DIY: Recycled Novelty Animal Jars

Every time I use up something in a jar, rinse it, and toss it in the recycling bin I wonder how I could be reusing it instead. Well, this is the perfect project for smaller jars. For larger jars, I’d recommend making vacation jars.

File this under another Pinterest inspiration project! The jars I used were two small Nutella jars and one medium sized coconut oil jar. The materials you’ll need are jars, a glue gun, spray paint, and a few animal figurines.

First, glue the animal figurines to the jar lids.

I found that applying hot glue to each of the animals’ feet and holding the figurine down firmly on the lid for 30 seconds worked really well for securing them together.

I had three lids and three different animals – a horse, a bear, and two pigs.

Before spray painting make sure you are outside (or in a well ventilated area) and have covered the surface you’ll be painting on with a drop cloth.

Give the lids at least two good coats of spray paint, allowing them to dry completely in between coats. I ended up doing three coats with about 2 hours of drying time in between each one. Even if it looks like there is too much paint be sure it will dry evenly. I highly recommend the Rustoleum brand of spray paint: it went on smoothly and dried evenly.

When the lids are fully painted and dried, load up the jars and display in a fun place!