Mason Jar Madness

One of my favorite ways to spend time with my mom is looking through antique stores. Let me correct that- I use the term "antique" loosely- JUNK stores are more our specialty. The scary thing about these stores is that along with seeing things my mom grew up with, we also see things I happen to have in my house (such as wedding china). We both love antique mason (canning) jars. I think I just love the history that comes with old items. My mom has collected them for years, and I was actually stopping to buy some (for my mom) that a farmer in Rhode Island had put out at the roadside for sale. That was when I decided that I wanted some- even though my mom DID get the ones I found for her. Now, when we are in an antique/junk store, its every collector for herself! The artist in me loves the shades of aquas to ceruleans, and of course, the bubbles in the old glass. There is actually a book that lists types and makers of these old jars, so we can get an idea of how old they are and - even though I can't say this with a straight face- how much they are worth. My husband and sons have had fun with this for years. The fact that we will pay $10 for a jar that someone threw away many years ago is amazing to them. I like to put tags on the jars that show where we found them, just because it reminds me of the places we visited and the fun we had that day. I like to justify my obsession for these old jars by using them to hold anything from seashells and beach glass (other little obsessions we will talk about another time) to buttons, corks, candy, whatever! I also paint them often, which in itself is a good reason to have them.

Do you have something you like to collect? I love to hear about other people's favorite things!

Sheryl