If you skipped spring cleaning and are now looking at some much needed summer cleaning, these whimsical DIY animal jar tops may get you excited to organize! This project uses the little plastic animals you can find at toy or craft stores. I used plastic domestic cats, but there is a wide variety of wild and friendly animals from which to choose. You can upcycle old jam jars, olive jars, etc. that you may have lounging around or buy new mason jars from the store. I keep everything, including old jars, for just-in-case moments like this. Call me a hoarder or call me a hoarder on a mission!
Use your decorative and functional jars in the kitchen for your dry goods, in the bathroom for your cosmetics and cotton balls, or try them in a kid's room for crayons or a craft's room for organizing your supplies...the possibilities are endless!
Prep It:
* White spray paint primer
* Spray paint in the color(s) of your choice
* Matte finish spray paint - optional if you want a matte look like we did, or you could go with glossy, satin or flat spray paint
* Glass jars with flat lids - I had a variety of old olive, jam and sauerkraut jars
* Mini plastic cats or whatever animal you like! (we found ours at the craft store)
* Glass, Metal and More Glue or another strong glue that will adhere plastic to metal
Do It:
1. Soak the jars in a bowl with warm water and dish soap until the labels start to fall off - use your fingernails to scrape off any remaining glue and paper.
2. On a protective surface outdoors, spray paint the jar tops and plastic animals with white primer (one coat should cover it, but feel free to apply a second coat if it's not fully white) -- and make sure to get under their chins and tails!
3. Wait for the primer to dry, then spray paint the jar top and animals you want to pair together the same color (two coats should do it).
4. Once dry, spray the matte top coat and let dry.
5. Add a small amount of glue to the bottom of the animal, and firmly press it onto the top of the jar lid. Repeat with all your animals and lids, and let dry for an hour or two.
6. Fill your jars with whatever you want!
Visit our website http://www.mrkate.com/ for more fun ideas!