, you are an endless source of inspiration!
        Of inspiration.
        of of inspiration.

  8. Lauren says:

    I never knew anyone other than me who loves glass jars…….in my crafting area in my bedroom and all over my kitchen and in the pantry……..ooh I wish I could buy the two jars you are selling……..I am pink…….but in the kitchen cobalt blue but the jars I have are my old, old ones that I bought in the 60’s that have the gaskets…..some have metal lids but are in the pantry.
    Lauren

  9. Nik says:

    Maxwell House coffee, instant used to have the star on top of the lid.

  10. I love glass jars . . to the point that I can’t bear to throw out even new ones, and often have to find new uses so I have an excuse to keep them 😉 A pretty glass jar is so hard to resist . .

    Small jars, too small for storing, find themselves filled with small souvineers from holidays, like sand, shells, and sea glass shards . .

    Even those lovely jam jars with red gingham lids get kept . . some to refill with home made jam now that I have my own fruit crops; some, I poke a hole in the lid and keep string handy and even ribbons for my craft room in them, and buttons seperated by colour too . .

    Prettiest of all are the most ordinary jam jars used to hold tea lights, dangling by home made wire handles from my tree on a balmy summer’s eve . .

  11. Barb Grannell says:

    I smiled when I saw the heading to this blog. It
    is so nice to see other friends who like the same things you do! Susan, I have most of your cookbooks and I just love looking through them ( not necessarily cooking but all the pretty pictures!) I didn’t know about this blog until today! Love it! Barb

  12. Cindi McGaw says:

    Hi Susan, Do you sell the pig wood cutting board I see in the back ground? I had my grandmother’s and when my mother passed away I think my father threw it out and I would love to have one for ole time sake!

  13. Carin says:

    I love jars, too. Old, new, big, little. I have some old jars from my great grandmother’s house. My favorite is a big Crisco shortening jar. Lots of things came in jars before modern packaging.

  14. sylvie says:

    I love jars too, everything is so beautiful on your blog, and I love England too… have a nice day ♫♪♫♪
    Sylvie from west of France ♫♪♫♪

  15. Lena says:

    I’m so relieved I’m not the only one … I need to find me some labels though or figure out how to do them.

    • sbranch says:

      If you like the letters, you can find them at a stationery store . . . we also have some labels in our webstore. Just fyi.

  16. Jennifer says:

    Hello,
    I’m looking for a cookie jar that you produced in 2002. It has a little house on the top of the lid and it is green and white. Are they in circulation any where?

    Thanks!

  17. Lisa Muncy says:

    Hi!
    I used to store things in colored containers and drove myself crazy because I couldn’t see through them, or remember everything in them! But not too long ago I’ve discovered the beauty of glass jars for everything from food items to craft items. This post confirms I made the right decision! I’m not the only one who loves glass jars! I even save jars from the grocery, such as Ragu spaghetti sauce jars! I cover the lids with a pretty fabric, tie with twine or ribbon, attach a pretty tag, and have a lovely container for a gift, such as homemade treats or Hershey kisses! I love being able to look on my shelves and see at a glance what I have, and how much is left!

  18. Darlene says:

    Hi Susan, I love the glass jar idea and I’m wondering if storing flour in them keeps it fresher longer. Do you keep it in the cupboard in the jar? I’ve noticed tiny black knat type bugs in my flour and I’m hoping glass jars will help.

    • sbranch says:

      When you bring your flour home from the supermarket, put it in the freezer for a couple of days. It will kill anything that came with it, and yes, a glass jar with a screw lid will help keep it fresh.

  19. Darlene says:

    Oh, ok, so after a couple of days in the freezer it will stay good in the cupboard or on counter top in a jar/cannister, perfect. I will do this from now on. I’ve been keeping the flour in the bag in the fridge but it takes up so much room because it’s the all purpose, unbleached, self rising etc… Thanks!

    • Darlene says:

      p.s I think the jars in the webstore would be perfect and I believe there is even a set of three!! off to order some 🙂

  20. Joanna Simpson says:

    I love your website, I’m a big fan of just about everything American. I love the American pride and loyalty to its nation, the way you celebrate holidays big style! And you are such friendly people! I’d love to live an American life, so your website and my Autumn book allow me to do that a bit!!

    I tried to buy the Christmas book online, but it’s a bit expensive thru amazon and I would prob get it after Xmas!!

    My husband wants to know if you take a real chicken to bed when you have a cold? Xxx

    • sbranch says:

      Well, we love you too Joanna, it is a mutual admiration society. No real chickens although that might just scare the cold right out of a person! xoxo

  21. I have a question, does brown sugar do better in a glass jar? I have tried keeping it the fridge, in the cupboard but it gets hard. I wondered if a jar would do better. I don’t use it that often so usually when I do its all hardened up. I love glass jars. I keep buttons and craft things, lavender and many other things in them. Did not think about baking goods. great idea. I bought an old bread box to keep my flour in (in their original packages) so that its handy. Anyway. Just wondered.
    Janice

    • sbranch says:

      Keep your brown sugar in the cupboard and put a slice of bread in with it. It won’t get hard. It’s a miracle! Even if it’s already hard, put in the bread and in a day or so, it will be soft again. I like glass so I can see if I’m running out of something.

  22. Judy Flynn says:

    me too! we have a whole entire closet filled with jars!!! what to do with them all???
    lolo….I will be coming here for answers….ahahhahaahah

    • sbranch says:

      Nuts, cinnamon sugar, holiday gifts, candle holders, beer, ice tea, canning, applesauce, cookies, candy, cotton balls, soaps, sea shells, buttons, and if worse comes to worse, and you’ve saved all the best ones, yard sales and recycling. But I’m sure you have plenty of ideas of your own!

  23. Margie Smith says:

    I, too, love glass jars. I save all that I get, running out of room. I plan to paint the lids and glue buttons or bows on top for giving food gifts in. I like the old green canning jars too. Have found some with the wire bails for closers (sp). I like using glass in the fridge because you can see what is in them. I think after awhile plastic smells funny, have gotten rid of all the plastics in my kitchen. You are a great inspiration to me.
    Margie

  24. Linda says:

    Dropped by for a visit today to look back. I was just looking at my walmart jars that sit empty. I love your red ones but the lids I have will do. Will be filling them up this weekend. Have a good weekend, Linda

  25. Carol Bernal says:

    Lately have a thing for canning jars, ball or mason. Making easter baskets with them. Filling them with dinner (pasta primavera or chicken salad) very cute at partys!

  26. Sharon Reineck says:

    I recently got 5 of the large glass jars from my Mom. She said that they were old Folgers jars. I would love to use them in my pantry. My problem is that the lids are so rusty that there is no salvaging them. I have had no luck finding lids that I can use on them. I’m not even too picky as to whether they are metal or plastic, as long as they seal. I came across your blog when I googled vintage jars and was hoping that maybe you had found a source for lids. To make things even more difficult, the tops of the jars are two different sizes. Thanks for any help you can give me.

    • sbranch says:

      My guess is that you’ve already Googled for lids? Because, sad to say, that would be my only suggestion, unless you can scrape off as much of that rust as possible and then paint them red?

    • Judy Young says:

      Soak the tops in cleaning vinegar, takes the rust right off, then you can wash, dry and paint if needed. My husband restores vintage radios and is always using cleaning vinegar (available at Walmart) for parts that have rust on them.

  27. Marian Sauvageau says:

    Love your display. I got my first coffee jars from my grandmother’s celler 50 years ago and have been on a mission since then to find more. Everything stored in my cupboards is stored in vintage coffee jars. I have a variety of shapes and sizes but prefer the flat sided jars that align on shelves easily with no wasted space. The extra large jars become countertop cookie jars. Thanks for the entertaining site!

  28. Pam Boivie says:

    Ok, so now I have to go shopping for some more old red-lidded jars! One can never have enough old red jars! Let’s see; one for buttons, one for ribbons, one for crackers…tomorrow is going to be fun!

  29. Rebecca Sulcer says:

    I too save glass jars…especially the jelly jars with the gingham lids…such a shame to throw them out. I put my homemade face cream in them to give for gifts ….so many uses. I can’t bear to toss the canning jars some of the pasta sauces come in. I save them all !!

  30. Bernadine says:

    Where are these jars sold? I can’t find them in the web store.

    • sbranch says:

      Not sure which ones you mean, but most of those jars I collected at yard sales and antique stores. I just love the red lids! We did use to have some in our web store, write sheri@162.240.10.175/~susanbs3/susanbranch/ and see if we still do.

  31. Karleen says:

    I have a quart size jar that has a red metal cover with the words START FRESH! in white with a white half circle beneath. Any idea what product was in this jar?

  32. Lisa Barger says:

    Hi Susan! I am looking at your site and do not see any jars for sale! Maybe I am overlooking them. I am a big fan! Thank you!

  33. I like to decoupage labels onto my jars in my sewing room. Two of my favorite ones have old rick rack labels on them. One of the jars is small and slender, I think it had pimentos or capers in it and the label is an old 25 cent rick rack, I filled it with tiny buttons. The other is a large square jar that has an old black and white rick rack label that says “irregulars” on it, I used pinking shears on the sides to make the label fit the square front of the jar and filled it with oodles of old off white rick rack that I removed from a full skirt that never fit me ( I bought it used for the fabric). I’ve also cut out and decoupaged women from old sewing patterns.

  34. Deborah Ramsay says:

    I use glass jars for leftovers. I hate plastic bowls that crack and stain. Such a waste!

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