June 12, 2010

Jars

Hey friends. This month at Papertrey Ink, Nichole and I have whipped up two new stamps sets, complete with matching dies that embrace a theme that I love: jars. It's all about the jars. Stay tuned for some great ideas coming soon! I think you'll love all the images, sentiments and dies.

I found this page from Country Living magazine (May 2009 issue) and thought you might like to hear a little history about jars. Hopefully you can zoom in also to read the article.
(photo from Country Living May 2009 issue)

The History of the Mason Jar:
1858: John Mason invents the first canning jar with screw top lid
1884: The Ball brothers start making mason jars
1909: The first Blue Ball Book, a primer on home canning, is published
1933: The Ball Company does not lay off a single employee during the Great Depression
1972: The 88 year old family business goes public
2009: The Ball mason jar celebrates 125 years!
2010: Mish uses mason jars for everything!!

It's true, I use jars for nearly everything you can think of. I've started collecting old mason jars from auctions, the hunt for old dusty jars gives me tingles when I see them in an old box. Once I get them home and give them a good soapy bath, they're good as new. I'm particularly fond of the old blue jars with the old grey lids.

I use them to hold my crafty goodies such as buttons, ribbons and old spools....the display of jars is so much more attractive than anything plastic you can buy these days.
These little jars aren't mason jars but I still love them so. They're perfect for my rainbow display of Papertrey Vintage Buttons.
I love to see all my jars lined up on top of my shelves in my craft room.
And then there's the kitchen jars. I use them instead of Tupperware now for lots of things: a small pint jar keeps my sliced lemons and limes nice and fresh. My homemade yogurt stays fresh in quart jars. Layered salads are so pretty in clear jars. Iced tea and margis just taste better when sipped from a jar. Flowers couldn't be more pretty when stuffed into an old jar. I love, love, love the jars. They sit on my shelf just like the plates and saucers.

Jars. They evoke memories of my grandma's cellar full of canned fruits and vegetables. They remind me of my other grandmother's shelf of canned grape juice, made fresh from her vines on the back fence. They remind me of the hours and hours we spent picking and stemming green beans as a child so that we could have Mom's fresh green beans all winter long. They remind me of lightning bugs that the girls' catch all summer long. They remind me of dust covered containers that I find at the antique shop, full of some one's old buttons. They remind me of the the jams and jellies that my mom and I make together, while sweating in the hot summer kitchen.

So it's not just about the jars. It's about all the wonderful memories that go along with them. It's about all the memories that spill out every time I open a jar. It's about the process of living life and enjoying the little moments. It's about preserving all those precious times. Stay tuned this month as I share some of those little moments with you here on the blogaroonie!

28 comments:

Nancy in CA said...

HI Michelle, Loved this blog on old jars...I too use them for my craft room and in the kitchen (dried beans, pasta, tea bags and so much more). Can't wait to see the new stamps. So Cal a little drizzily today. Great day to stay in a create or fill more jars. Hope your weekend is wonderful!
Nancy in So Cal

milkshake007 said...

Jars....love 'em. Most of mine have no lids :(
Nancy, great idea about the dried beans, tea bags, etc.
Love to see your precious little items Michelle....thanks for sharing. Can't wait to see more!!

nancy said...

I used to can, but when the hard water in my area interfered with the seals, I put my jars aside and went to freezing. Not only did I put my jars aside, but I gave them all away. What was I thinking?!?!?!?!?

This is a beautifully written post. My favorite line: It's about preserving all those precious times. I'm waiting for the next chapter.

Hope you made lots of money yesterday.

Diane said...

Love the jars, collect the "blue" ones myself...use them for flowers mostly...and bought an entire box of the old metal "zinc" lids at a garage sale...perfect find...enjoyed the post about them, in my craft room I have button jars, and plastic ribbon "jars"...like those, too!!

dolcreations said...

Hello Michelle...when I saw the sneek peak at Papertrey and it was jars..I know an order was born! I can hardly wait to see what you come up with! come on 15th of June!!!

patriciad said...

Great post, Mish! I love jars too. And bottles. And tins. And baskets. Well, you get the idea... I can never understand what's wrong with someone when they don't get the same excited feeling about a new/old jar/bottle/tin as me.

Unknown said...

Amen sistah!!! I'm goo-goo ga-ga for old jars - and I used all thru the house too. Buttons, spools of twine, actual canning of garden goodness. Good to hear there are others that have my interest at heart! I shoulda been a pioneer women - but I'll settle for farm wife! And paper crafter!

Kristy Hansenwi said...

Oh my--love the jars. I am going to redo my room to hold the buttons by color......I also love your wrinkled ribbon......can't wait for you to add more to your etsy.....kh

Eveline said...

I love jars too. Love the memories you described.
Eveline.

Dinahsoar said...

Such good memories recounted..I've had similar ones. Looking forward to seeing the stamp sets and what you make with them. Love your Thrift Store Decor..and now we've got Grandma's Cellar. Those titles evoke a feeling that leads to a design. What fun!

Holly Saveur said...

Hi Michelle
Love jars too (and antique wooden boxes,pottery,tins ,baskets)can't wait to see your jars stamps and cards ...look very much forward to it ...and your stories about the jars!
I love to make jams and apple sauce from the fruit of my garden and therefore I have a large collection of jars too (and indeed also use them for my buttons)

Anne Tussing said...

Love those jars!! Hope your garage sale went well:)

wandykj said...

Also LOVE old canning jars-especially the ones with the wires to close them. We had our townwide garage sales today & my son found me one & brought it home to add to my collection:) I keep my ribbons of every color in them-reminds me of the rainbow when I look at them which always makes me smile:)

Been loving your vintage creations & can't wait to see what you come up with next.

~Hugs~
Wanda

Diane Jaquay said...

Oh you tease, I'm DYING to see this new set!! I might even stay up late tonight (that's midnight for me) hoping to catch a glimpse of what's in store!!!

Brookee said...

Mish,I'm a storage Junkie!! actually a little OCD,when it comes to storage,I kept nearly evey jar from baby food custard I used,(sometimes would just buy them for the jars!..and eat them myself!) I ask people to keep coffee jars,Milo tins,and baby formula tins...Oh yeah I like jars!!!
Brooke

Sharon said...

When I develop my very own world with my very own neighborhood, Michelle Wooderson is my very first neighbor!!! And I want her to welcome me to the neighborhood with a Margi in a Jar!! Deal? You, my dear friend, make me smile!

Kristie Maynard said...

I'm glad I'm not the only one that is jar crazy. I keep most of my little crafty stuff in jars of all kinds. My favorites are the old canning jars too, especially the blue ones that have the rubber ring and the metal claspy dohickey that goes over the top. Thanks for posting about jars, maybe it is the fruit celler when I was a kid that makes me love the jars. Fruits and veggies all lined up on the shelves. Wish I still had all those jars!

Lin said...

What a great post! You have captured the essence of these old jars so well! I have a few of them also, and your pictures have given me lots and lots of ideas! Your passion for them rivals mine for salt glazed pottery, which is what I collect. Thanks for a great post! And I'm really looking forward to the unveiling of your stampw!

Ann said...

I've been collecting old preserving jars for a long time too - we call them Kilner jars here in the UK, though mine are all different ages and makes. I've got everything from flour to stamps to dried lavender to sea glass in mine. Your wonderful new set is already on my wish list.

Michelle Woerner said...

What an amazing post! I love your passion about this and it shows in the amazing stamp set you created. I love it! Hugs,

Debbi said...

Oh Mish I just loved reading this! Our daughter (Chloe) just went hunting for lightning bugs for the first time in her life last night. She's never seen them before a week ago and is fascinated. I had a special jar for her. I hope she remembers this as fondly as you put in your post!

Janet S said...

I too use the mason jars and love the green ones and ones with the glass tops. We keep our special snacks in them and on the other side of the kitchen I made a box type shelf that houses 8 jars with 8 jars sitting on the top, keeps dried beans, rice, lentils, wild rice, etc. I love how they look. I recently found 16 zinc lids brand new at a Thrift Store and couldn't wait to get out of the store to scream I was SO happy! I grew up on a farm and I have many happy memories of Mother and I canning together filling jars with pickles, gr beans, pickled beets, peaches, cherries, chow chow and much more. I still can things. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Anonymous said...

Your stamp set is just perfect and I love all the possibilites it offers. However, I have to say Jordan took the spotlight, what a delightful daughter you have!!! Lori Winters

Liz said...

I love Mason jars in all sizes. I love to drink from them, freeze soups for my lunches, use them to store buttons, ribbons, and craft items. My mom recently gave me a box of unusual size mason jars that are no longer sold; what a treasure. I was so excited. I absolutely love your blog.

Liz said...

Mason jars are used for canning??? LOL I know that. Just have never canned in my life.

Alyssa B said...

Hi Mish, guess what? I made a post today about Jars and what they mean to me. Perhaps you would like to have a look-see?

link: http://teaspoon2teaspoon.blogspot.com/2010/06/ode-to-jars.html

Thanks, Alyse

Candice said...

You said the same thing that I did - "blue ball book" - It's the ball blue book - I once gave a class to a bunch of women at church and called it the 'blue ball' book the WHOLE time! So embarrassing!

suezie said...

I just loved your post on jars - I have fond memories so I love them too. Until recently I never thought I would own any pretty blue jars but when my mom-in-love went home to be with the Lord recently I brought her blue canning jars jome to England. They cleaned up soooo pretty. I felt kinda guilty taking them at first in case the other girls (her daughters) wanted them but then my hubby found several cases of blue jars out in the barn! Now wouldn't that just be your idea of a heavenly find Mish! Shame I couldn't bring more home with me but just goes to show - they're still around and they made them well huh?

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