Thursday, May 14, 2015

DIY Mason Jar Sippy Cup Lid

This is my favorite cup I drink out of - a simple Tupperware cup.


Lately, I don't know if I'm being clumsy or that I put my cup in an awkward place, but I've been knocking it over when I'm sitting and watch TV. My cup is right next to me on an end table, and I reach for stuff, then blam! I have a big, watery mess. It's only water, but whatever is on that table gets wet - so annoying.

Last night I spilled my water again! After cleaning it up and getting more water, Jim asked me if he should buy me a sippy cup and we both started laughing. Well that got me thinking.

I've seen people use mason jars as drinking vessels and I've been thinking of trying it. They use sippy covers like this or this. Upon researching, I also see that people are using actual sippy cups from toddlers cups to make covers like this. Here's a great how to from a different kind of sippy cup lid.

So I went to the store to see what they had, and I did find sippy cups with lids, but they were all packaged up in multiples of more than one - there was no was to check for sizing unless the package was opened. I had to come up with another strategy and was thinking, "What is the purpose of a sippy cup lid?" The main answer is to make it easier to drink out of without spilling. This is for me, I didn't need it to look fancy, it just needs to function like I want. I then thought of taking a regular plastic mason jar lid, drilling a hole (or two), and trying that. 

So I experimented . . .

All I used was a white plastic mason jar lid and a drill press. You can use a drill, but a drill press is very handy in this case, because you can drill hands free (more details below).

I took my lid, turned it upside down and drilled a smallish hole just past the lines on the inside of the lid. It's important to turn it upside down or you may drill a hole to close to the edge and it won't work.



After getting the hole right where I wanted it, I turned the lid right side up and started drilling again. This time, I elongated the hole by moving the cover back and forth. I even drilled a couple more over lapping holes until I felt I got the right size - I wanted a small oblong hole. I actually left the press in its stationary position and moved the cover all around the hole - like I was tracing the hole.If using an actual drill, use control and go slow.



Here's my finished lid. I did have bits of plastic that stuck out from the top and bottom of the lid, so I took my exacto knife and scraped it smooth (a sand paper would've scratched and made the cover look unsightly). I did get some scratches, but it's ok, this is for me. Also, the hole is skewed - if I do this again, I will probably mark exactly where I want to drill the holes so it will not look crooked.



Here's the lid on my jar.


Now came the real test. I wanted to see how much water would come out if it was turned upside down. Watch below as I experimented:


I think it came out great, don't you think?

Thanks for reading!


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