I do a lot of canning and jam/jelly making and always end up with used lids. They can't be reused for canning since used ones don't seal. I have hundreds of them and just can't just throw them away. I've already used many for storage but still have lots left over. Any ideas, crafts or otherwise, are appreciated.
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You can punch/drill a small hole on two sides and spray paint them , then string them together for garlands to trim outdoor trees and bushes for Christmas. Or string them in groups of 3-5-7 to hang down from the branches.
"Mixes in a jar" are a great gift idea...many recipes on the net...if that is something you'd do, those saved lids would work great for that since the mixes in a jar don't require a new (vacuum) seal.
Your local girl scout council would LOVE to have them if you don't have a need for them. They make all sorts of crafts from lids.
Karen,
I agree with Luvyabye. I have reused canning lids many, many times. First I carefully look at the lids. If they are bent or are rusty or damaged on the underside or if there is some of the rubber missing they are thrown out. But otherwise, I wash them and then I place them in a pot of boiling water and boil them for about 10 minutes. The rubber bounces back and looks like a brand new lid. I have recanned with the lids for years and years and have had nearly 100% recanning ability by using the used-once-before lids.
Try it on something like jam where the batch is small and can be stored in the fridge if you find that your lids do not reseal. I've never had a problem.
I take the old lids that definitely cannot be used again and store my empty jars with those "bad" lids on them, on the shelves in the pantry. (I do not place any rings on the jars though because if it ever gets damp, then the rings can rust onto the jar and then there is a problem to get the ring off the jar later.) With a lid on the jar, no dust can get into the jars and the jars stay cleaner for future use.
I use the canning lid rims for my grand babies; I tie them together with a strong ribbon; they play with them for hours; the lid rims clang together and also make good teething rims; I disinfect them after the baby plays with them.
You can use them for educational games. Glue capital letters on some and the small letters on others, have the children match them up, or do the same with adult animals and babies. Things that go together, you get the idea.
Karen, If you can find no use for them I will gladly take them off your hands, I make magnets (hand lettered), to supplement my disability cheque and am always in need of canning lids or orange juice (frozen type lids).
Louiecat - Canada
I made olympic gold medals out of them for a party at church. I don't like to throw them away either, but really haven't thought of a more useful idea than this. Just let it go, it's OK.
I made Christmas ornaments out of the lids one year. Most of them I made-up different snowflake patterns and put on the top with permanent marker (Dots for the pattern as in tin punch) Then I took a hammer and nail or ice pick and punched the design on them. You could also punch designs such as Christmas trees, crosses, etc.
I used lids from cans I cut off veggie cans..they were white on one side and metal color on the other. You can make snowmen out of them...paint and make ornaments...tin punch a design and make ornaments....decoupage things on and make ornaments..use in scrapbooking ect. If you would email me I can show you a pic of a can lid that is a snowman's head.
I would ask your local elementary school if they would like them - I bet the kids would make some type of craft with them.
What great ideas!!! I was going to say (and still am...lol) the same thing as Louiecat said....magnets. All kinds of magnets!!! I'd probably print photos of family and friends from my computer and put them on the lids as refrigerator magnets.
The rings of the lids are reusable if not bent. It's the flats you usually have to replace. But, I have used some flats over that looked in good shape. And they worked just fine. Just inspect the flats closely.
Thanx all for the great suggestions. Now to get started creating.
You can hang them from a string around your garden. Shiny things, like these lids, or old AOL cds, scare birds away.
Hi, do a lot of canning also and have bunches of used lids in a box along with some rims that are fine on the outside but have rust spots on the inside.
For fun, I made some mobiles/windchimes out of them. Just strung them on different lengths of sturdy string or thin wire. A friend of mine has a girl scout troop, and I gave her most of mine so the girls could create there own. But now, the box is slowly filling up again! I think I will try spray painting them(lids and rims)all different colours and make rainbow windchimes.
If you are someone who does cross stitch -- take a sizeable piece of the Aida count frabric you like best and draw circles with the size of the outside of the lid. Go to any craft store and find a book with small items that you can needle craft to that size ring and then glue the finished work onto the lid and make it full of whatever you like, candy, small toys, bath beads, etc. Whatever fits in the jar. Tie a ribbon and attach a card -- instant gift and you can always have one ready on short notice. These are so fun to do. I have done so many different types of cross stitch animals and just "Happy Birthday or Anniversary or new baby" The used lids are a perfect fit for the cloth and dress up any jar as an all occassion gift. I love to shop for the bath beads most of all because they come in so many different shapes and scents. Now I am going to start giving some potporri candles - they fit and smell wonderful.
Just thought I'd give you one more great idea that I didn't see already listed.
Hello fellow member's like me you have or access to a vacuum food sealer and the lids we're removed carefully. I put a mark on them for identification to me that they have been used and then I use then to seal quarts or pints jars, oyster crackers jelly beans yada yada yada. The one thing I do is open a large can of coffee and fill quart jars or smaller if you need after filling my everyday container which is a smaller version of my brand. Then when I need a fill-up of fresh coffee for the weeks to come I open a quart and " ppchhh "-fresh. I do like all of the tips for reuse of the lids, but I'll give it 6 months before I start crafting again, La La La it's spring : ) : )
I make beautiful Christmas family picture ornaments.Here are some of the things you will need.
1# Make copies of favorite family photo's
2# Use primer and paints(primer causes paint to stay on flat tops)and glitter if desired.
3# you will need flat tops, glue a nail, hammer, ribbon, or yarn, small pieces of pine and any decorative things you can think of.
Make hole near top of flat top using nail and hammer WATCH YOUR FINGERS! Paint top with primer let dry preferably overnight. Choose paint colors and paint (day after priming) flat tops.
Glue glitter (after paint is dry ) and apply to tops.
Take a glass and trace the bottom of it so you will have circle to use as your pattern. Cut out pictures using guide and paste onto center of flat top.
Place some pine or candy canes around rim of picture or better yet be creative and use your imagination.
Place ribbon through hole and hang ornament onto tree.
It's easy and fun and children love to do this craft with an adult. Hope you try it and recycle the old flat tops
There are so many types of paints you can use such as silver spray paint, metallic. I also tape off the the tops into grid patterns and so on and spray paint over them, then pull tape. I enjoy making them for friends and selling a variety of flat top ornaments at the craft fair near my home town.
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