Woman Transforms Old Pickle Jars Into Stunning Home Decor With A Clever DIY
Old, empty pickle jars usually end up in the trash or recycling bin, but they can be more valuable as home decor. If you love that homey farmhouse aesthetic, a pickle jar is a surprisingly good base to make your own crock. Kitchen crocks are staples in decor and storage, and this fun project upgrades your glass jar with clay. On YouTube, Our Upcycled Life showed how she transformed empty glass jars into unique home accents. With a large pickle jar, Mod Podge, air-drying clay, and a little paint, your boring food jar will become a dupe of a vintage-style ceramic crock. To further accentuate the crock, the DIYer transferred a printed design onto the finished piece.
Real crocks can be expensive, but this method for transforming pickle jars into chic countertop decor is budget-friendly. On Amazon, a pound of Das air hardening clay is about $10. However, dollar stores sometimes carry modeling clay, lowering the cost of this DIY. Using white clay allows you to paint and style your jar to resemble a ceramic crock, though some colors like terra cotta will look like old pottery. Other glass food jars could be repurposed instead of pickle jars if you don't have one. Alternatively, for an entirely clay crock, you may be able to use the jar as a mold, removing it before the clay dries. However, keeping the glass jar inside this decor piece allows it to double as functional countertop storage or a vase.
DIYing the cutest crock from an empty pickle jar
Our Upcycled Life recommended soaking the glass in water and bleach to remove the pickle aroma. Then, she flattened a piece of modeling clay with a rolling pin, using cornstarch to prevent sticking. Work the clay until it's thin. Clay doesn't adhere well to glass, but the DIYer painted the pickle jar in Mod Podge to help. White glue or masking tape will also allow clay to stick. Lay the rolled out modeling clay over the glass, wrapping it around the jar. Press the clay into the glass, adding more if there are spots where it's thin or the jar is exposed. It may be lumpy, but the DIYer wet the clay with water and smoothed it with her hands to form the crock.
@ourupcycledlife07 How I turned a pickle jar into gorgeous vintage pottery
Our Upcycled Life formed her clay to the shape of the pickle jar. Alternatively, use extra to make the jar wider in some areas, or to create a more cylindrical shape, like a traditional ceramic crock. With little pieces of clay, the DIYer formed handles on the neck of the jar. She also pressed some of the material into a mold for an ornate design. Stick these accents onto your jar using water. Otherwise, push a rubber stamp into the wet clay. Once the clay dries, fill any cracks with Mod Podge and paper. To complete this farmhouse decor idea, the DIYer painted the crock, applied a graphic transfer onto the front, and sealed it.