One of my fondest memories from when I was young is being at my grandma’s house while she and my mom were canning food in Mason jars. For many of us, these rustic jars bring back memories of happy times or days gone by.

Earlier today while I was cleaning out my cabinets I happened upon some old Mason jars and decided to bring them out and put flowers in them to cheer up my kitchen. As I was sitting looking at how pretty they looked I started brainstorming some ideas for how they could be decorated to spice them up even more and to make them work with a variety of different decor. Here are some of the ideas I came up with for how to make a vase out of a Mason jar.

For all of the following ideas, first make sure that your jar is thoroughly washed and dried to remove any remaining food.

Country Style Vase

To make a country style vase from a Mason jar, start by filling the jar about 1/3 to 1/2 full with small pebbles. Next, take dried flowers and arrange them in the jar, sticking the stems down into the pebbles to help hold them in place. Finally, tie a piece of natural colored raffia in a bow around the lip of the jar. Cute, rustic and no water required – what more could you ask for?

Shabby Chic Style Vase

Start by finding a pretty ribbon or a length of lace and tie it around the top of the jar. Or, if you prefer, tie it around the middle and secure it in place with a dab of hot glue. Fill the jar with pale colored tulips or white roses. Antique Mason jars that have that slight blue-green coloring that old glass gets would work really well for this style.

Most of us don’t think of Mason jars as elegant, but I say why not? To make this style, pick up some clear glass gems from your local craft store. Fill the jar partway with the gems then add roses, lilies or orchids to the vase. Fill it the rest of the way with water and set it out on a nightstand or mantle.

Covered Vase

If you wanted, you could completely hide the fact that you were using a Mason jar as a vase by covering it with fabric or tissue paper. Start by choosing a piece of fabric or tissue paper that matches your decor. Set the jar in the middle of the paper or fabric and draw it up around the jar. Secure it in place by tying a ribbon around the lip of the jar and the fabric or paper. You can trim off any excess fabric or paper.

Painted Vase

Pick up some glass paints from your local craft store. Use your imagination and creativity to paint your jar. You can paint around any markings on the jar or get creative and come up with your own pattern. Follow the directions on the paint as far as drying times go. Finally fill with flowers and enjoy.

Keep in mind that you can find some really beautiful Mason jars for very little money at antique malls. Often times these jars have more character than modern Mason jars.

Hopefully this gives you some ideas on ways that you could turn a Mason jar into a vase. Use your imagination and see what other ideas you can come up with on your own.

Lucky bamboo has seen a huge rise in popularity in recent years and really is a lovely addition to a home or office. Here are some tips for how to grow lucky bamboo indoors that will help you get happy, healthy plants.

Start with a Healthy Plant

If you buy an unhealthy bamboo plant to begin with chances are it won’t do well without a lot of extra attention and nurturing.

Starting with a healthy, strong bamboo plant, however, will increase the chances that it will survive and will make it a lot easier on you as far as how much time and effort you will need to invest in growing it.

When choosing your plant look carefully at the stem and the leaves to make sure that they are green and strong.

Choose Your Container

Glass containers are popular for growing bamboo indoors because they allow you to see the roots of the plant and make it easier to know when it needs transplanting. Not only that, but they are a nice decorative touch and they lend themselves well to a variety of different decorating style.

Choose a glass container that is large enough – perhaps even larger than you think you would need – since bamboo grows quickly. There should be at least a couple of inches between the sides of the container and the roots of the bamboo plant.

Line Your Container with Stones

Line the bottom of your container with small stones, pebbles or decorative glass marbles. Set the bamboo plant in the center of the container and gently add more stones around the roots of the plant. Build the stones up around the roots to the base of the stem to support the plant and hold it in an upright position. Add water.

Caring for Your Lucky Bamboo

Bamboo does best with plenty of indirect light. Don’t place it directly in the sun, but make sure that you don’t put it in an area that is too dark, either. Try to find a bright place in your home that gets a lot of indirect light.

Since bamboo thrives in humidity you should always try to keep your plants moist. Consider spraying the leaves with water and make sure to keep the water level in the container high enough. Distilled water is best, but you can also use tap water that has been allowed to sit overnight so that the chlorine settles out.

Change the water in your container often so that it does not become stagnant.