When my mother gave me a roll of
Laughing Elephant's Beauté de Paris label tape for Christmas, I knew right away that I wanted to try decorating jam jars with it. I love repurposing old jam jars to store art supplies and beauty accessories, and while some labels are pretty enough to leave as-is, others are a bit less aesthetically pleasing. Luckily, the Laughing Elephant tape makes a perfect replacement for commercial labels to give jars a vintage-inspired makeover!
For this project, I saved two jars that formerly contained jam and chocolate hazelnut spread. I soaked the original labels with water to make them easier to remove, then peeled them off and used a scrubby sponge to buff away any stubborn bits and sticky residue. After that, I chose which sections of tape I wanted to use for each jar--you could cut one individual label for each jar for the most authentic effect, but I wrapped my tape all the way around for maximum color and coverage. One of my jars was square in shape, so for that one I centered one of the labels on one of the sides, but you can start anywhere you like on octagonal or round jars.
Positioning the tape was a little tricky, and it took some trial and error before I got it right, since starting at just the tiniest bit of an angle will cause the tape to spiral up or down as you wrap it around the jar. The tape is pretty durable and easy to reposition, though, so if it doesn't work the first time just keep trying! Once in place, the tape is the perfect width for these 9.5 ounce jars.
I haven't quite decided how to use my new jars yet, but I'll definitely be making more as soon as I have more empty jars on hand. The toiletry design would make these great for storing cotton swabs, bobby pins, and other beauty supplies, but the transparency of the tape also creates a lovely effect when an LED votive is placed inside the jar. Just don't use a real candle with a flame or any light source that gets warm in these, since neither the jars nor the tape were designed for it!
