Creative Mason Jar Tops for the DIY Crowd

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One of the early posts I did here on the blog was a quick little idea that I almost thought wasn’t worth writing about.  It was a quick tip that the lids from parmesan containers fit on canning jars.

It turned out that it was indeed an idea worth writing about and over the course of the last few years it’s been pinned on Pinterest hundreds of thousands of times.  I guess I’m not the only one who likes finding resourceful and creative tops for canning jars!

That was four years ago and since that time, I’ve seen more and more new products hitting the market that are clever tops for mason jars.  You can find tops for your mason jars that will turn them into sippy cups, piggy banks, flower vases, solar lights, fermenting jars, soap pumps, and so much more.

How to make your own creative tops for mason jars

So today I’m going to share a few options showing that yes, you can buy those clever tops, but sometimes you can just make your own!

Let’s take a look:      (Note:  Amazon links below are affiliate links)

Mason Jar Plastic Storage Caps

Check out the ready made option here:  Ball Regular Mouth Jar Storage Caps

I have some of these plastic storage caps and I love them and use them a lot.  They’re a simple and easy way to turn a mason jar into a storage container and they’re not too pricey either. But if you’re the frugal type you can simply recycle and get pretty much the same thing!

The Homemade Option:

An easy way to make your own plastic lids for canning jars is to take a look around your pantry.  I’ve found that the lid from an 18 oz jar of peanut butter and the lid from a jar of mayonnaise, both fit nicely onto regular mouth sized canning jars.  Another one I’ve discovered works well (and is my favorite because it’s a little wider) is the lid from my store brand jar of instant coffee (I keep some instant coffee around to make my homemade Cappuccino French Vanilla coffee mix).

Make your own creative storage tops for canning jars using tops from items in your pantry

So take a look around your kitchen.  There might be other containers with plastic lids that will work too. For instance this blogger discovered that the Coffee-Mate Creamer lids fit too, however I always buy the cheaper store brand of creamer, which alas, does not fit.

I’m still looking for some tops to recycle to fit on the large mouth jars, but so far no luck.  If you’ve made a discovery or a have a suggestion for the wide mouth jars, I’d love to hear it!

 

Mason Jar Frog Lids for Flowers

Check out the ready made option here:  Mason Jar Frog Lids

Have you ever put a bouquet of flowers in your canning jar only to find they didn’t fill up the opening completely and wanted to all flop over to one side?  These frog lids are the solution with their grid like structure that allows you to distribute your flowers evenly over the space of the mason jar opening and keep them there.

The Homemade Option:

Make your own frog lids for mason jars to help your flower arrangements look their best!

I was able to make a homemade version of a frog lid by using some of my jewelry making supplies.  I had some 20 gauge wire in my stash that I snipped into pieces approximately 2½” long.  I then glued them in a grid like pattern onto the inside of a ring for a regular mouth mason jar. I’m using my frog lid on my mason jar that I tinted blue and it’s working perfectly!

 

Mason Jar Straw Lids

Check out the ready made option here: Mason Jar Straw Lids

Mason jars make cute drinking glasses and lots of folks like these mason jar tops with a hole in them to stick a straw through,  They’re a fun idea for serving beverages at picnics and parties, or to have a glass (not plastic) beverage container when you’re on the go.

The Homemade Option:

I recently discovered that I could punch a hole through a canning lid top with my paper punch!  Of course I couldn’t reach all the way to the middle of the lid, but to me it looked just fine towards the side of the lid.  Another quick and easy hack is to just use a cupcake paper turned over on the top of the jar, then screw the canning lid ring over it, and poke the straw through.  I picked up some cute straws and cupcake papers at the dollar store and I was good to go!

Make your own drinking straw lids for mason jars with this easy method

I’ve seen some other methods of people poking holes through their canning jars lids to make openings for their straws.  They’ve used hammers and nails, drills, and other sharp pointy things.  These will work, just be sure to not leave any sharp edges that could cut someone.  The paper punch method did a good job of not leaving any sharp edges.

 

Mason Jar Pouring Spout Lid

Check out the ready made option here: Mason Jar Pouring Spout Lid

Mason jars get used for lots of storage reasons, but sometimes we want to store pourable items in those canning jars. A top like the one shown above is a great solution.

The Homemade Option:

Make your own tops for canning jars

This homemade option probably isn’t as durable as the ready-made option, but it will work!  Just cut out the pour spout area from a cardboard container of orange juice and place it inside your canning jar ring to make your own pour spout. Some cartons of creamer and milk have these same types of spouts. I’ve also done this with the top of a salt container for a mason jar lid to make a smaller pour spout.

 

Sprouting Jar Strainer Lid

Check out the ready made option here: Sprouting Jar Strainer Lid

These lids are available for those who use their jars to grow their own sprouts.  It allows for draining the water from the jar and replacing it with fresh water, without losing the seeds that you’re sprouting.

The Homemade Option:

Make your own mason jar lid for sprouting

I’ve yet to try making my own sprouts, but it’s on my to-do list!  I’ll be trying my homemade version of this top that I made using a circle of plastic canvas cut to size and glued inside the ring of the canning jar  (I used the finer size 10 mesh plastic canvas).  The comments on this Amazon product show lots of creative solutions including using a piece of metal screen or a piece of cross-stitch canvas, or even just using cheese cloth or nylons over the top of the jar.

 

Mason Jar Spice Lid

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the ready made option here:  Mason Jar Spice Lid

And finally, this handy lid lets you screw a top onto your mason jars with either a full pouring area on one side or holes on the other.

The Homemade Option:

Use them parmesan lids . . . ‘nuf said.

parmesan lid on canning jar

 

How about you?  Have you come up with a creative homemade solution for a fancy canning jar top? Feel free to leave me the details in a comment below.  I love all canning jar stories!

How to make your own creative tops for mason jars

 

 

 

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15 Comments

  1. I have seen some use the top of a salt container lid with the metal pouring spout and put it on a mason jar for salt by the stove…
    Your ideas are great! Now I’ve got to get to saving my peanut butter lids…lol
    Thank you!

  2. Great ideas! I would like to find a replacement for the Ergo Spout Mini. It delivers a very fine drizzle, perfect for the even buttering of popcorn.

  3. i want a top to fit a 30fl oz jar to use for the top of the snow man to put the hat and face on any ideal what will work i have a lid i need something to fit to build with it

  4. Clever ideas. I also use mayo and pb jars for the small mason jars, but they are not leak proof for liquids. I’ve had them fall over in the fridge, and what a mess!

    1. Thanks for sharing that info AJ! I have only stored dry things using recycled lids so it’s good to know to take extra care if you use this frugal option with liquids.

  5. For the frog thing for flowers use medal chicken wire. Try a PC of pop can & put the pour PC in it like soap bottle.

  6. Beverly,

    It sounds like your frog lid is just as nice as the ones you can buy. I’ve done something much simpler for a one-time use. I didn’t invent it, I copied it from the florist. Simply take the top of whatever container you are using for a vase and run a few strips of Scotch tape in either direction across the top, leaving some space in between. Picture a tape version of a tic-tac-toe board, with spaces where the tape doesn’t cross. Insert flower stems through the spaces.

    1. You’re right Judith! Tape can be used as a super simple to give any jar or vase a quick “frog lid”. I’d forgotten that little trick!

    2. I have several mason jars that I have different plastic lids on. But Alas I like you have not found Lids to fit my big mouth mason jars . I am also open to suggestions

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