Have you ever noticed how many neckties are for sale at thrift stores and yard sales? Once I realized how cheap used neckties were, I started picking them up whenever I had the chance and using them as purse straps on some the handbags I make. Some are made from silk or wool, so they aren’t all appropriate for vegans, but if you sift through the piles, you are sure to find plenty of usable used ties to repurpose into clothing, accessories or home décor.

Recycling neckties and giving them new life is a fun project for crafty folks, but even if you are not that crafty, you will find that the projects below take very little skill…particularly because I’ve linked to a step-by-step tutorial for almost all of them!

How to Repurpose Neckties (as they are)

Neckties are kind of cool just as they are, which makes them easy to repurpose for other uses without the need to cut, sew or otherwise change them. For example, you can use a necktie as a headband or a belt by simply looping them around your head or waist and tying them.

Sewing Projects with Thrift Store Neckties

If you have a sewing machine, or know someone who does, there is almost no end to what you can do with a few repurposed neckties.

Here are just a few examples of how you can upcycle neckties into clothing, accessories or home décor:

1. Make a necktie skirt. Long or short, skirts made from neckties are pretty cute, and they couldn’t be easier to make. Check out this tutorial to learn how to make your own necktie skirt. If you don’t want to have to take your skirt to the dry cleaner, make sure you use washable ties!

2. Make necktie placemats and napkin rings. Again, you will probably want to use washable neckties for this project, since it is awfully nice to be able to wash your placemats every once in a while. Check out this tutorial for step-by-step instructions for making necktie placemats and necktie napkin rings.

3. Repurpose neckties as purse handles or backpack straps. I have personally done this one many times, and my little purses with necktie straps always seem to be popular at the craft fairs. If you aren’t really the handbag type, you can also use thrift store neckties to make backpack straps, as shown in this tutorial.

4. Make a necktie purse, shopping tote or school bag. If you are feeling particularly crafty, you can even make an entire purse, shopping tote or school bag from neckties you pick up at a thrift store or yard sales. This necktie school bag tutorial will show you how it’s done.

5. Make a memorial quilt (or just a regular ol’ quilt). Are you a quilter? If so, you might consider seeking out some neckties to add to your fabric stash. If you lost someone who loved to wear ties, you can make a memorial quilt – like this one – that will keep his or her memory close at hand, or you can simply pick up some used neckties and incorporate them into your favorite quilt pattern.

6. Create artwork to hang on the wall. Mini quilts, framed quilts, neckties attached to a backing and framed – wherever your creativity takes you, used neckties are a great medium for hanging artwork.

7. Sew up some necktie throw pillows or pillow covers. Making necktie pillows is incredibly simple and can be accomplished by either making necktie placemats (using the tutorial above), and then a plain fabric backing, or by making mini tie quilts to use as the front of the pillows.

8. Make a smartphone or music player pouch. Need a new case for your smartphone or MP3 player? Why not whip one up from an old necktie? This tutorial shows how to make a necktie iPhone pouch, which should also work (either as is or slightly modified) for other phones and music players.

Do you have other ideas for cool ways to use old neckties? If so, share them in the comments!

Now…I know most of you probably don’t spend your afternoons lovingly crafting homemade jam and canning the abundance of leftover vegetables from your backyard garden (although that does sound like a great way to spend an afternoon!), but you don’t have to be a canner to have dozens of uses for mason jars.

Seriously, canning jars are amazingly versatile, and we can thank the likes of John L. Mason, Henry William Putnam, the Ball brothers, Alexander H. Kerr and a list of other recognizable last names for their contributions to the advancement of glass jar technology. But I know you didn’t come here for a canning jar history lesson, so let’s move right along to the purpose of this post.

Actually, I do have one more quick thing I want to say before we delve into the many uses of the common canning jar: Many of the metal lid options have a lining that contains Bisphenol A (BPA), which is an endocrine disruptor. Keep an eye out for BPA-free options, and if you do end up with lids that contain BPA, I would recommend either swapping them out with BPA-free canning jar lids or using those jars for non-food purposes. If you can’t get around it and have to use the ones with BPA, leave space between the contents and the lid, and make sure you keep the jars upright, to avoid contact.

Tattler Reusable Wide Mouth Canning Lids with rubber rings are one BPA-free option; however, they do contain POM, which has trace amounts of formaldehyde that can be released at high temperatures. While this temperature is nearly twice as hot as a home pressure canner’s maximum temperature, it is still something to consider. Alternatively, you can use all-glass jars with metal clamp closures and gaskets (like these Le Parfait French Glass Canning Jars or these Bormioli Rocco Fido Round Clear Jars). These jars are perfect for food storage and non-food uses, but not all jars of this type are suitable for canning, so check the specs.

Okay, back to the awesomeness of mason jars…

Canning and fruit jars are inexpensive, reusable, easy to clean, way better than plastic food containers and lend themselves well to a variety of uses. They come in an array of shapes and sizes, making them even more versatile, and have a nostalgic side that increases their appeal for use around the house. Basically, they rock.

To show just how much they rock and provide a bit of inspiration for creative ways to use cheap, plastic-free mason jars, here are XXXXX ways to use jars for storage, organization, craft projects, gift giving and more. Keep in mind that you don’t have to start out by purchasing a case of new jars; you can find used jars at garage sales and thrift shops, or you can start out by using the glass jars in which store-bought products like salsa, pasta sauce and jam often come.

23 Uses for Canning Jars in the Kitchen & Dining Room

1. Use for making homemade jams and canning produce.
2. Use as everyday drinking glasses.
3. Serve chilled desserts, such as vegan chocolate pudding or vegan chocolate mousse.
4. Use as travel mugs with these cool, BPA-free, to-go drinking lids for mason jars from Cuppow.
5. Store leftovers (or send some home with your quests).
6. Take soup to a sick friend.
   
7. Make and store vegan vanilla sugar.
8. Make DIY vegan vanilla extract.
9. Keep ground coffee fresh after grinding a few days’ worth of beans.
10. Store dry goods, such as flours, spices, dried herbs, beans, rice, lentils, grains and nutritional yeast.
11. Store other bulk food items, such as pasta, popcorn, cookies, granola, nuts, cereals, dried foods and all the other goodness you can find in the bulk food section.
12. Store your sourdough starter.
13. Store homemade almond, rice or soy milk.
14. Use as a cookie jar for vegan treats.
15. Organize and hold cooking utensils.
16. Use as a spoon rest while cooking.
17. Store homemade salad dressings, gravies and sauces.
18. Use as a sugar bowl.
19. Create a simple centerpiece using canning jars and wild flowers, lemons, pine cones, rocks or other natural elements.
20. Use a large mason jar to make sun tea.
21. Avoid plastic containers by using small glass jars for packing lunches. (I use small jars to send oatmeal, cookies, applesauce and more in my partner’s lunch.)
22. Use larger glass jars to take a salad to work. (Check out this Healthy.Happy.Life. blog post for inspiration and great pictures.)
23. Store time-saving homemade mixes, such as pancake mix, bread mix, bean soup mix or brownie mix.

5 Uses for Canning Jars in the Office, Workshop or Garage

1. Use small mason jars as snack containers to keep in your desk drawer at work or in your home office.
2. Attach the lids to the bottom of shelves in your garage or office (so that you can screw on the jar for under-shelf storage) and use them to store screws, nuts, bolts or office supplies.
3. Use a canning jar as a pen and pencil holder on your desk.
4. Grab some small glass jars to organize paperclips, binder clips and other small office supplies.
5. Use a short, wide-mouth jar as a business card holder.

8 Uses for Canning Jars in the Craft Room and for Gift Giving

1. Make a canning jar lamp with these instructions.
2. Use them for kids craft projects, such as snow globes or sand art.
3. Use them for DIY projects, like candles, potpourri or holiday decorations.
4. Decorate them as gift containers for bath salts, recipe kits or other gift ideas.
   
5. Create a home spa gift basket with DIY pampering products stored in mason jars.
6. Make awesome hostess gifts, like a vegan recipe with all of the ingredients layered inside a canning jar.
   
7. Use them to store jewelry findings or sewing notions, such as buttons, beads and thread.
8. Use a jar for cleaning or storing paint brushes.