French Country: Brilliant Ways to Use Bottles and Jars

Some of the least expensive and most beautiful accessories for your home are old bottles and jars.
Their rustic simplicity and practical uses make them perfect for a French Country Farmhouse look.
Easy to find in thrift stores or yard sales, you can often pick them up for a song.

When the light shines through their colored glass, these old bottles come alive, 

sending flashes of light around a room. 

Set them in or near a window where they can catch the changing light throughout the day
and watch the show. 

These muted green bottles are not only pretty, they also have an interesting history. 

I found them at a yard sale; the owner told me she had lived in Asia 

and had found them in a dump. The embossed writing on them looks Japanese. 

I love the shapes and the soft mossy color.

I have two bottles that are actually a window into my own history. 

One is a Shawhan whiskey bottle.
In tracing my genealogy, I discovered one of my ancestors 

on my maternal grandmother's side actually founded the Shawhan Distillery 

and is credited with bringing the bourbon industry to Kentucky.

The paper label, which is hard to find in good condition like this, says Merry Xmas
and Happy New Year and the bottle is imprinted with the words "Shawhan Distillery."

The other bottle is imprinted with the words "Shipley, Wheeling, West Virginia." 

Since my family is originally from Ohio near Wheeling, there's a good chance one of my relatives had something to do with it. I think it probably held some kind of "medicine."

These tiny bottles look sweet in an old window frame, tied with ribbons.

Another type of bottle I love comes snugly wrapped in woven wicker. 

Probably from some sunny place like Italy or Portugal or Spain, 

the warmth of the wicker makes these bottles a popular accessory. 

The large demijohns wrapped in wicker are gorgeous too but a little too pricey for me.
These smaller ones are more affordable and just as pretty.

Of course, the classic is the Mason jar. Used for canning, these teal-colored jars are great for storage in the kitchen, bathroom, or even the home shop. I like to top them with old zinc lids.

Mason jars were invented by a Philadelphia tinsmith named John Mason in 1858.
They were produced by various companies including Ball, Kerr and Atlas.
Most come in either aqua or clear glass. These have wire-bail lids.

Old coffee jars are handy to hold flour and sugar on the kitchen counter.

Bottles and jars make a perfect vase for a simple bouquet or to hold a candle. 

Fill half of the jar with sand and nestle a candle into it.

Whether it's a fancy demijohn or a humble jelly jar, 

bottles and jars are simply brilliant!

***

If you enjoyed your visit, I hope you'll follow me by email.

Just subscribe (it's FREE) in the upper right column of this page.

Thank you!

***

Linking with: 

The Dedicated House, Rustic and Refined, Dwellings, Between Naps on the Porch,

Coastal Charm, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, Savvy Southern Style,

A Delightsome Life, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson, The Vintage Nest,

Peonies and Orange Blossoms, Adirondack Gal at Heart, Rooted in Thyme, 

Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage