Using Recycled Jars for a Spring Mantel

I wasn’t sure this post was going to happen today!  The weather has been crazy today in my area.  I spent an hour huddled in the bathroom with my son & dogs because of tornado warnings.  It has passed over, for now, & everyone’s safe.  Some bloggers have posts ready well in advance, but I haven’t managed to do that yet!  Today I’m going to show you my spring mantel & how I used recycled jars for decorations. This includes a small tutorial for removing jar labels too. Let’s get started before my power blips out again!

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Removing Jar Labels

I have a little bit of a habit when it comes to anything glass.  I never want to throw it away!  Since I try to buy things
in glass containers, this can get a little out of control.  Does anyone know of a glass recycling place in the area?  Maybe that would help me let go of the glass a little!

Anyway, my glass collection came in handy when it came time to decorate my mantel shelf for spring.  I saw these awesome apothecary printables over on Bless’er House & new they were perfect for my jar collection!  First I needed to remove some old labels.  This Goo Gone Pro Power is my go to for getting off any sticky label or glue.  I haven’t found anything sticky it won’t take off so far!

Usually I pull off as much paper as possible before spraying it down.  Then I spray down what’s left & let it sit for at least 10-15 minutes.  Most of the time everything comes off, but some labels are stubborn!  The first pic shows the paper coming up after the first spray.  I had to spray it again to get all the sticky residue off.

        
Then it just wipes off with a paper towel!  I washed the jar with some soap and water just to get rid of the oiliness left behind.

The labels were printed, cut out, & ready to go.  I used decoupage to attach my labels versus tape.  It keeps them a little flatter.  I tried to keep the glue around the edges nice & neat.  You will still notice a difference because it’s on glass.

Once I had my jars labeled, I was ready to decorate my mantel shelf!

Spring Mantel Shelf

Here’s my mantel shelf all decked out for spring, along with my spring sign!  Sorry for the poor lighting, it was very dark here today!

This is making me want to go dig in the dirt!  Those fluffy poofs are just like the one’s I made for Halloween, just more springy.  The jar the poofs are in was the jar I cleaned up in my post about cleaning up oil!  The roses are real & came from my long stem rose bush.  I managed to save a couple blooms before they were blown away!

Let’s look at some of the other bits and pieces up close.  It’s hard to see, but those are real butterfly wings in the lavender jar.  I find them all around & have been collecting them for years.  The smaller jar next to it has two little egg shaped rocks my husband gave me.

I put one of the succulents I recently bought into a cracked flip top container.  The crack is in the back!  ; p

I found this egg printable over at the Graphics Fairy.  I printed it on heavy cardstock, added a scrapbook print in the background, and popped it into a painted frame.  Old picture frames are a great thing to look for when visiting thrift stores & they can always be painted to match your decor.

On the other side of the picture, is a second succulent.  I found that ceramic spice jar on clearance at Target about a million years ago!  I used yarn & tape to hang my jello molds up on the mantel.  They remind me of eggs & the pinkish tone is perfect for spring!  Those were 50 cents each!

The little wooden dish was also a 50 cent thrift.  I painted it blue & trimmed it in gold.  The bird & twine ball I borrowed from my coffee table dish.  : )  The other end holds a couple of jars I dug up in the back yard & an empty wine bottle.

I stuck real rosemary clippings in the wine bottle to go with the label.  The dried flowers have been hanging around so long, I don’t remember what they came from!

As you can see, you may only have to look as far as your trash to find some amazing spring decor!  Have a wonderful Wednesday and stay safe & dry y’all!