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"  From bell-bottoms to skinny jeans, from Led Zeppelin to Beyonce, what&amp;#039;s hot is ever-changing. I&amp;#039;m very far from a trendsetter, but am a major trend-follower. I jumped on the bacon bandwagon (and my thighs paid for it). I&amp;#039;ll proudly admit that I know every word to Britney Spears&amp;#039; &amp;quot;Hit Me Baby One More Time,&amp;quot; and I cruised through the &amp;quot;Hunger Games&amp;quot; trilogy in two weeks flat. Recently, I&amp;#039;ve been hooked on all things Mason jar.   You can see these antique-looking jars decorating every Pottery Barn catalog, lining the shelves at Walmart, and holding drinks in bars throughout the country. But did you know that John Landis Mason invented the Mason jar in 1858 for preserving foods? Did you also know that the Mason jar was popular well into the 1950&amp;#039;s when processed food became a big hit? Me neither. Trends come and go, and 60 years later the Mason jar is making a comeback. One big difference: Now you&amp;#039;ll find these jars holding everything from pencils to flowers as well as preserved peaches and homemade chutneys.   Here are a few other fun uses for this what&amp;#039;s-old-is-new-again little jar.   1. Mason Jar Trifle   One hundred years ago, the Ball brothers created what they dubbed the &amp;quot;Perfect Mason.&amp;quot; Unlike the clear, glass Mason jar, it was made of blue glass. The jars were discontinued after WWI and have been difficult to find ever since. Ball is bringing back these adorable Vintage Style Jars ($13 for 6) in spring 2013 to celebrate the hard work people put into preserving their food a century ago. I used them to create a delicious Berry Trifle that would be perfect for a springtime get-together. You can make enough to fill four Mason jars by using this cake recipe and this pudding recipe. Simply layer in this order: pudding, blueberries, cake, raspberry jam, pudding, cake, and top with fresh raspberries.   2. Wedding Decor   For a solid year of my life I thought about Mason jars and how to incorporate them into my wedding. I put them on the save the date cards, added them to the invitations, and convinced my parents to buy every Mason jar at every Walmart in northern Ohio until we had well over 300. It was a cost effective way to add a special touch to our wedding. After filling them with tea candles, we put them everywhere we could possibly think of around the country club. It was perfect. You can now find them sitting snuggly in my parents&amp;#039; garage next to my father&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;manly&amp;quot; motorcycle--what good parents I have!   3. Cocktail Shakers   Create perfect summertime cocktails with the Mason Shaker ($30) cocktail shaker designed by Josh and Eric in Brooklyn. Screwdriver anyone? Mix six ounces orange juice with two ounces each vodka and soda water and some ice in the Mason shaker, then shake. Pour over fresh berries.   4. Water Mug  Aladdin has been producing classic mugs and lunch boxes for years. New to its lineup: the Insulated Mason Jar ($10) mug. I use it every day to stay hydrated at work. What do I love? The straw, the handle, and that the cold water doesn&amp;#039;t sweat off the mug onto my test notes.   Did you know that there are so few original blue Mason jars left that some antique varieties sell for upwards of $15,000? Do you have a true antique Mason jar at home? If so, leave your comments below. We would love to hear about it.      "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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