How to Turn a Weck Juice Jar into a Hurricane Lantern (+ More!)

The Weck Juice jar’s material, lid, and shape all make for a terrific beverage container: The glass makes it reusable, easy to clean, stain resistant, and is BPA-free. The lid makes it airtight. The shape makes it easy to handle while pouring.

We keep a few of these on hand in the office, and when I'm styling a shoot, I'll often use one as a carafe if I don't happen to have a pretty bottle put in to the shot. But while it might be inherently great for that purpose—its classic shape works with almost any table styling—the Weck Juice Jar also has many uses outside of its name.

Recently, I've found myself using it around the house. The following are three other ways to use the tall Weck Juice Jar (or any vessel shaped the same way) in the kitchen and home.

Flower Vase

The hourglass shape, wide at the bottom narrow at the neck with a subtle flair at the opening, holds flowers in a bouquet shape. This type of vase is one of my favorites, because the vessel does most of the work in creating an easy arrangement.

Pantry Storage

Weck’s airtight lid means these jars are great for storing pantry items. They can hold just about any dry good (pasta, beans, oats, sugar, etc.) and the tulip shape means you can pour the ingredient out easily.

They also bring order, and a little character, to open shelving.

Hurricane Lamp

I often use regular Ball jars as makeshift table lanterns (by inserting a votive into them), and these tall Weck jars can be used the same way if you add a taper candle. Here's how:

Fill your juice jar 1/3 of the way with sand, stick a taper candle down into the sand, light it, and you’ve got a D.I.Y. hurricane lamp. The shape helps keep the candle lit if there’s a breeze.

As the candle burns down, the sand catches any wax drippings—and once it does, the sand and the candle can be poured out together.

Tell us: What are your favorite ways to use Weck jars?

This post was originally published in May 2014.