In South Africa, recycling is way of life that not very many people incorporate into their daily routine. Partly because we do not have the facilities or many places that offer this service, but mainly because most people are too lazy to think about what happens to their rubbish once they toss it in the bin.
So instead of carelessly dumping your trash, one of the ways you can help give used things a second life, is to reuse your glass jars, and use them as novelty photo frames.
You will need
A selection of different shaped glass jars
A bunch of your favorite photos
Doom
Paper Towels
Scissors / cutting knife
Ruler
Pencil
Step 1: Remove the label
After speaking to several people in search for the best method to remove the gluey sticky mess left behind when attempting to soak off labels on glass jars, I have discovered the secret is… Doom. No, I’m not referring Dr Doom the super villain from the Marvel comics, but rather the insect killing spray of death.
Simply spray a thick coat of Doom onto the stickiness, wait 5 – 10 minutes, and then effortlessly wipe away the glue with a kitchen towel. Rinse with hot water and soap. Easy as pie.
Step 2: Measure the Jar
Using your ruler, measure the height of the flat part of the jar (the part excluding where the bottle curves) – this is where the photo will fit.
Step 3: Cut the Photo
Using your ruler, knife and pencil, trim the height of the photo neatly, to fit the height of the flat part of the jar.
Step 4: Place photo into the jar
Slightly roll the photo, with the image facing outwards, and insert it into the jar upside down. You may need to adjust it with your fingertips so that it fits snugly into its new home.
Step 5: Display it!
Turn the jar upside down, so that it rests on its opening, and display it somewhere special!
Tips:
Use a selection of different shaped jars with different heights to create interest.
You can also use glass bottles, although this is a little trickier as you will need to roll the photo tighter, and make sure the height of the photo is as tall as the widest part of the bottle. When using bottles, do not place the photo inside down.
If you liked this photo craft, then also check out how to make recycled frames from CD covers.
{ 75 comments… read them below or add one }
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWJUS!!!!!!
Dearest! Your wonderful creativity never ceases to amaze me! Christine xxxx
What an awesome idea! I’m definitely going to try this.
Thanks! The great thing about these glass jar frames, is that you don’t need to commit to having a particular photo inside it, you can change the photo as often as you like.
Wouldn’t these also make great table centre pieces for dinner parties? You have have photos of your guests inside them!
Wow, this is superb. A great natural feel to the frames and photos.
Very creative!
Once again the amazing Rikki did it!!!!! Firstly…the doom idea…. I’ve always struggled with the stickiness. Lastly… photo frame idea… so original!!!!
“…untill next time… for another Rikki DIY!!!
Well, I can’t take all the credit! The Doom idea is a housewives secret passed down from my Mom ;-)
A wonderful idea for birthday presents,
especially if you have a glass jar with an
unusual shape. I never like to throw them
away, so now I know what to do with them.
Thanks again.
What a great idea. When my husband was a child they used to dip string in meths and tie it around bottles and then set the string alight. The bottle would snap from the heat at the string line. You could do that if you didn’t want the screw part.
I never did try it though.
I was thinking that square-shaped bottles with five different pictures could also be quite cool for my desk!
What a stunning idea Helen! I’d love to try it, will let you know how it turns out ;-)
saw this and thought you could take these photo jars one step further: http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/07/how-to_lace_lanterns.html
Wow! Love it! If you have 4×5 slides from a large format camera, or printed your images onto acetate, you could have mini lightboxes!
Thanks for that awesome link!
This is absolutely brillaint. Just marvelous.
Loving it!
Thanks guys! If you try this, please post a link!
Hi Sweetie,
What a fab tutorial. I added this to my shop forum:
http://fortheluvofart.forumg.biz/day-to-day-chit-chat-f12/something-as-insignificant-as-glass-jars-t1433.htm#17717
Thanks you so much for sharing !
Norma
Hi Norma, thanks for the mentionon your site! The lacy bottles are just gorgeous, and if one was to combine your idea with the photo jars, the result would be an amazing piece of art!
This is super cool and inexpensive! Thank you so much for sharing, Rikki.
Thanks Miranda! Also cool for outdoor patios etc, easy to clean and waterproof to rain ;-)
This DIY works beautifully with flower photos too! Cheap way of having flowers in your home :) http://www.theprettyblog.com/2010/07/jam-jars-photos/
Love this idea Christine! Everlasting flowers! Thanks for sharing your link ;-)
This is so cute! These would also work great a odds-and-ends jars…screws/nails/etc, pens, office supplies, etc. Just turn the jar and picture right side up!
Love that idea Kelly, thanks ;-)
Couldn’t you go with something less toxic like Goo Gone to remove the label?
Hi Mary, haven’t seen Goo Gone in South Africa, so I went with something that practically everyone would have in their cupboard at home. Do you know of an organic option?
Soap and water? Soak for a few hours and then wipe with either a scrubby pad or a wash cloth. Clean and New with out all the environmental damage.
H
I got an email from Mauritz Mostert – he recommends using WD40 oil spray, mineral oil or paraffin to safely & easily remove the sticky labels.
Thanks Mauritz!
I like this idea very much! It’s so original! :) I’ll try to do my own glass jar frames. Thank you for this tutorial :)
Hello. I import Goo Gone and have the agency for Africa. If anybody is looking for Goo Gone you can contact me on sean@interfix.co.za. It is stocked at Builders warehouse & some Pick n Pay Hypers.
i accidentally discovered that the Magic Eraser works awesome for the jar labels. No odor!
Thanks Sean, great to know! I will give this a bash next time!
Hi Kirsten, are you referring to the Magic Eraser in Photoshop?
hiya , what a great idea thanks for sharing x the photo and the lace tutorials i am going to try both have been “saving” empty jars for ages now so i will have a great time at the weekend x tfs
xmaggiex
Hi Maggie! Please post a link once you have made your jars, I’d love to see how it turns out with the lace!
If you drill a small hole in the bottom of each jar, then you could put an electric votive under each jar when you turn it over. That would make a very romantic anniversary dinner!
What a lovely idea! I have to try that too!
What an amazing idea! How creative, thanks for the craft tips!
Love this! I have never heard of Doom, but I know I can find Goo Gone. In fact, I might even have some around here somewhere. Thanks for posting!
I’m going to try find where to buy Goo Gone in South Africa, it sounds like a much better solution!
peanut butter gets off gum and other sticky residues:) love the pic idea. thanks:)
Hi Maya! Peanut butter! Wow, wish I had thought of that! I can’t wait to try it out! thanks for the tip ;-)
I used this idea for a wedding. I photocopied the black and white pictures onto acetate at the local copy store. I then backed them with silverleaf foil (you could use metal tape from the hardward store as well). It gave them a tin type feel and was a great way to feature the bride and groom when they were children. https://www.facebook.com/eventdivas
What a stunning idea Susan, thanks for sharing!
Any type of vegetable oil will work to remove the gunk and goo leftover from stickers and such. I have done this a number of times and it works like a charm and probably better for you and the environment, :)
Thanks for the tip Tracey, I can’t wait to try that out!
This is so cool and simple. Saw the ping to my blog and had to check your’s out. Gotta do this! Super neat! Love it!
WOW! That’s really beautiful and fun looking! Thanks for the fun idea!!! <3
Thanks Mari! <3
Wow! That’s a neat idea. Start collection glasses and jars right away! Thank you.
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