
Sweet Second Life: Even more creative ideas to Upcycle Your Bonne Maman Mini Jam Jars
The Bonne Maman Jam Advent Calendar brings so much joy during the holiday season, but the fun doesn’t have to stop once the last jar is opened! Last year, we shared Five Fun Ways to Upcycle Your Bonne Maman Mini Jars, and your creative feedback was so inspiring that we couldn’t resist coming up with a few more ideas. These little jars are perfect for DIY enthusiasts, offering endless possibilities to transform them into something beautiful or practical. From charming candleholders to mini planters, let’s explore even more ways to give these adorable jars a second life!
Winter Centrepiece
Materials Needed
- A Bonne Maman mini jar (left over from your Bonne Maman Advent Calendar)
- A small wooden tree slice (or other small tray)
- Natural elements: fir branches, pinecones, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, dried berries
- A thin candle (1.2 cm diameter)
- White acrylic paint
- Gold metallic paint
- A flat paintbrush
- A hot glue gun
- A craft knife (or drill with bit the same diameter as your candle)
- A pair of scissors
Steps
Step 1: Paint the empty Bonne Maman jar with one or two coats of white acrylic paint. Let it dry completely.
Step 2: Using the flat brush, delicately add small golden strokes here and there to create a vintage, patina effect. Allow it to dry.
Step 3: On the center of the jar lid, carefully cut a cross using the craft knife or drill a hole
Step 4: Flip the lid over and fold each of the small triangular flaps inward.
Step 5: Secure the Bonne Maman mini jar lid back onto the jar, then insert the candle into the opening. Attach the candleholder to the wooden slice using hot glue.
Step 6: Close up the Bonne Maman jar with its lid and complete your charming handmade centerpiece with the candle in place.
Enjoy this cozy, nature-inspired DIY project—perfect for brightening up your space with a warm, festive glow!
Tiny Jar Candle Wonders
Materials Needed
- 1 oz Bonne Maman Mini Jars
- Soy Wax Flakes
- Fragrance Oils (we used Orange and Peppermint)
- Candle Dye
- Pre-Waxed Candle Wicks
Steps
Prepare Jars: Place the wicks in the bottom of your jars, ensuring that they are taller than the top of the jar, they can be trimmed shorter after the candles have cooled. If your wicks need to be affixed to the bottom of your jar, you can use a glue gun with a high-temperature glue.
Measure Wax: Weigh wax in ounces equal to 2/3 times the number of 1 oz candles you wish to make. For instance, If you’re making (12) 1 oz candles, you will need approximately 8 oz (or 224 grams) of wax flakes.
Melt Wax: In a microwave-safe glass measuring cup, heat the wax on high in 30 second increments until it melts completely and reaches a temperature of at least 180ºF.
Add Dye: Once your wax is melted, add dye in small amounts until it reaches the desired color. Candles are opaque when the wax is cool; candles will be lighter in color than melted wax.
Add Fragrance: Ensuring that your wax is above 175ºF, add up to 30 drops of fragrance oil per cup of melted wax. If using 2 or more different fragrances, the particular ratio of one fragrance to another will differ based on personal preference and the strength of the scents.
Pour Wax: Pour equal amounts of melted wax into prepared jars and allow to set until cool and solidified.
A fun DIY project to do and lovely jar candles to enjoy for yourself or give as gifts.
Decorative Christmas Bell Ornaments
Materials Needed
- Bonne Maman mini jars
- White spray paint
- Wooden beads
- Linen twine
- Metallic gold paper
- Glitter paper
- Gold lurex thread
- Star confetti
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun
- Awl (or a nail and hammer)
Steps
Step 1: Open the Bonne Maman jars and spray-paint the glass jars white. Use the awl to carefully pierce the center of each jar lid.
Step 2: Cut a 20cm piece of twine and tie a knot at one end. Thread a wooden bead onto the twine and tie another knot to secure it. Add a second bead (of a different size), then tie another knot. Form a loop with the remaining twine to create a hanging attachment.
Step 3: Insert the hanging attachment through the hole in the Bonne Maman lid and secure it in place with hot glue.
Step 4: Decorate the jars to create three unique bells:
- Bell 1: Cut a strip of metallic gold paper (1cm) and another of glitter paper (6mm). Glue them together and attach them around the threads of the Bonne Maman jar. Paint some wooden beads white, alternating colors, and string three beads onto a piece of twine to form tassels. Make three tassels, tie them together, and glue the knot to the inside bottom of the jar.
- Bell 2: Thread 20 small wooden beads onto a piece of twine, alternating every third bead in white, to create a “necklace.” Tie this around the jar threads. Cut strips of glitter and gold paper and glue them to the ends of four 10cm pieces of twine. Slide a white bead over the twine with the paper strips and knot them together. Glue this tassel bundle to the inside bottom of the jar.
- Bell 3: As with Bell 2, create a bead “necklace” and tie it around the jar threads. Make a golden pompom using lurex thread, tie it to a piece of twine, and glue it to the inside of the jar. Finish by gluing glittery stars to the outside of the Bonne Maman jar.
Your DIY decorative Christmas bells are now ready to hang on your beautiful tree!
These wonderful DIY projects were developed by Bonne Maman. I've used their instructions and beautiful photography for this Blog post.
Find five more upcycle ideas for your Bonne Maman mini jars in our other Blog article - click here.
And if you want to make sure you know exactly when the 2025 Bonne Maman Advent Calendar becomes available for pre-order in July leave us your email address and we'll shoot you a reminder:
We'd love to hear your ideas - share them in the comments section!
Tamara
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