As promised, today’s post is about my version of the mason jar utensil caddy. I used things found in my work space to make my version because I was trying to avoid a trip to the store. There are a few things that I would have done differently, as you will see. There will also be some ideas at the end for making this into a gift “caddy”. Like a gift basket, but better! Alright, time for a tutorial!
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Gather the Supplies
These are the supplies I used because it’s what I had laying around. Necessity is the mother of invention, right?
- 4 mason jars – I have a plethora of these since I can things! If you don’t want to paint jars, check out these colored ones.
- 1 silver plated fork – I bought several of these in a bundle at a thrift store. You could use a drawer pull as well, just make sure it has holes on top for attaching.
- E6000 glue – To attach the fork. Not needed if you use a drawer pull
- old shelf partition – This was left over from the shelf I took apart and hung on the wall. These are the dimensions – 1″ thick x 2 1/2″
tall x 10 1/2″ long. - paint – I used:
- American Decor Chalky Finish in Treasure
- American Decor Creme Wax in Clear
- Rust-Oleum Satin spray paint in Classic Navy
- brushes – I used:
- Wooster shortcut angle sash paintbrush – This is a wonderful paintbrush to have!
- Wax brush
- 18 gauge black wire
- brass nails – I’m not sure why these were floating around in the nuts & bolts bins, but I really like the look of them!
- sand paper – Use a finer grit.
- needle nose pliers and wire cutters
Paint it All!
When you look at the tutorial for the original caddy I posted about, you’ll notice she was wearing gloves while spray painting the jars. Well, this is what happens when you spray paint jars on your porch steps at 11 p.m. in your pjs without gloves on. You get paint hand! If you have paint hand too, I have a little tip for you. Finger nail polish remover will remove paint from your hand too! No need to scrub, just use a cotton ball dipped in polish remover. Buh-bye paint hand!
Anyway, this is what the jars looked like after a quick spray paint. I also used the sand paper to scuff them up a bit.
While they were drying, I got my wood partition ready. First I sawed off the little pegs with a hand saw. That’s a different partition than the one I actually used – it’s for a different project. I forgot to take a photo of the before for the one I’m using!
Next I gave it a quick coat of chalk paint. Once it was dry I gave it a coat of the creme wax. You can see where I cut the peg off!
Assembly
After the paint was all dry, I bent the fork to form more of a handle shape. Then I attached it to the top of the wood with the E6000 glue. I was a little unsure about it holding up on the prong end of the fork, so I also added a brass nail between the prongs. Now, I waited for glue to dry!
When the glue was set, I hammered in the brass nails on both sides. Lay the mason jars on the piece of wood to mark the placement. Hammering nails on one side was easy. Putting them on the opposite side was a little more difficult! If you have a slotted surface to hammer on, this will be much easier. Kind of like the slot on my drafting table that I forgot about at the time – even though it was right in front of me!
Once the nails were in place, I wrapped wire around the top of the mason jars. I double wrapped the wire leaving the tails in the back. Then I wrapped the tails around the nails using pliers to get a tighter fit.
Now I have a utensil caddy that will be a perfect gift for someone. I’m not saying who!
What I Would Change
As much as I love this, there are some things I would do differently – hindsight and all! I chose to use the smaller partition because I didn’t want this to be too heavy. It is light weight, but the jars clang together when you pick it up. They also have to be adjusted when you set them down. I might add some felt padding on the backs of the jars to stop the clanging. If I make another one, I’ll use the longer partition!
Here’s some ideas to turn this into a gift caddy – just add a bow and tag!
- Cloth napkins ~ just roll them up and insert in the jars.
- Bamboo serving utensils ~ dip the handles in paint to match.
- Salt and Pepper shaker ~ maybe add a hook to each end to hang them from.
That’s all for today, see y’all on Friday! Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!
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