Decorate Organize. August 22nd, 2025

25 DIY Apothecary Jar Ideas and What to Fill Them With

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Apothecary jars may have started out as old pharmacy containers, but today they’re some of the most stylish and adaptable decor pieces you can bring into your home. Their clear glass shape makes them a blank canvas you can fill with everyday essentials, seasonal accents, or decorative displays that change with the mood or occasion. Whether you lean toward farmhouse, modern, or vintage decor, these jars add charm and function without much effort.

Buying apothecary jars can be very expensive due to luxurious decor style associated with them. However, with some smart pieces you can imitate the look for much less. I am sharing some cheap and inexpensive Apothecary Jar ideas today! Simple materials like mason jars, candle holders, glass lids glued together with E6000 will change your game.

Once you have made these glass jars look ravishing, it’s time to fill them and decorate in trays or give as gifts. This is where the other half of this post comes in where I share what to fill in Apothecary Jars for decorative storage!

What is An Apothecary Jar?

An apothecary jar is a decorative, usually lidded, jar that was historically used in pharmacies to store and display medicines, herbs, and other ingredients. Today, they are commonly used for home decor and storage, holding items like spices, candies, or cosmetics.

Get these:

Glass Apothecary Jars

Footed Vase Apothecary Jars

How to make your own apothecary jars?

You don’t need expensive supplies. Take any clear jar, vase, or canister and give it height by attaching it to a candlestick pedestal or vintage rose candle holder with strong adhesive. Spray paint the lid, add a decorative knob, or use glass etching for a custom finish.

DIY Apothecary Jars for Less

A simple learning from all these tutorials shared below is to collect discounted or reasonably priced second hand items from Facebook marketplace, thrift store, vintage store, dollar store or hobby lobby etc.

Materials:

Clear glass apothecary jars (transparent mason jars, crystal containers or canisters)
Strong glue or adhesive (any glue that dries clear, E6000, gorilla glue or epoxy)
Candlestick or candle holder (can be made of glass, wood, metal, plastic)
Airtight lid (optional)
Paint or spray paint (optional)

Instructions:

Paint candle holders and glass apothecary jars (optional)
You can use variety of ideas to glass paint like tinting or spray painting.
Use glue to stick the candle stand to the glass bottle or glass jar.
Let it dry and firm.
Use it to decorate your home spaces.
These are great for organization as well.
They are multipurpose in kitchen and bathroom.

1. DIY Clear Apothecary Jar:

Turn cheap and inexpensive jars into luxury with this simple idea. Make an apothecary jar using a jar with lid and candle holder from a thrift store like Vixen Made.

2. DIY Milk Glass Apothecary Jar

Bored of your transparent glass jars. Revamp them by painting them white with Milk Glass Paint. However, instead of painting the jars from outside for an opaque look you can tint it.

Start by pouring runny modpodge or white glue and flow it around the jar.
Remove excess.
Now pour the paint inside and flow it around in every direction to cover the space.
Pour the excess paint out by letting it dry upside down on a stand to let the extra paint drip.
Beautiful tinted apothecary jars in milk glass white paint are ready for displaying.

3. Tinted Apothecary Bottles

Alternatively, mix modpodge and white paint in 1:1 ratio.
Pour and drip out the excess of solution for a tint. Read more about this process at tinted glass.
Bake in oven at 225°C for 30 minutes. For a lower tint add water to reduce the tone.

I am totally falling for amber apothecary bottles. Some other trendy tints for apothecary bottles are blue, green, gold, and red. Turn them into antique apothecary jars with aged paper and cork lid.

4. Painted Apothecary Jars

Make a cohesive apothecary jar set from clear mason jars.
Glue a knob of your choice on the lid.
Spray paint lids and candle holders. Let it dry and glue the mason jar on pedestal with E6000.
You can also decorate with ribbon and DIY bows.

Mason jar apothecary jars

What Jars Work Best as Apothecary Jars?

Mason jars, vintage candy jars, tall vases, and lidded canisters work well. For the classic look, group jars of different heights and shapes together.

What to put Inside Apothecary Jars?

There are countless ways to fill and style apothecary jars, depending on your space and the season. Some ideas include:

Commonly used by drug stores and pharmacies for pharmaceuticals

Seasonal and Travel

Painted Easter eggs, faux flowers, or greenery for a spring refresh
Travel souvenirs like shells, ticket stubs, postcards, or tiny keepsakes as memory jars
Gratitude notes or handwritten wishes added over time by family members
Marbles, Lego pieces, crayons, or small toys in children’s rooms
Paperclips, binder clips, rubber bands, and push pins for stylish office storage
Craft supplies like beads, ribbons, threads, and buttons for creative organization
Novelty items like Christmas ornaments, rocks, minerals, coin collection, seashells, sea glass and fancy candles

In Guest Bathroom

These jars can be used to hold:

Guest Bathroom supplies like travel size toiletries and face towels rolled up
Cotton balls, cotton swabs, bath salts, soap bars, and hair accessories for bathroom storage.
bath soaps, bath salts, single use wipes and face masks sachets
pouch size creams and lotions, travel size toothpastes and essential oils for freshness
Makeup and cosmetics products like lipsticks, lip balms, eye pencils, eye shadows
Jewelry and accessories organization

In the Kitchen and Pantries:

These are great for dual purpose decoration and organization. Use them for a variety of food items:

Pasta, rice, coffee beans, tea bags, sugar, flour, nuts, and spices for kitchen organization
Pantry dry ingredients
Snack items like cookies and crackers
Cookies, candy, macarons, popcorn, and cupcakes for parties and dessert tables
faux or real citrus fruits
dry food kitchen ingredients like candy and cookies
spice jars or spice canisters
fruits (make sure they receive air)
dried ingredients like baking flour, rice, lentils and pasta
baking ingredients like chocolate chips, sprinkles, sugar and baking powder

At Parties:

Fill them up with variety of items and even add a scooper inside:

Wedding favors, flower petals, or floating candles for special events
Pretzels, chips, cookies and popcorns
candies, jellies, trail mix, dry fruits and chocolates

Nature Gifts

Some varieties of plants and greenery are great for living arrangements in glass jars. These include:

Terrariums with moss, pebbles, air plants, or succulents for a natural accent
Fairy lights, tea candles, or wax beads for warm ambient lighting
Pressed flowers, dried citrus slices, or homemade potpourri for fragrance and color
dried birch, wood, twigs, and pine tree branches
Pine cones, acorns, mini pumpkins, or dried leaves for autumn displays
Seashells, sand, starfish, or coral pieces for a summer or beach-inspired look
decorative stones, painted rocks, and pebbles
twinkle lights (if no watering is required)

25 Creative DIY Apothecary Jars

Looking for a fresh twist on home decor? These 25 apothecary jar ideas are simple, stylish, and full of personality.

Seasonal and Holiday Displays

1. Same Jar Season Display

Superb idea to change the apothecary jar contents to match the Holiday or season theme.

Fall thanksgiving jars with coffee and burlap tags

Valentines day jars

Christmas Holiday Jars

2. Autumn Harvest Jars

Fill with mini pumpkins, dried corn, pine cones, and cinnamon sticks for a cozy fall display.

3. Winter Wonderland Glow

Fill clear jars with frosted faux snow and beautiful cottages for a Christmas snow village scene. Add Christmas trees, reindeer, holiday jingles, and ornaments.

4. Spring Floral Jar

Arrange pastel faux flowers, birch, moss, spring grass and robin’s eggs for a soft seasonal touch.

Insert remote powdered LED lights and candles to complete the look with faux flowers. Here rocks are inserted into a cup of water to help place hyacinth bulbs. These are perfect for blooming in Spring.

Related: 9 ways to make your home cozy.

5. Summer Coastal Vibes

Use sand, shells, and pearls for a breezy beach-inspired centerpiece.

A Gilded Edwardian Garden

Home and Everyday Storage

6. Herbs and Healing Tonics Jar

Store dried herbs, tea varieties, or wellness blends in air-tight see-through jars with stands.

Cindy Devin

7. Coffee Station Jar

Store coffee pods, sugar cubes, cookies, or beans for a stylish kitchen setup.

My Gibson Home

8. Spa and Bath Jars

Display bath bombs, bath salts, or scented soaps for a spa-like bathroom feel.

9. Bathroom Sink Jars

Fill your tall apothecary jars with scented soaps, colored beads sprinkled with essential oil, and bath sponges to match your decor.

Guest bathroom tip: You can also add soaps to these jars and keep the lid open for a scented luxury. How about adding a few drops of essential oil on a foam piece?

10. Bathroom Basic Supplies in Jars

Fill the mercury glass mirror painted Jars with Cotton Products like Q-tips, cotton balls, swabs and round cotton pads for mirror looking sparkling candlesticks.

11. Pantry Staples Jars

Everyday dry food essentials like pasta, macaronis, spaghetti, lentils, flour, and rice. An Italian kitchen style.

Related: Pasta crafts you need to try

12. Citrus Display Jars

Layer fresh, faux or dried orange, lemon, and lime slices for color and fragrance. Substitute it with potpourri mix. You can also use faux fruits like apples, and pears.

13. Laundry Supplies Jars

Store clothespins, pods, scent boosters, or dryer sheets neatly in Ball Cork Lid Jars.

laundry-pods-scents-powder-apothecary-jars

Hampshire Home Trends

Party and Event Decor

14. DIY Candy Jars

Fill them up with jelly beans, sixlets or Easter eggs to match wedding or party theme decor. Keep trail mix, chocolates, or fruit chews handy in a playful, see-through display.

Spray painted apothecary jars

15. Snack Bar Jars

Replace the candy buffet at the reception with savory popcorn flavors.

Related: Best food bars and station

16. Drink Dispenser Apothecary Jar

Slice up some citrus and toss it in to the apothecary jar with ice in this DIY drink dispenser. You can also use it for water or your favorite detoxing beverages.

17. Glow in the Dark Party Jars

Fill the jar with mini ghosts, bats, witches, and candies that glow in the dark, making it a fun and spooky highlight for kids’ parties.

Shop: Creations by Bronte

Creative and Decorative Accents

18. Terrarium Display

Build a moss and succulent fairy garden for a nature-inspired accent like terrarium or display low-maintenance air plants.

Terrarium in Jars

apothecary-jars-succulents-plant-arrangement

Succulents in Jars with decorative pebbles

19. Fresh or Faux Flowers Display

Arrange fresh flowers, faux or dried flowers with fairy lights for a botanical look.

20. Citronella Jar

Mix water with lemon, essential oils, and herbs to repel bugs. Add floating candles for practical summer evening backyard decor aesthetics.

Sugar and Charm

21. Floating Candle Jars

Add pebbles, water, petals, and powdered candle for elegant table lighting.

Creative Living with Priyanka

Personal and Keepsake Ideas

22. Souvenir Keepsake Jar

Collect sand, rocks, shells, ticket stubs and other souvenirs from trips for a personal keepsake.

Shop: Blissful Salutations

23. Memory Jar

Store tiny handwritten notes
Positive uplifting messages to read later
Collect gratitude notes
Add mementos throughout the year and open them on New Year’s Eve.

love-notes-apothecary-jars-just-add-height

AK Crafts

Apothecary jars have a way of turning the simplest things into something magical. From seasonal displays to everyday accents, they make your home feel warm, stylish, and full of charm. All it takes is a little imagination to bring them to life. So go ahead—pick up a jar, start filling, and let your creativity do the rest.