Reuse Mason Jars To Create A Cute, Refreshing Centerpiece To Welcome Summer

Theoretically, all organic centerpieces — with their vibrant colors and delicious fragrances — should refresh the table and the senses. And if you make a centerpiece fitting this description and manage to reuse a couple of old Mason jars filled with real seasonal fruits and candles in the process, then you've taken the decoration out of the realm of the theoretical and placed it squarely on your table for all to enjoy. It's truly a delicious sight and one of many DIY Mason jar centerpieces that will wow guests.

This centerpiece makes good sense if you like to decorate with fruit in your home. As most die-hard foodies will tell you, one of the appeals of fresh, seasonal fruits, besides taste, is just how easy they are on the eyes — tangerines as orange as poppy flowers, limes as green as a summer meadow, and strawberries as red as the deepest sunset. Fruit rivals the color and scent of flowers, while offering the DIY home decorator the chance to work with something beyond blossoms in a centerpiece. Once you decide which fruits you'll use, you'll need enough to fill each Mason jar with slices. Depending on the size of the fruit, one or two pieces per jar should be enough.

As for the Mason jars, you'll use at least three for this project (they don't need lids). You'll also need 3-inch floating candles from Tuyai. A quality knife, cutting board and a little water finishes this project off for you.

Mason jars play such an integral part in food history, and using thrifted glass jars as candle holders allows you to bring a bit of that history to your table. While you can use newer Mason jars for this centerpiece, pulling out vintage versions lends an interesting take on the project. Many older jars have a blue tint to them, and even if you don't have three vintage Mason jars, you could use one or two of them in a group to add interest to the design.

You'll want to slice fruit a little thicker than usual to best show off their stunning colors and beautiful patterns. Thicker pieces also stack better in the jar. Additionally, you're not limited to citrus fruits for this project. Consider sliced apples, for example. When you cut them horizontally instead of vertically, you reveal a starburst shape in the center of the fruit, formed by the configuration of seeds in the core. Another option, if you're wary of using real fruit for the arrangement, is to tap the vibrantly colored faux fruit slices from Juexica.

Once the fruit is sliced, drop them into the Mason jars, filling each with water. You may have to use a fork or chopsticks to move them around so they look more display-ready. Finally, top each jar with a floating votive candle, lighting them up come party time. It's an unusual and beautiful way to decorate your home with candles.