Decor-in-a-jar — by Guest Mom Cathe Holden

If you stand still in my house long enough, you're likely to get pickled.

I pickle most everything, sans the vinegar. Placing virtually any non-food objects in jars creates instant decor. Walking through my house the other day I noticed that I actually have more glass encased stuff than I would have ever guessed. I think of it as 3-dimensional framing.



Simple glass canisters make the best displays. In one I have a nest found abandoned in my father-in-law’s Sonoma vineyard by my kids while picking grapes. In another, cotton picked by my grandfather when he was young. Beads, buttons, nature finds, miscellaneous craft scraps and vintage game pieces fill other jars or bottles. I’ve a candy jar that holds a chubby little wooden horse carved and painted by my dad a few years ago and a large apothecary jar filled with potpourri and old book pages. One of my favorites is a little mason jar that holds a collection of unique rocks from camping trips that my children, as a tradition, find just for me.