15 Mason jar gifts to make for your mom

If your mom loves to pamper herself, or needs a reminder to do so once in a while, hand her this homemade manicure set on Mother’s Day. Head to the drugstore to pick up polish, a file, clippers, cotton balls, tweezers, and top coat, then pack it all into a large Mason jar. To make it special, dress up the jar with a fabric bow and a homemade tag that tells your mom how much she means to you.

The terrarium trend is still going strong, so if your mom doesn’t already have one, get her in on the fad with a homemade Mason jar terrarium. Because they’re so hot right now, it should be easy to find supplies at home and decor stores. Along with the Mason jar, you’ll need small succulents, ferns, or air plants, potting soil, pebbles, sand, charcoal, and moss. Apartment Therapy provides some great tips for buying supplies and putting it together, just make sure the design is all yours.

With just a bit of tape, some chalkboard paint, and the ability to draw a decent heart, you can make a candle holder like this one. Simply draw the heart on a piece of painter’s tape, cut it out, and stick it to the front of the jar. Then spray the jar with chalkboard paint and let it dry before removing the tape. Use some chalk to add heartfelt messages to your mom, or a few decorative designs.

How do you make Mason jar glasses? It’s simple: remove the lids from a few jars and rinse them out. But it’s not until you transform the leftover lids into coasters that it becomes an attractive and worthwhile gift. To do so, flip each lid over, glue some cork board inside, and then personalize them by stamping a phrase or pattern onto the cork. Head to www.beneathmyheart.net for the full instructions.

If your mom enjoys scrapbooking, she’ll love a jar filled with items to get her creative juices flowing. The jar pictured here includes an ink pad, a chalk marker, clips, glitter tape, a tape runner, letter stamps, and silver embellishments, all of which can be purchased at a craft or dollar store for a few dollars or less. To personalize it, get some photos printed from her most recent vacation and stick them inside.

If you’re short on time, you can always pour some store-bought bath soak into a Mason jar and dress it up a little. But to make it really special, try doing it yourself—you’ll be surprised by how simple it is. This DIY recipe, which mixes homemade cocoa bath salts with homemade milk bath will leave your mom’s skin looking—and feeling—incredible. Each recipe only requires three ingredients, which are mixed and then layered on top of one another to get the polished look shown here.

This one is perfect for a new or expecting mom. Despite all of the stuffed animals and onesies adorned with cheeky phrases that she's bound to receive, when the baby arrives, she's going to be a lot more worried about the practical stuff. Help her prepare for the long days and nights of early parenthood with a jar filled with everything from Wet Ones and hand sanitizer to Advil and chocolate.

If you haven’t already noticed, Mason jars are extremely multi-purpose, even when it comes to the kitchen. While they’re traditionally used for canning pickled vegetables and jams, they also work as single-sized baking dishes. It doesn’t matter if your mom's favourite treat is lemon meringue pie, cupcakes, or even a caramel frappuccino, if it’s in a cute package like this, she’ll be impressed before she even tastes it.

This one is as easy-to-make as it is adorable. To create this decorative lantern, which can be displayed on the porch or even hung from a tree, all you need to do is wrap some wire around the neck of a Mason jar to form a handle. Once that’s done, add some ribbon in your mom's favourite colour for adornment, and place a tealight or another small candle inside.

Getting your mom a fresh plant for Mother’s Day is a good go-to, but it’s also a bit obvious. To show her that you put a little more thought into the gift, try making a Mason jar planter. There are all sorts of these online, but this hanging one might be our favourite. It’s a great use of space too, so she should have no trouble finding a place for it. For the full tutorial on how to make it, head to archive.constantcontact.com.

This one will take less than five minutes to create, but it has way more charm than any factory-produced frame. Stick a photo (preferably printed in black and white) in a Mason jar before filling it will olive oil. It might sound weird, but the oil adds to the nostalgic vibe created by the colourless photo. Dress up the back of the jar by tossing in some dried flowers like lavender and you’re done! Just don’t forget to screw the lid on tight.

Make your mom a candle and she’ll think of you every time it burns—especially if it’s a scented one. Mason jars are the perfect vessel for candles, and you’ll be shocked by how easy it is to create your own, especially now that you can buy supplies at online stores like Amazon. Somethingturqoise.com provides step-by-step instructions, including advice on how to make it the colour and scent of your choice.

If your mom has done some sewing in past, then she’ll love this nudge to get back at it. Like the craft kit, all it takes is a quick trip to the craft or dollar store to find everything you need. But it’s not the scissors, seam ripper, measuring tape, or chalk that make this project special—it’s the pin cushion built into the lid. Inspired by a far pricier version sold at Anthrolpogie, this tutorial shows you that a scrap of drop cloth, a bit of batting, some scissors, and a hot glue gun are all you need to make it.

Throwing a handful of flowers into a plain Mason jar is often beautiful enough, but why not take the chance to really exercise your creative muscles and impress your mom? Of course you know best when it comes to her taste, but if you’re looking for a little guidance, we love this burlap and lace jar. We’re also big fans of painting them with metallic colours and adding a little glitter for some sparkle. With endless possibilities, the hardest part about this project will be deciding where to start. Of course Pinterest is the perfect place to head for a little inspiration.

This project is a little more complex than some of the others, but when you consider how much enjoyment your mom will get from watching these birds, what could be more worth your time? For the base of the feeder, which is where the birds will get the seeds, you’ll need a chick feeder. This can be purchased at a farm supply store for only a few dollars. For a simple and decorative hanger, you’ll also need some 8-gauge copper wire, which you can pick up at your local hardware store. For more details on how to put it all together, visit thegardenroofcoop.com.