Upgrade Your Patio Dining Space With These Mason Jar Hacks

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Why should enjoying a meal be confined to indoors? Dining al fresco on a patio is a lovely way to take in Mother Nature, too. Plus, if there are hacks to boost the experience, sign us up. Mason jars can help when you transform them into cute and useful patio-dining accessories. Need a spot to house all of your cutlery?  Creative Ramblings shares a mason jar hack that results in a beautiful caddy. And if you haven't upgraded your condiment containers, The Daily DIYer has a hack for that, too. 

Although these classic jars have been staples in home canning for well over a century, there are also plenty of outdoor uses for mason jars. For patio dining, a few creative steps are involved. You'll need a few jars for each project — although an exact number will depend on your preferences. Hopefully, you can simply dig them out from a kitchen cabinet. But if not, they're common enough to find at thrift stores. Dollar Tree also carries 16-oz Glass Canning Jars with Lids for $1.50 each.

To make the cutlery caddy, you need crafting supplies like spray paint, strong-hold glue, and jute rope. First, take three mason jars and give them a frosted look — for example, with Rust-Oleum Frosted Glass Spray Paint. If you'd like, paint the screw bands to add a pop of color. Allow everything to dry. Next, place the three jars in a cluster. Squeeze glue (like E6000) along the connecting points and attach them. Allow time for the glue to set.

Next, wrap jute rope around the jars a few times as an embellishment. Consider topping the piece off with a pretty artificial flower that matches your patio decor. Twist on the screw bands, and you have a utensil caddy. Sort forks, spoons, and knives into the different jars to keep them organized. You could even add adorable labels, like these Kempshott Chalkboard Labels, to help complete them. 

Do you want the caddy to have additional storage room? Add more jars when you put it together. For example, instead of a cluster of three, you could make a square using four jars — or go up to a rectangle of six. Roll your silverware in cloth napkins and set one or two in each. If you typically dine on your patio in the evening, you could use a couple of the jars for strands of fairy lights. That way, the piece will give off a charming glow while guests grab their cutlery. Use it as part of a table centerpiece, or place it off to the side on a counter.

Condiments and patio dining go together like peanut butter and jelly. But the plastic containers they come in can look like an eyesore on a table. Offering favorites like ketchup, barbecue sauce, and mustard in glass jars instantly elevates their look. In this case, the hack is adding pumps to create a convenient dispenser. You'll need one clean regular-mouth mason jar and one pump per condiment. For example, these Jarmazing Mason Jar Syrup Dispenser Lids on Amazon would work well.

Place the pump inside the jar to see whether you need to cut the straw. It should be very close to the bottom to dispense as much as possible. Next, use scissors to cut the end of the straw at an angle so it's the right length. Repeat this with all of your pumps. Fill your jars with condiments and screw on the dispenser lids. 

To upgrade the containers, write the condiment names on labels, like these SallyFashion Kraft Paper Hang Tags, and tie them around the jar necks with colorful string. Or, skip the labels and adorn them with checkered ribbon instead. Place the jars in a serving area or line them up on the dining table. They'll look much cuter than the original plastic containers, and surely guests will appreciate the convenience. After the meal, store the jars in your fridge until next time.