Don't Toss Old Jar Lids When You Could Reuse Them For Cute Garden Decor

All too often, when organizing your kitchen, you'll find a drawer of mysterious lids from jars that have long since broken or been lost. The lids and bands from missing mason jars don't have to go in the garbage or recycling, though. You can instead turn this trash into garden treasure. Consider using the lids and bands to make a quirky and rustic wind chime. 

While you could create a wind chime by simply tying one end of a set of strings through mason jar bands and tying the other end of the strings to a stick or dowel, you can make a far more colorful and elaborate chime as well. For this, you'll need paint, some dried and pressed flowers, and pieces of clear plastic or contact paper. You can scavenge your recyclable bin for the plastic, as old clamshell containers for berries or salads are perfect for this. The clear plastic lids many take-out restaurants use would also work well. You'll also need some glue and, of course, the dowel or stick to tie everything to.

Begin by tracing your jar rings to make circles on the plastic or contact paper, then cut them out. You can either glue your pressed flowers onto the circles or simply sandwich them between the sticky sides of two pieces of the contact paper. If you want, you can paint your lid rings now and let them dry. Now, tie your string or ribbon to the jar rings and then glue the plastic circles into the center of the rings. Next, tie the other ends of the strings or ribbons onto your branch, and then you just have to find the perfect spot to hang your beautiful garden art piece. As for the flat, circular part of the jar lid, it can be hung along with the decorative chimes by drilling a hole.

While it's up to you what preserved and pressed flowers to use, some do dry better than others. Some of the best options are pansies, carnation petals, and even fern fronds. These gorgeous wind chimes are perfect for pairing with other cute DIY garden decor.