Gifts in a Jar, Thrifty Gifty #11

Time is passing quickly and Christmas is around the corner! Uh oh, do you still have people that you wanted to give gifts to??? Here is a great solution to your dilemma. This is such a fun idea and it does not take a lot of time. You will be assembling the ingredients for a wonderful, yummy treat but you will not be cooking it. You will provide directions on how to complete the "treat" whenever the recipient would like to. You can make several of these "gifts in a jar" at one time and have them ready to give to friends at a moment's notice. This is a great gift to make and have on hand just in case someone stops over and gives you a little something. Then you have something very nice to reciprocate with. I have been making these little gifts for a long time. You can vary the recipes from year to year and always have something new and fun to give. These gifts are fun for all ages.

Supplies:

Mason jar with lid

Nice small piece of fabric

Gift tag or label (see our other post on how to make recycled gift tags - http://allaboutbeinginspired.blogspot.com/2010/12/thrifty-gifty-8-gift-tags-recycled-from.html

Ribbon or raffia

Rubber band

Kitchen supplies - bowls for mixing, measuring cups and spoons, spoons for stirring

Recipe for a Gift in a Jar and those particular ingredients

Directions:

1.Find a great recipe you like for your Gift in a Jar. Here is a great link I found for some awesome recipes. There are so many, I am sure you will love them.

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/giftinajar/index.shtml

2. Gather your ingredients and mix all together according to the recipe.

3. Follow the recipe and layer the ingredients correctly.

4. Print out the recipe directions for the recipient of your gift so they know how to make whatever you are giving them (hot cocoa, cake, cookies, soup,etc.) and attach to the gift tag or label.

5. Close the jar with the lid. Use the small piece of fabric and cut a square or circle about 3 inches larger than the lid of your jar. Use pinking shears if you have them so your fabric does not fray.

6. Center the fabric on the jar lid and use a rubber band to secure around the neck of the jar.

7. Tie a piece of ribbon or raffia around the rubber band so it looks pretty.

8. You can make a nice label for your jar stating what the treat will be.

For example: Yummy Peppermint Hot Cocoa

These make very nice gifts for teachers, bus drivers, friends and family. I would love hear your comments on these ideas. Let us know what you made!

Making a Candle Wrap-Thrifty Gifty #7

This little Thrifty-Gifty holiday project is super simple! If you can cut and paste, you can make it! I was able to put this gift together for under $3.00! Read on to find out more....

First you will need to find a beautiful candle. I found these unscented candles at the Christmas Tree Shop for $1.50 a piece. I had a coupon so it was well worth the buy! Use a candle that is dripless for safety reasons and never leave a candle unattended for fire hazard reasons.

 In terms of paper, I was looking for pieces with a holiday feel. The key to making these lovely candle wraps is layering papers. If you look at the image above, you will see a piece of corrugated paper (the one with the ridges) and I used it as my base layer. The fun, patterned pieces below I used to layer on top of the base and then chose to add detail with the glittery fun paper seen above.

Other materials you will need include a paper cutter, scissors and double-sided tape. Glue will not be a good choice for this project because it gets too stiff when it dries, whereas tape is flexible for when you wrap the layered papers around the candle. 

 I also found these cute little embellishments, which I have tied on with raffia around the base of the candle. See top of page for image using these embellishments.

Here is my layered wrap all set and ready to be put onto the candle. I measured the corrugated base layer at 3" high, the patterned holiday tree paper at 2" high, the green glittery paper at 3/4" high and the gold glittery paper at 1/4 of an inch high. All were cut to 10" long as this will vary depending on the width of your candle.

Use double-sided tape for applying all of your layers as well as for gluing your wrap to the candle.

Remember these wraps can be made for any season or birthday. Just simply switch out the theme papers to accommodate the celebration! These are wonderful table place markers for your holiday tablescape or can be given as gifts for teachers, babysitters, hairdressers and friends! They are super easy to make in mass quantity and will deliver a smile every time!

BE INSPIRED!