Stud oranges with cloves, add cinnamon sticks, dried apple peel and dried sweetgum tree fruits (those little star-shaped balls).

Or driftwood, seashells and starfish on a bed of sea glass or colored stones.

I know of these jars, I saw them and lusted after them, but my son talked me out of buying them. Smart kid, actually.

A good trick is to take a clear glass or vase, some cylinder, and put it inside the large jar. Then put your decorative stuff around that vase on the outside, between the glass. You don't need nearly as much stuff that way.

There's some great ideas! I'd never thought of putting something in the middle of them, so that I don't have to have as much of the good stuff.

Thanks all!

---Boxie

If you can afford a couple bags of rice (the cheap kind),a bottle of yellow food color, empty rice in a bowl, 1-2 drops of yellow food coloring, toss with gloved hands to prevent staining. If it is not yellowish orange by now, add another drop. Continue until you get it a bright orangish yellow color.

Buy one of those big bags of cinnamon "hot" candy for one of them at discount grocer.

Fill another with green artificial fruit, apples/pears.

Air popped corn would fill a large space very cheaply and amusingly... not a long term solution but enough to be going on with maybe.

How about keeping your dry cereal in them, things you use and replenish on an
on-going basis. Are your jars the ones with glass tops and a large opening with a glass cover ?

I keep my laundry detergent in one of those in the laundry room, I put a metal half cup measure in it, the jar holds a big box of detergent.

I filled one of mine with dried split peas. Split peas are a nice spring green color and bags of beans are super cheap!

For the layered look mentioned above, I bought beans and peas inexpensively at a Middle Eastern grocery store. Also, I saw a barrel full of wine bottle corks for sale (15 for $1) at the flea market.

Marbles. I have gold/clear and silver/clear large(about 1 inch in diameter) marbles in one of my jars and it looks great! In the others, I have dried oranges and artichokes, that I bought at Michael's. That looks great in them also.

More great ideas! I especially like the idea of the marbles and I'll check into that!

Thanks again y'all!

I have sea shells in one, corks in another. Everyone knows I collect corks, so many friends save them for me:) Target sells stuff in their candle section to fill the jars with too.

Some inspiration:
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http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f400/kmcg85/miscellaneous/0504-5-6.jpg

One more:
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Pine cones! I have plenty of those with 40 pine trees - and that's just in the front yard. Why didn't I think of that?

OK, so far, 2 of the 3 have been spoken for. One is going marbles - if I can find enough of them without spending our entire savings account ;-) and one is going for pine cones.

I'm still on the prowel for filling the 3rd one.

In all of them - except the pine cones since I have such an abundant supply of them - I am going to do the glass jar inside the jar trick.

With so many great ideas, I may have to change them out on occasion!

Thank you,
Boxie

I've seen this stuff called "vase fillers," if you're still looking. There are lots of online sources for buying seashells by the pound. I know Jamali Garden sells big bags of mixed shells as well as all white shells, which would be pretty. They also sell pebbles and stones by the bag. If you already are doing pinecones in one, what about acorns, and those spiky balls from gum trees?

I've always wanted to fill those big jars with things like Crayola crayons and Legos and yellow No. 2 pencils and colorful rubber balls and things like that, for our kid-friendly rooms. That would look cute with the marbles, too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jamali Garden

GREAT link, Amanda! Thank you! I really like the green sea urchins alot!

This might sound weird, but for the dining room I've filled mine with brightly colored balls of pumpkin-orange wool roving, which I buy at the NYS sheep and wool festival. Lots of states have the these festivals and they're a feast for the eyes, with vendors selling hand-dyed yarns and more creative things than you can imagine. You could use balls of yarn if the colors are really great. Or how about miniature pumpkins in the fall? In the winter I've used a few chains of inexpensive red wooden beads, looking kind of like cranberries. I also like the dried lemons, and they store forever.

Are they footed? If the jars are stable enough, why not actually use them for storage? Tea bags, cereal, snacks. I think just random decorative things in a kitchen end up being an irritant, rather than a joy.

SO that's what they're called. I acutally bought a small one and planned on using it in my bathroom for cotton balls. Doesn't really help you out for your kitchen though.

Anyone have pics of these actually displayed at your house? The inspiration pics are great ut it doesn't show them in the full setting.

I found this pic when someone here was staging their bath.... I LOVE this for a bathroom, pratical and beautiful, and wonderful smelling to boot!!

I have a tall one in a bathroom. I mixed epsom salt with a small amount of dried lavendar buds (just enough to add a touch of color and interest). That was cheap and it looks pretty.

It might be possible to translate that to the kitchen, using the large kosher salt or pickling salt or just faking it with epsom if it is cheaper. You could then mix in some kind of dried herb - maybe some rosemary?

Silk floral picks are another geeat and cheap filler. The insp. picture above shows some filled with a tall spike of lavendar or any silk pick. I've also seen them with pebbles and faux flower picks! Pretty!

Or you can even use fake rubber grapes like I did! The possibilities are endless!

Here is a link that might be useful:

Another thing you could do is turn the top upside down and use the top for fresh flowers and fill the bottom with the "innerds". The top holds water and you just arrange the flowers in the handle portion. My sister does this alot with shells on the bottom and flowers on the top. At Christmas we fill ours with that fake snow and put pinecones and ornaments and then on the top some more flowers. This spring I can imagine she has spikes of forsythia with easter eggs in the bottom!!
I also have a tassel that I hung from the spike of the lid.
I enjoy my apothecary jar!!

I have a tall footed apothecary jar that sits in the guest 1/2 bathroom (pedestal sink and toilet) filled with rolls of toilet tissue. I saw the idea in a magazine and thought it perfect for those small guest bathrooms that have no storage.

You have gotten lots of great ideas. One thing that I wanted to mention is that if you are using the three jars together, I would be sure that the items in them are somehow related.

For example, in the kitchen one could have lemons, one have layers of yellow and green and white beans, and the third be filled with moss and stones on the bottom couple inches, and then have daffodils inside. That way there is a color connection between them.

With the pinecones in one, another jar could have moss balls and the third have a mini ferns for a terrarium effect - all things you would find on the forest floor.

I think the grouping is more appealing if it seems to tell a story or express some connection, rather than being three jars of 'stuff' that was put in just to fill them.

I forgot about this idea, i have containers that are filled with different kinds of nuts, layer of walnuts, pecans, etc. I also have a jar filled with tricolored fancy pasta. Pasta is cheap:)

I tend to gravitate towards nature/natural things with which to decorate/accessorize anything from walls to tabletops.

Clear jars with lids, not all apothecary jars, have small glass mosaic pieces in coordinating colors, moss, and mostly rock.

Polished stones, pebbles, river rock -- in each jar I make sure the colors are similar.

In the dining room I have a large lidded jar with charcoal and dark, dark grey polished stones--goes with the colors in the room.

In the kitchen I have polished stones in the colors pictured below.

In our remodeled bathroom (whenever that gets finished) I'll have brown/taupe/tan stones in a nice apothecary jar I got at a yard sale for $2.

In each case I make sure I place the jar just under or beside a light source --small lamp or candle.
When the light shines on the stones at night, I love the effect it gives.

Thank you all who've posted ideas as now I've got more options for some of my other, right now empty, jars!

My mom has filled a large candy dish w/lid that was her mother's with all of her mom's costume jewelry. Neither of us wear that kind of jewelry, and this actually keeps it cleaner than our other options and allows us to display it.

It takes a bit of patience to wrangle the more special pieces into the position you want, but I really like the way it turned out.

I posted earlier in the thread about my marbles and dried organges and artichokes. Here's some pics--can't get first one rotated or sized correctly for some reason:

Hmmm... what you can stuff them with that's cheap?

Styrofoam peanuts.

:D

Here, I mocked up a special picture for you. Can you imagine the expressions on your friends' faces?

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Face it, you're tempted, aren't you?

I have an enormous glass pumpkin-shaped jar. It's filled with large colored pasta shells. They look to be spinach, tomato and regular. You could probably tint the plain ones with food color to get the same effect. The lid was tied with a raffia bow years ago--long gone now.

Do you have boys? You could stuff them with a treasure map, and pirates gold coins and jewels.

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In a bathroom, cotton balls, q-tips, soaps and hair ribbons.

You can doll them up with eggs at Easter and here's a Halloween idea:

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Fill them with food-colored water. Or potpourri, florist marbles, flavored popcorn, dried flowers, dandelion seed heads, greenery, pretty scarves or napkins, beads, candles, pencils, dried corn cobs, small gourds, yarn balls or buttons. You can float votives or fresh flowers in water. Or line the jars with pretty fabric and then you can keep things in there nobody can see.

I have lots of clear jars in my kitchen and they're filled with beans, pasta, tea bags, breadsticks, cereal, candy, sprouting seeds, doggy treats, you name it. They get heavy use. Stroll down the candy aisle at Costco. Or pick up shells, sand dollars, beach glass and starfish at the beach -- the kids can go on a treasure hunt.

And finally, here is an authentic apothecary jar from c. 1880 that could be quite a conversation piece for you when your mother-in-law or minister are visiting...

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I too also tend to lean towards things that are natural and are indigenious to the area. For instance in my mom's bedroom we filled hers with different types of moss (which other posters have already mentioned). One of her jars is filled with Spanish Moss b/c she lives along a bayou filled with Cypress trees covered in Spanish Moss and this brings that element inside. (also FREE!)

However, I do like to change things up with the seasons (if time and life allow). Like at Halloween I love to see candy corn in a jar, then maybe black licorice sticks in another, jelly beans at Easter or eggs, or just different colors of Easter grass in each, etc. Glass balls from the Christmas tree at Christmas to continue the holiday flow into the kitchen. Mardi Gras is of course big here so purple, green, and gold beads (or dubloons) in each one are another thing that I do. I also love the idea of the erasers, pencils, etc. at the start of school.

For those who are of other faiths, these same ideas can be applied as well to celebrate important holidays.

Another favorite of mine is coffee beans. This can also get expensive, just remember you don't have to fill them to the top and using varying heights in each is pleasant to the eye.

Oceanna, you are a hoot, LOL! That second picture, I thought oh no, did the setting fall out of my ring? bwahahaha Just kidding!! If only that were true!

LOL! N2cookin, did you like the styrofoam peanuts filling in the picture above? I was crushed that nobody seemed to like it.

I'll betcha' a huge apothecary jar filled with those gigantic jewels would be an attention getter, no? Why be predictable all the time, fer heaven's sake? Anyone can do that!

I now have a big pile of huge red plastic jewels left over from working on my current stained glass window. What should I do with them? (keep it clean, please!)

Sell them as rubies, of course! Glue them to your shoes and have your very own glass slipper? I'm waiting until next Easter to use the packing peanuts as they look to be more of an Easter color! We don't call them packing peanuts here though, they are affectionally known as "ghost pharts".

Oceanna~ROFLMAO!!! My brother (the human vacuum) would probably try to eat them.

As for the "cocaine jar", too darned funny.

n2cookin~What a hoot, about the name! I love the ruby slippers idea too. How appropriate, since "there's no place like home" is a sentiment I'm sure most of us share.

What about circus peanuts, real peanuts in the shell and boxes of animal crackers? Keeping with les' idea that they should all relate somehow?

oceanna the cocaine jar is a great find. I wonder if it used to be in a doctor's or dentist office. At my dentist they had a coffee table book that was a collection of dental reminder cards and old advertisements and there were so many that advertised they used cocaine for painless tooth extraction.

N2cookin and Prairiegirl -- hahaha! Ghost pharts? Styrofoam peanuts are "natural and indigenous" to my house, I think. Clingy little rascals, aren't they? Prairie, you noticed they look a lot like mints in those fancy jars?

I'm trying to imagine my Crocs adorned in red jewels. Might could work. It certainly would sort the snooty people and the fun people out of a crowd quickly, wouldn't it? Sort of an advanced people filter.

Lyfia, you could be right.

What was laudunum? It was pretty popular back then too.

How about filling up a large apothecary jar with flour and putting a classy label on it that says "Cocaine?" Isn't that what Matt and Shari called "the unexpected?" Use a really nice script in gold for the lettering and see how long it would be till someone notices. Les said all the jars should relate, so what would you put in the other two?

I love the look of all these jars! But, if they were used daily in my home, they'd be toast. I'm married to a tornado! It's hard for me to have the fancy frou-frou things I'd love to have. I own a husband! He's worse than any kid.

I had to look it up, laudanum is an alcoholic tincture of opium. That and a beautiful emerald green absinthe would be just the ticket, for that ole down on the pharm black magic feelin'.

Seeing all these great suggestions I want to change mine up now! Here are mine as they are now....

I don't remember where I got this but I loved the idea!

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Pat_Tea/abookbox5rw7.jpg[/IMG]

Prairiegirl -- down on the pharm -- lol! There was a time when our government would not have dreamed of trying to come between an individual's pursuit of personal pain relief, never mind happiness. Instead of learning more and empowering more, we've gone quite backwards and we all suffer for it sooner or later. I'll raise my glass of water to you tonight and imagine us down on the pharm together.

Trying again!

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Pat_Tea/?action=view¤t=abookbox5rw7.jpg

pat tea - that looks neat!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

I love those ideas. I just bought 3 large apothecary jars today...wonder if it's the same set...from Costco? Anyway, I think I'll do small brown and tan pebbles in the bottom and stick some pussy willow in to look like it's growing.

I have quail's eggs I want to use in one of them too but think I need to have something else in there or it'll be too bare...don't have enough of the eggs.

Thanks for the ideas, ladies!

You and I are thinking about the same subject. I've seen some lovely displays in these type jars..I'm looking for ideas to display in those that I intend to buy as a gift to myself. I want to display stuff to add color on my buffet/server piece of furniture. One can always change the items, according to the different seasons. Right now I'm thinking of bright Xmas Balls. Check out some of the decorating blogs and get some other ideas. My cousin had a very large one much like the one displayed in some of the posted pictures shown. She said she got hers from HomeGoods..