Ball jars: An inexpensive festive decoration
Don't throw away your old Mason jars, they will save you a fortune.
![](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/12/Masonjar1_08064.jpg)
Ball jars (otherwise referred to as canning jars) are not only used for storing household edibles such as coffee and sweets, they also make for inexpensive festive decorations.
Save yourself the expense of buying jars by saving all the glass mayonnaise, peanut butter and coffee jars you buy during the year.
![Add some lemons to freshen up your natural air freshener. Photo: pixabay.com](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/12/Lemons_17503-520x390.jpg)
How to decorate with canning jars:
Firstly, wash them well. They don’t have to smell like much but they do need to be clean.
Anything can be added to the jars to make them decorative, and naturally during the festive season, reds, greens and whites are favourite colours to add to the jars as well as Christmas trees.
The Herald’s top two jar decorations are the candled jars and the air freshener jars. The latter acts both as a decoration as well as a personalised natural air-freshener.
Candled jars
What you need:
– Three empty glass jars
– Three tealight candles (the small candles with the foil cup)
Round up at least three jars so your decorations don’t look lonely.
Put tealight candles in them.
Light them with a long match or lighter and voila!
Pack three of these together as a centrepiece on a table or as a decorative element anywhere in your home.
Natural air freshener jar
What you need:
– Water
– Rosemary
– Sliced lemon
– Vanilla extract
This one is a bit more tricky. Get either a big jar or at least three small ones to make your air freshener.
Fill the jar or jars 2/3 full with water.
Add the sliced lemon, a few sprigs of rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Stand the jars in any room in your home. The mixture will hold for approximately two days but it will need to be changed to maintain the scent.
Find the full natural air freshener recipe on www.viralnova.com
![A little rosemary goes a long way in an air freshener. Photo: pixabay.com](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/12/Rosemary_24505-520x390.jpg)
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