Mad Genius Moment: Apothecary Jars

Apothecary Jars.

Have you heard?  They are all the rage.  I'm not sure who thought of using them lately, first.

(Is that a correct usage of lately and first?  The English major in me says no.)

That is to say, Apothecary Jars were obviously used in apothecaries first.

Someone reintroduced them to the vintage-crazed decorating world.  (Lately, first.)

I'm not sure who that first someone was, but Pottery Barn stole their idea,

splashed them here and there upon their hallowed pages,

and the rage began.

I didn't know about the rage, until I stumbled upon a blog called Nesting Place.  It is a beautiful blog, with such good ideas and tips for making a beautiful nest for your family.
The Nester showed off these one day, and I was hooked.

I loved them.  I had to have them.  Lots of them.  As many as the Nester.
But I didn't want to spend much money on them.
So I didn't order any from Pottery Barn.


This is what I do when I have one of those I-love-it-I-have-to-have-it moments.
I think, "How much do I have to spend on this type of thing?"
Then I go to Target.  If I can't find it at Target at that price, I just put that idea in a special file
inside my head.
Then if I ever see it for the price I'm willing to pay, I go for it.
Because good things come to those who wait.
(Sometimes good things come to those who jump up and do something about it themselves, too....but that part comes later.)

In early December, I was shopping at my favorite grocery store, Aldi.
You never know what you will find at Aldi.
I found my first apothecary jar.
For just the right price.
*$5.95
(*that's not an exact number.  I just remember that it wasn't more than $6.)


For Christmas, I filled it with shiny, red glass balls.  It looked lovely.
So lovely that I left it that way until yesterday.
Yesterday I filled it with something more suitable for the current season.
(Thanks for the inspiration, Sarah on Clover Lane!)

While I was getting the marshmallows at--where else?--Target, I went looking and found
one little, tiny apothecary jar.
Cute, and just the right price.  (Less than $5.)

It made me want more.  Lots, lots more.  I now possessed big and little, I needed sizes in between!

Ahem.  I interrupt this discourse to announce that, hereafter, I will refer to 
Apothecary Jars as AJs.
That's all, thank you.


So, while Endeavor was at ballet class yesterday, I visited the local thrift shop.
Goodwill.
Just saying the name makes me feel good.  Willingly good. And frugal.

Goodwill had no AJs.  None.
But they did have some cute glass jars with lids that I wished were AJs.
They also had glass candlestick holders.
A Mad Genius Moment!  Right there!  In Goodwill!
I realized that if I could glue the glass candlestick holders to the lidded glass jars,
I could make my own APOTHECARY JARS!!!


I don't experience many Moments of Mad Genius, so when I do, it's like Tom Hanks building his first fire on the Castaway Island.  I got crazy excited, right there in the housewares section of Goodwill.

So, I brought these lovelies home.  (Along with some others, not pictured.)

As of tonight, I have an Apothecary Jar collection.
I'm a collector, now!  Of something other than medical bills and dust bunnies!

Click here to go to my AJ tutorial.