Light Up Your Space With A Unique Piece That Gives Salt Shakers A New Life

Classic salt and pepper shakers have quietly slipped out of style, especially now that we're used to the superior flavor of freshly ground pepper and large-grain salt. But what beauties some of these pairs of glass and metal seasoners are! Pressed or cut with patterns, formed into geometric shapes, fluted, or just square, these minute containers can still add crystalline and metallic flair to your living space. Strung through the screw-on top and hung from above, a collection of underused glass salt and pepper shakers can morph into dangling decorations for a light fixture or clever lighting themselves. Let these beauties liven up an existing ceiling light or repurpose them into unique DIY home decor as faceted suncatchers on a non-functioning light fixture.

Hit flea markets, thrift stores, and estate sales for shakers; any sets of small, clear glass ones are candidates to play a role in this project, but ones with textured or colored glass will give the finished product the most visual appeal. Even metal shakers add a gleam to the display. Gather up an old light fixture that's lost its appeal to employ as a base, along with 20 or 30 shakers and plenty of clear fishing line. A fixture with some sort of open structure for hanging is ideal, whether it has arms with sockets at the ends, or it lost its glass and is nothing but a frame. A working light fixture to ornament with hanging, light-catching glass containers is easiest. But coiling a string of lights fitted with shakers around an otherwise defunct fixture is a clever new use for all of these items.

Repurpose salt and pepper shakers for the most impressive effect by sourcing as many different shapes and designs of containers as you can find. You can also mix in metallic shakers, which will reflect the light similar to a mirror. If you can't source enough vintage or unique shakers for the project, even a large grouping of identical Cooking Concepts Clear Glass Salt and Pepper Shakers from Dollar Tree will be eye-catching. You can always spray paint the lids or use frosted glass spray on the shakers to add some variety.

There are several ways to hang the shakers with clear fishing line. Jewelry crimps and large jump rings are optional for holding the shakers in place by the perforations in the caps with a bit more polish. Hook a jump ring through two of the most central holes in the cap, and use a jewelry crimp to close the loop; then, add a piece of fishing line around the jump ring. However, simply knotting the line through the holes in the caps will suffice if you don't want to buy any extra materials.

Hang the shakers at varying lengths so that no two shakers touch, and attach them to the light fixture at equal distances. Non-wired, old light fixtures can hang virtually anywhere. In front of a window is prime real estate; the sun can catch the detailing on the glass and spread jewels of light around the room. You can also attach the shakers to a working fixture or add string lights to create illumination.