jars

Apothecary Four Ways

March 18, 2013 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

Tarnished German glitter glass is a lovely foil for the beautiful vintage jars.

My inspiration for this article was a monogrammed handkerchief from my grandmother, Mary Keifer. I have had it for years, but it sits in a drawer and that seems not to honor her. And in a moment, I had this thought that I could tie it around one of my many apothecary jars, kind of like a vintage label with the “K” monogram on the front. I really couldn’t think of a better vessel to display her lovely little gift to me. Vintage with vintage. And it is in a spot in my house that I see every day and in doing so, smile at her life and her memory.

As I was arranging the handkerchief around the bottle, it reminded me of all the other ways I use vintage apothecary jars, so I thought I would share them with you.

I hope you find some inspiration.

Always,

Cindy

A wide mouth apothecary jar holds lovely scented votive candles.

#1: A wide mouth (for filling and grabbing) apothecary jar holds lovely scented votive candles.

#2: Elevate a vintage jar by setting it in a vintage matte white pottery piece.

#3: Vintage Handkerchief as a label of sorts.

An homage to Grandma Kiefer

A variety of vintage jars collected from all over next to a vintage reproduction clock.

#4: A lovely little apothecary jar found for $2 now holds make up remover in the most lovely way.

Vintage lamp, a variety of jars used in a number of ways, old bathroom mirror agains a crisp white back drop make for a lovely vignette.

This blog article is in honor of my Grandma Kiefer, who I miss dearly.

My dad’s mother, Grandma Kiefer.

Filed Under: Antique Finds, My Home, Uncategorized Tagged With: apothecary, bead, beadboard, board, cottage, country, grandma, grandmother, handkerchief, jars, monogram, vintage, white

A light along Winter’s path…

December 11, 2012 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

The Midnight Rider.

With a twinkle in our eye, we set out to make lanterns to light the way to welcome one and all this holiday season.

Using vintage mason jars as a starting point, we created these maintenance free lanterns for Christmas. Using inexpensive battery operated candles with timers, we fashioned a holder out of polymer clay to keep the candle in place and up right and tossed in mica at the bottom as snow. These cozy lanterns become a beacon on a cold winter’s night for friends and family.

Lighting the way home.

It’s really very simple. Here is what you need:

Large, half gallon Mason Jar (best prices are online)
Battery operated candles, with timer from at Lowe’s (click here)
Mica Flakes
Polymer Clay
Hobby Store Glue Dots

Polymer Clay shaped, baked as a holder to stabalize the candle and hold it upright. Then secured with glue dots to the bottom of the mason jar:

Polymer Clay fashioned into a stabalizer/holder for the candle.

Remove the factory holder from the candle (candle is too tall for jar, otherwise):

Factory candle holder easily removes.

Insert the candle into the polymer clay that you just secured to the bottom of the mason jar:

Secure polymer clay to bottom of jar with glue dots.

Add mica flakes as snow:

Add mica flakes for snow.

Light a walkway, or as we did…place in multiples on the porch rail.

These projects were made possible with the support of my sponsors. Please give them a visit.

GOOD LOOK, Inc.

Filed Under: Holiday and Seasonal, Projects, Uncategorized Tagged With: battery, candles, christmas, cottage, festive, flakes, good, good look, holidays, jars, look, lowes, luminaries, maggio, mason, mica, operated, snow, vincent, vintage, winter

Spicing It Up With Old and New Lab Jars

September 17, 2012 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

Lovely kraft paper labels to add some vintage style.

I used to store my spices in small round tins with vintage labels. That worked for a while, but at some point I decided I wanted glass jars. Searching high and low in the Internet, I finally found the ones I wanted at a lab supply warehouse. As I was jumping around their website, I came across amber etched stopper bottles and decided they would be great as vessels to hold and preserve my extracts.

Using a mixture of old apothecary jars, vintage squat jelly jars, new amber jars, larger tins and clear, straight sided jars, I was able to store each kind of item conveniently along with adding visual interest that variety brings.

I built the shelves for these items to fit the space. The spice shelf was built to be inset in a window that is permanently sealed shut that is in exactly the right spot to be able to grab and go anywhere in the kitchen.

I hope you find some inspiration.

xoxo.

Cindy

Old and new jars to hold each kind of item.

Inset in a sealed window that is easy to display and convenient to access.

Old apothecary jars to hold larger quantities.

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Filed Under: Projects, Uncategorized Tagged With: amber, apothecary, cottage, extract, jars, kitchen, old, spice, vintage

Antique and Vintage Glass

June 18, 2012 by Cynthia Leave a Comment

Etched Stoppers.

It is always nice when you find antique and vintage items that not only have charm and character, but are also completely functional. Vintage and antique glass is just such an item that finds itself right at home for today’s living, even though many pieces are decades old and made for another time, another sensibility and another way of life.

Thank you to my good friend, Vince at Good Look, Inc.. He has been a great source for some my most recent vintage glass finds! Please stop by his store or visit him on facebook. He has such great taste and style and finds so many interesting things!

Here are several pieces of my personal collection. Enjoy!

Always,

Cindy

From my grandmother. Makes me smile to think about her.

Beautiful Silhouettes.

Collection of Vintage Glass Apothecary Jars in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Beautiful etched pattern to hold bathroom items like make up remover, cotton balls and scented body powder.

Vintage Bail Wire bottles, mason jars and a vintage apothecary jar to hold lavender linen water.

I love the small scale of this vintage lab beaker; makes it fun to use.

Vintage Glass to hold all the cooking essentials: salt, pepper, vinegars and oils.

Vintage Compote.

Filed Under: Antique Finds Tagged With: antique, apothecary, compote, condiments, glass, jars, vintage

Spice and Extract Storage

April 23, 2012 by Cynthia 6 Comments

Nature's Colors.

All the Spices in a Row.

I am a creature of convenience. So when I remodeled my kitchen, I needed to store my collection of spices and extracts in a way that was easily accessible. For years I have used tins for spice storage and kept extracts in their original packaging.

I intuitively wanted glass containers for the spices and new lab bottles in amber color for extracts and put the oft used salt and pepper in vintage squat Kerr jelly jars. The spices themselves are in what are generally used for…wait for it…specimen jars. Just typing that makes me chuckle.

But seriously, the jars have a certain heft and elegance about them and I like their weight and feel. Being able to see the spices in glass jars (versus opaque tins) has a practical application, too: I know when I am running low by simply looking.

I store my measuring spoons separated by measurement because I find I use them that way. Tucked near the spices and extract, their placement is perfect for the way I cook and bake and navigate in the kitchen.

I made the shelves to keep things neat and organized and made the labels using Kraft paper labels.

Hope you like it.

Love Always,

Cindy, Lillie and Samantha

As a post script, I am submitting this article for consideration for a feature in Cottages & Bungalos. Stop by the blog when you have some time, there are some terrific entries already:

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