I recently joined Pinterest, and am still in the honeymoon phase. Everything is beautiful, the hours spent perusing the different boards is not time wasted and the almost too perfect photos are inspirational not unrealistic.
And to prove that internet inspiration occasionally does lead to action, I present to you my Pinterest-inspired soap dispenser made from a vintage Mason jar:
A project that required nothing more than the jar and lid, (which I already owned) plus a hammer, nail set and some epoxy glue. (Also already owned.)
Of course, this project could also be completed using pretty much anything that can make a hole, (drill, laser vision, etc.) and hot glue. I used epoxy because I am out of hot glue sticks and I suffer from S.L.S. (Super Lazy Syndrome.)
The pump was gleaned from a Goodwill purchased soap dispenser, but a lotion bottle dispenser from your personal stash would work just fine.
All I did was find the center of the lid, and then carefully tap down using the hammer and nail set, making sure to press the lid firmly onto some newspaper. (The inside of these vintage zinc lids have a ceramic/glass liner, so pressing down ensured that any shards would be contained.) I used needle nose pliers to widen the hole bit-by-bit until it was the right size for the pump assembly. (Totally unrelated story alert — my otherwise rational father used to pull my teeth using needle nose pliers, so I always experience an unpleasant metallic taste and queasy feeling when I use them.)
I then glued the pump in place, and set it outside to dry and off gass. (Epoxy = probable cancer causing fumes.)
And whatayaknow? I completed an adorable soap dispenser to sit on my kitchen counter and smile up at me whenever I wash my hands! And it almost took nothing more than the supplies I already owned.
Gotta love that!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
Hmm . . . I forgot to include the needle nose pliers in the photo. I wonder what Freud would say about that? 😉
Katy
He’d say you left them out because one of your readers has to go to the dentist in an hour for a cleaning, and after a 2-year saga of tooth pain that she has finally gotten through, it’s all she can do to make herself go for a regular cleaning, and a picture of pliers in addition to the story might have done her in. Of course, I’m just throwing out a possibility. 😉
Hi Katy,
Your recent posts about Pinterest have motivated me to be more active on it, Thank You! Also this project is adorable! On Pinterest I just found a recipe to make 1 gallon of liquid hand soap from 1 bar of soap and 2 tbs. glycerin. The perfect project to fill your new soap dispenser with at a very frugal price!
And probably waaaay less toxic than the Softsoap.
Katy
How clever! Just perfect for a country kitchen.
Love it so much and love Pinterest too. I use the boards to store all my ideas and recipes. So visual.
You have inspired me! I have wanted to make just such a soap dispenser for awhile now. Yesterday the milk glass liner fell out of one of my vintage lids, and I bought a antique pint mason jar at the thrift store last week (for $.50). I also just happen to have a spare soap pump . So now, instead of mopping the floor I am going to make a pump dispenser! Thrift store chic strikes, again!!!
P.S. I love Pinterest. It’s my secret vice. I just chalk the time wasting up to “research” to fine tune my frugal ways!
For all you Pinterest lovers… does it get better when you actually sign up and follow people that *you* like? I hesitate to actually sign up (even though I have an invitation) because the general interest stuff that they let you look at on their homepage just seems so aspirational and self-hating. Lots of photos of impossibly thin/muscular bodies, brand new “outfits” from some store (?) and gigantic perfectly clean, perfectly decorated houses that I will never in a million years actually live in. I’ve worked so hard to remove advertising and that weird consumer lust from my life… I hate to break that rhythm.
Margaret – It gets WAY SO MUCH better, its like a different site. Every now and then, I look at the general interest/popular pages for a laugh or to remind me how outside mainstream culture I really am… But there’s a huge DIY community on Pinterest, and tons of people who pin art photos and recipes and yoga and crafts and art (and lots of interior design).
You can find me at pinterest.com /dogwooddesigns
You automatically follow certain people when you start an account, but it’s super easy to unfollow them.
Katy
I use Pinterest as a reference tool. I deleted all my bookmarks and pinned my recipes, craft ideas, etc on Pinterest. For me having a visual to go to is far superior to a bookmark on my toolbar. As with everything in life, you can pick and choose what you look at, pin and follow. It has certainly been a terrific organizing tool for me.
Thanks for the feedback, everyone! This is what I love about this site… the folks here are “do-ers” more than shoppers.
This has been on my to-do list for a couple weeks. (I’m totally creeped out by your tooth-pulling story, and will keep that in the back pocket to scare my kids when they think I’m being too strict: “Well, I know this lady whose dad pulled her teeth out with needle-nose pliers, so don’t be giving me lip!”) Yours turned out really beautifully. I’m inspired; I’m doing this tonight. Thanks!
Cindy, you made me literally LOL. I can just hear the tone of your voice as you make that statement about not giving you lip. Ha!
I really love Pinterest. What is nice is all the tips to make your on products, etc. I started a board on DIY Jewelry and found almost 200 really neat ideas. There are also lot of tips on repurposing. See me at nutbird2. Ann
I’m totally copying you on this for dishwashing liquid.
Go for it! I would do the same, except that we have a built-in dish soap spout in our sink.
I did a large blue vintage jar with top made from a salt container, (you know, with the pour spout) for dishwasher detergent. So cute!
Katy
Could you “pin” a photo of that too?
I’m saving it for a blog post. Not enough for a stand-alone one, so probably part of Non-Consumer Photo Essay.
Katy
LOL on the unrelated story alert! My Dad once pulled a toothpick out of my foot after I stepped on it with needlenose pliers!
My last name is Mason- it has my name on it! Love it!
I guess that means I need to keep an eye out for canning jars with “Wolk–Stanley” nm them. Might be a loooong wait!
Katy
My dad used needle nose pliers to pull my loose teeth, too! It was a little traumatic, but I think the string/doorknob/slam the door method would be even worse. And it was kind of a relief not to have a super loose tooth wobbling around in my mouth. The metallic taste is one of those taste memories I’ll likely never forget, however.
Weird that your father also did this. I shudder to think of the lead content in a pair of needle nose pliers.
Katy
very cute! hummmm….
I have an Pinterest account, but havent’ had much time to fool around on it….. i guess I should get to searching!
The mason jar soap dispenser is one of my favorite pinterest projects. I made six of them around Christmas and gave them as gifts. I love the blue jar!
LOVE this idea! My current plastic soap dispensers are horrible, but I refused to throw them out, as I didn’t want to buy new ones. Problem solved!
Love this project! I may just copy it, although I am curious about what soap to use. Right now in our bathroom we have one of those foaming pumps (that we reuse over and over after the initial purchase) and we fill it with a 50/50-ish mix of Dr. Bronner’s and water. It’s a nice foamy soap, planet happy, and cheap. Maybe I will try to get my hands on another foaming pump and attach THAT to a canning jar lid. I never find those pretty blue ones though *sigh*.
I also love pinterest, and for the curious folks who were asking how to make the most of it, I usually use it to research ideas. Like- I wanna DIY a headboard for my bed, so I do a search on pinterest and find all the awesome headboards people have made. Word.
(sigh)
Pinterest.
Love to look at it
Hate the time I waste
Love to spark my creative-ness
Hate knowing I’ll never really make something
…
the list goes on!
However, Pinterest did inspire me to inspire my kids to make our Valentines Day decorations this year!
They did great!
No project-oriented craft, here! I set out materials and let their imaginations go wild!
Sure I didn’t make that adorable garland I was hoping for but the chic-kindergarten-meets Pinterest style they came up with was much much cuter!
this is my first time to your blog & I love it! I’ll be following you on Twitter!
Welcome!
Katy
Had never of pinterest before. Signed up three days ago–Don’t understand why there is a wait??? Is there something I am aware of? Love the soap dispenser– will have to look for a blue mason jar at the flea market.
I just sent you a Pinterest invite!
Katy