Last summer, to commemorate a milestone wedding anniversary, my husband and I took an 18 day trip with dear friends to the UK, and one stop in France. We spent the first five days in London, seeing as many sites as could possibly be seen during that time. Suffice to say it was a trip of a lifetime for me. During our time in London, the hotel had complimentary breakfast each morning, and one of the things they offered was a delicious French yogurt called Frischi. It was thick and creamy like a Greek yogurt, with the fruit on the bottom. In addition to the great taste and texture, what really got my attention were the cute little glass containers it came in. They were adorable.

Upon returning home, I set out to find Frischi yogurt at my local supermarkets, to no avail. However, I did see that Yoplait had introduced their own version of a French yogurt call Oui, that came in similar cute glass jars. Sold! We started purchasing Oui yogurts by the droves, and my husband especially loves them. But what to do with all of those glass containers that were multiplying daily? Obviously we recycle, and many of them went there. However, with my DIY mentality, I was looking for other ways to turn this “trash into treasure.” So today, I present a few ideas I’ve come up with to re-use the Oui glass containers. Enjoy!

Dessert Shooters...These Oui containers are the perfect size for a single serve offering, and shooter style desserts are all the rage right now. These glass containers can hold almost anything from pudding, to cheesecakes, to fruit parfaits. The possibilities are truly endless.

Momento Container...Last summer, my middle daughter had her 20th class reunion. Prior to the event, the committee ordered custom stickers through Etsy that turned these glass jars into a remembrance denoting the Kennewick Lions class of 1998. Placed inside an orange organza bag, which was later filled with black and orange candies, each attendee was given a special take-home gift to remember the reunion by. This idea could also be used for a baby shower or other event, using the desired colors, then fitted in a cellophane gift bag, and tied with a ribbon. So custom and so cute!

Party Favors…These cute little glass jars make a great party favor container to give your guest at your next get-together. Whether it be nuts, colored M&M’s, or some other seasonal candy, putting one of these at each persons place is a fun and inexpensive way to say thank you for coming. For those who are more adventurous, they can even be made into small jelly jars, topped with paraffin. Again, the possibilities are endless, but I’ve shown an Easter example, since that is coming soon.

Plant starter…If you are like me and love to cook with fresh herbs, these glass containers are the perfect size to begin a windowsill herb garden in. Once they sprout and mature somewhat, they can easily be removed and either planted in a larger container or moved outside to a garden space. Get a jumpstart on your herb garden with this clever trick!

Office or vanity storage…While not fancy, these Oui glass jars are certainly nice enough to be used on an office desktop to hold paperclips and rubber bands. Additionally, they could be used on a little girls dresser to corral the myriad of hair scrunchies, clips, and elastic bands that seem to end up everywhere! Again, tied with ribbons to match their room, these could be a cute addition to any girls bath or vanity.

Mini flower vases…These little glass jars are the perfect size for small compact flower arrangements. I can just envision a long run of them going down the length of a table, or even clustered in the middle of a round dining table, interspersed with votive candle holders. Dreamy!

Hanging candleholder...Another clever idea to use the empty Oui jars is to take a wire attached around the top, insert a tealight candle, and hang them around your patio or outside area. I found the ready-made Ball hangers meant for Mason jars. My husband just twisted them to make them a little smaller to fit the Oui jars, and done! The same effect can be achieved by twisting copper or silver wire around the neck of the jar, and creating a loop for hanging. I could envision hanging several of these on trees or patio awnings, creating a beautiful outdoor ambience. Additionally, they could be filled with birdseed to feed our feathered friends.

So, there you have it…everything you ever wanted to know about upcycling old yogurt jars, but were afraid to ask:) Today, I’ve tried to give you some ideas to use empty jars you may have laying around the house. The jars we have were from the Oui yogurt, but I know from when my children were little and all baby food jars were glass, it can be easy to accumulate a stockpile of jars in relatively short order. Hopefully, you can use some of these options, or use them as a springboard for your own creativity. I’d love to hear in the comments what you come up with! When given the option of “reuse or recycle,” it just makes sense to try to figure out ways to upcycle items whenever possible. Oui, Oui!

Good tidings,

Diane