My kiddos actually head back to school the end of this week! I know! This mason jar desk organizer will make a perfect back to school teacher gift this year. A couple of jars turn into a desk organizer for teacher or for YOU! Add this project to your must make list. Be sure to pick the colors that will coordinate with your home decor if you are keeping this one. Y’all organization in mason jars is my favorite type of organizing. But you are not surprised right? This post is a part of my design team status with DecoArt and I am compensated for my participation. However all projects and opinions are my own.
Supplies for this mason jar desk organizer:
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- Pine Wood Serving Tray
(the smallest one out of this set of three fits two pint mason jars perfectly)
- Pint mason jar or recycled jars (you need ones with at least one side that is smooth)
- Americana Multi Surface
in your choice of colors ( I used Shrimp and Peach Silk)
- Americana Gloss Enamels Chalkboard Paint
(this is formulated for glass)
- DecoArt Clear Chalkboard Coating
- FrogTape Multi-Surface Painting Tape
- Bistro Chalk Marker, White
- Regular chalk
- Paint brush
Start by painting the wood tray with a couple of coats of the Americana Multi Surface paint of your choice. I used Shrimp and painted two coats on all surfaces. Please wait for the paint to fully dry before adding any additional coats. Then mask off a little over half of your jars for painting. Keep your line straight at the top for this step. To get the location of the line, be sure there will be plenty of chalk above your line when the jars are located in the tray. As you can see below, my jars have one smooth side with no writing. This is important for this project. I dug around in my wide collection of jars until I found two this way.
Clean your jars well with rubbing alcohol before painting. Do not touch the surface after cleaning as your finger prints can cause the paint to lift. Paint the jars with a few coats of Americana Multi Surface paint. I am using Peach Silk for the jars. It took around four coats before I was happy with the coverage on my jars. Leave the painter’s tape in place until you are finished painting this area. Be sure each coat dries completely before you add another coat. The great thing about the multi surface paint is that you can go from painting wood to glass easily with the same bottle of paint.
Once the tops of your jars have been painted, remove the painter’s tape. Allow the area to cure completely then add the painter’s tape so you can paint the bottom of the jar. Again be sure the surface is clean by using rubbing alcohol. Add two coats of Americana Glass Chalkboard Paint to the jars. Be sure you paint one vertical and one horizontal. Allow to dry in between coats as well. Remove the painter’s tape at the end of this step. Touch up the line in between colors if you need to.
In the meantime, you can also be working on the front of your tray. I wanted it to have a chalkboard surface as well but not in black. The Americana Clear Chalkboard coating is the answer. Add two coats of it to the front of your tray. Again paint one vertical and one horizontal and allow to dry in between coats. I added the clear chalkboard coating to the front and back of my tray. This product is clear and you will not be able to tell it is on the surface once it is dry. Painting the front and back assures you do not get the surfaces mixed up.
Once everything is dry, be sure to let all of the products cure according to the package directions. You will need to condition all chalkboard surfaces by rubbing them with the side of a piece of chalk and then erasing.
You can then write anything you wish with a chalk marker. These markers will erase later with something wet but will not rub off if little hands touch the writing. The teacher will love this mason jar desk organizer to kick off back to school. Throw in some pens, pencils, markers, and more for a back to school gift the teacher will actually use this year.
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Alicia says
July 28, 2014 at 3:13 pmI love this back to school craft, it’s so simple and cute.
Tiffany says
July 9, 2015 at 11:37 amWhat kinds of pens are in the pen bucket??? I WANT THEM
Angie Holden says
July 9, 2015 at 11:41 amTry here Tiffany! http://www.poppin.com/
Chance Zander says
February 13, 2017 at 7:48 amThese are cute and so simple, thanks for the idea!