In the summertime, what tradition could be more American than that of a backyard cookout? As the days grow warmer and longer, I can think of no better combination than good friends and great food.
And here at LittleThings, we love finding new ways to enhance your family's barbecue experience. Life hacks like this muffin tin condiment tray or this brilliant way to serve watermelon are great ways to jazz up your next cookout.
But of all the amazing tricks we've found, this tutorial has to be my all-time favorite. Who knew it was so simple to make your very own rustic condiment dispensers? It was so easy, we made them ourselves right here in the office — in less than an hour!
Not only are these dispensers adorable, but they're incredibly convenient too. When your plate is overflowing with delicious food, you don't want to wrestle with an annoying ketchup or mustard bottle — and with this adorable craft, you won't have to.
Will you be making one of these this weekend? Let us know in the comments below, and please SHARE!
Step 1: Gather your supplies. You'll need Mason jars, dispenser pumps, a drill, a hammer, pliers, and your favorite barbecue condiments.
Step 2: Begin to drill into your Mason jar lid. You'll need to bear down hard to break through, so do this on a good surface.
Step 3: When your friend notices that you're doing something dangerous (like drilling into a glass jar), let them take over. Here, LittleThings' Chief Construction Officer, Alice, devised a smarter way to drill into the lid, though we don't recommend doing this step unless you have experience with power tools.
Step 4: Once you've made a hole with your drill, grab some pliers and expand it. You'll need it big enough to snugly fit the pump.
Step 5: Hammer down the rough edges of the hole.
Step 6: Insert the pump. For an additional seal, you could put some glue around the base here.
Step 7: Attach the straw to your pump. Depending on the size of your jar, you might have to cut the straw down.
Step 8: Begin to pour in your condiments. We finished our ketchup first, since that's usually the most popular topping at cookouts.
Step 9: Replace the lid, screw on the Mason jar band, and move on to your next jar!
We filled our second jar with mustard, another barbecue favorite.
For our third jar, we used barbecue sauce. This could be a secret family recipe, or just a bottle you picked up from the store.
Step 10: Test it out!
It works perfectly!
Whether at your next cookout or just a normal family dinner, these would make adorable additions to any table.
Once you're done, pop them in the fridge until you're ready to use them again! What will you fill your Mason jar pumps with? Let us know in the comments below!
