It seems that children always need a gift for a teacher, coach, scout leader, neighbor, or family member. Nothing has quite as much charm as a handmade gift. Mason jars or other empty canning jars can be used to make a variety of inexpensive, unique and personal gifts.
Recipe in a Jar
Using a quart-sized canning jar, layer the dry ingredients for a favorite cookie, bread, or soup recipe. List the remaining ingredients and cooking instructions on a piece of cardstock and attach to the jar using ribbon or rafia. Decorate the jar as appropriate.
For an extra special touch, attach a couple of cookie cutters, a spatula, a whisk, or some other small kitchen utensil. A gift card for a local coffee shop, book store, or ice cream shop is another option. Be creative and consider the personality of the person the gift is for.
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Bath Salts in a Jar
A warm bath with homemade bath salts feels luxurious at the end of a hard day. This project can be as simple or as complicated as the crafters would like. Use anything from babyfood jars to quart-sized canning jars to package the salts and decorate as appropriate.
For the most basic recipe, mix a few drops of essential oil (12-15 drops of oil per cup of salt) with a jar full of Epsom salt. For a higher quality bath, look for Dead Sea salt in a health food store or online. Mix one part Dead Sea salt with one part Epsom salt. Do not use table salt for bathing as it will dry the skin.
To dress the gift up a bit, use a few drops of food coloring to color the salt. To really make the jar look fancy, only color half of the salt and then layer the plain and colored salt in the jar.
Oatmeal (not instant), dried rose petals, or other dried herbs can be ground up and mixed with the salts for an even more spa-like experience.
Sports Gifts in a Jar
It can be hard to come up with handmade gifts for men but a sports jar just might do the trick. Fill a quart-sized jar with golf balls and tees and decorate the jar as desired. Attach a gift certificate for a round of golf or an hour at the driving range. For a fisherman, fill the jar with hooks, lures, bobbers, etc. and decorate.
Mason Jar Lamps
Using a kit from a local hardware store or craft store, it is easy to convert any glass jar into a custom lamp. The kit usually has all of the components attached to the lid so once the jar is filled, the lamp assembly just screws on top. Fill the jar with buttons, marbles, seashells, scraps of fabric or thread, confetti, miniature toys, etc.
Pick-Me-Up Jars
For a very personal going-away gift or graduation gift, write inspirational quotes, scriptures, or "love notes" on small pieces of colored paper. Fill a small jar with these notes and decorate the jar appropriately. Whenever the recipient is feeling down, they can reach in the jar and pull out a message of love and inspiration.
Canning jars and recycled glass jars can be used to make all kinds of unique and personal gifts. Many of these projects can be completed by even very young children with minimal assistance. Older kids will be thrilled to express their personality through their gifts. The only rule is to be creative!
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