How To Make A Unique Mason Jar Bank For A Wonderful Gift

With this craft, I have combined maps and Mason jars to make a travel-themed map Mason jar bank.

I’ve wanted to do a Mason jar craft for ages. It amazes me all the different ways you can upcycle a Mason jar, Angie of Country Chic Cottage must be the queen of Mason jar hacks and crafts.

By the way, we call Mason jars, Kilner jars in the UK. The jars here are made by the Kilner family and have Kilner embossed on the side, but otherwise, they are the same.

As usual, I couldn’t decide on just one map, so I made two map mason jar banks.

One for my son, who is saving up to go backpacking around South America. The other is for me and my husband to try and save for our next weekend city break.

When my friend returned from New York with a pack of city map paper napkins (Mapkins). I knew that I would eventually find something to make with them!

This is a very affordable craft that would make a fantastic map themed gift for anyone with wanderlust. The Mason jar bank is also very simple and, excluding drying time, takes about an hour to make.

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What You Need

• Empty Mason/Kilner jars – I had two very old ones at the back of my cupboard. You could use some normal old food jars, but you will need a Mason jar-style lid (the ones with the removable silicone seals).

• One map paper napkin per Mason jar bank – I used a world map paper napkin for one jar. For the other, I used some New York map napkins (Mapkins) (other cities are available).
• Mod Podge Matte
• Foam brush
• Small piece of cardboard
• Travel tag
• Rotary cutter and mat
• White spray paint

How To Make The Mason Jar Banks

Step1. The first thing is to spray paint the outside of the mason jar, either white or cream.

This is because the paper napkins are very thin, and the cream background will make them less transparent.

Step 2: While waiting for the paint to dry, cut paper napkins into strips about 1″ wide using a rotary cutter and mat.

Step 3: Then, separate the top printed ply from the other two plys of the paper napkin strips. You will only need the top printed ply.

Step 4: Next, dilute the mod podge to half and half water to glue mixture.

Then, cover the painted jar with the glue mixture and carefully lay the paper napkins in strips onto the jar.

The jar is covered with glue rather than paper napkins because they are so thin they would tear if done the other way around. Find more paper napkin decoupage tips here.

Step 5: Use a dry clean foam brush to press the paper napkin strip onto the jar carefully.

Using a foam brush will reduce the risk of the delicate napkin tearing.

Step 6: Carry on adding the strips of paper napkin until the whole jar is covered. Take care to line up each strip in the right place.

Step 7: Finally, once the jar has been decoupaged, cover the jar with two layers of Mod Podge. Make sure the first coat is dry before adding the second.

These layers of Mod Podge act as a protective varnish.

Making The Mason Jar Bank Lid

Step 8: Remove the silicone insert from the Mason jar lid. Draw around it onto a piece of cardboard and cut out the circle.

Next, cut a coin slot into the cardboard piece and then decoupage it with a bit of the map napkin.

Step 9: To finish off, make a luggage tag to add that personal touch.

You can get City Mapkins for lots of different cities, so you might be able to find one for a particular city you’d love to visit.

What city would you choose?

When he eventually travels, my son will bring home all the road and city maps he collects on the way. He wants to use them to make this cool DIY map art as a special memento of his trip.

Don’t forget to check out all my other Map crafts and DIYs. Such as these stylish map-covered repurposed cookie tins or handy magazine holders. You can also find many more DIY gift ideas for men here.

I have a few other mason jar crafts on Pillar Box Blue. These jars were featured in the A to Z of upcycling resources, and you’ll find more cool decoupage ideas here. You’ll find a superhero version of these mason jar banks in this collection of superhero DIYs.

• Pinecone Fall Mason Jar
• Denim Hanging Mason Jar Vase