Decorating Your Jar Gifts

Presentation is everything! Making gifts in a jar are a wonderful, personal yet inexpensive way to show someone you care. There really is no end to the ideas a person can come up with, let your creativity flow and think also about who the gift is for to really make it especially for them. Jar gifts are a wonderful, creative yet inexpensive ways to give gifts to family, friends and teachers and other loved ones.

Think also who the gift is from. If the gift is from a child for a grandparent, parent or teacher, decoupage the child's photo on the outside of the jar, then trim the edges of the photo with lace or some other finishing type of ribbon. The child could even paint a little something on the opposite side of the jar or his or her little handprint with paint.

Get creative in how you want to present your jar gift. This might mean a gift basket filled with several jar gifts, or simply one with other components making up the whole gift basket. Presentation is everything and shows the heart and thought put into your gift for the giver, the most personal it is, the more it will mean to the recipient.

You can use already decorated type jars, or standard canning jars. The most common sizes are the pint and quart sized jars, but baby jars are also great for smaller portion drink or spice type mix gifts.

Get creative also in the recipe instructions. Hang tags can be made either by hand, computer graphics or a label glued to the jar itself, but these can be customized to a central theme if desired. However you choose to do this, they will need the recipe's final instructions.

You can paint the jar before filling it. Buy paint that is specially designed for glass and follow the specific directions. Can't paint? Try finding a card or picture or something you'd like to put on the jar, and get it on paper. Place the paper inside the jar, and then simply let your painting basically be tracing the design and adding your own personal touches to it. Again, this can really be used for a theme and the jar itself will remain a keepsake long after the recipe has been used.

You can paint the jar before pouring it with your ingredients. Buy paint that is specially for glass and follow the specific directions. Try finding a card or picture or something you'd like to put on the jar, and get it inside the jar to trace the design and add your own keepsake touches to it. This can really be used for a theme and the jar itself will remain a treasure long after the recipe has been used.

Layer the ingredients for a decorative look. Place at the bottom layers the finest ingredients, like flour but be sure to mix in the baking sodas, salt, etc that's called for in the recipes. You can use a funnel if you'd like to help it stay orderly. If the flour dusts the rest of the jar, let it settle then gently wipe the jar with a paper towel before adding the rest of the layers. Brown sugar can be tamped down to save a bit of space.

You can accessorize your jar gifts by either gluing dried flowers, pinecones or whatever to the top of the jars as well. Or tie small items with ribbon or raffia to the jars. Common items that work well are measuring spoons, tiny whisks, cookie cutter, little garden tools, cinnamon bark, vanilla beans or any other small whimsical item you may find.

There are many beautiful ribbons and lace out that can be used in a variety of ways to be glued to the jar. Experiment with different textures, colors and ways of tying those to create fresh unique looks.

For a Victorian themed jar try a delicious tea mix or cookie or other bakery recipe, glue some lace around the rim of the jar, some small dried flowers on top or a curtain tassel. Make a label or hang tag that looks like tea stained paper. For a cowboy theme, try perhaps a bean soup recipe, tie a bandanna as a rustic type bow. Maybe you can find a cowboy boot or hat sticker to decoupage on the jar itself, or paint one on.

What about the person who loves coffee that you know? Try some baby jars filled with different flavored creamers, cocoas and coffee mixes and place in a basket with a coffee mug and scone or other treat. Paint the baby jar lids matching colors to coordinate with the coffee mug. Perhaps a great book would be a great way to finish the basket and of course a touch of raffia or ribbon to top it off.

Let your creative ideas flow, there really is no limit except your imagination in what you can come up with a finished product to give as a highly personal, beautiful gift to someone you care about.

About the Author

By Rachel Ray who likes to discover new
creative ideas with regards to home and life in general. Visit her site for some easy and delicious tasting
gifts in a jar ideas.

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