I’ve gotten to where I rarely throw away a glass jar anymore; there are just so many ways to recycle them. For example, I love my homemade, food-theme candles, in jars formerly containing spaghetti sauce or mayonnaise, that I display in my kitchen. And, of course, there’s my secret compartment jar that appears to contain rice but in reality features a hiding place inside. May I offer a suggestion? Each time you empty a glass jar – be it big or small, clear or tinted – wash it out and store it in a cupboard. Soon, you’ll come across a new project that will help you recycle those jars while creating new, useful and beautiful things for you and your family.
If there’s a baby that lives at your house I guarantee you go through quite a few baby food jars each week. Those jars – no matter what size or shape – make the cutest little party favors. Remove the label from each jar and clean it as well as the lid. Since you can see through the small jars guests can catch a glimpse of what’s inside before they open it. Fill the jars with candy and small treats then decorate the jar. You can wrap birthday-theme paper or cloth around it or you can tie on a nice bow. Another way to decorate it is to place a piece of cloth over the lid. Tie a narrow ribbon around it to secure. Make a name tag from cardstock, poke a hole in it, then slide it onto the ribbon before you tie it. Or, do away with the lid altogether and use colored tissue paper to fill the open hole of the jar. Cut two or more squares of paper – different colors or all the same – and push the center of the paper stack into the jar opening. Fluff the tissue paper up and out of the jar.
Although candy-filled jars are perfect for nearly any occasion you can make specific favors for certain types of parties. For instance, if there will be all girls at the party you can fill the jars with beads and stretch cord instead of candy. If it will be an all-boy party you can fill each jar with marbles. Other ideas include jars that contain mini puzzle pieces, assorted craft supplies, army men, play money, nuts and mints or even cereal. Create themes for the jars by using scrapbook paper or cloth that features cartoon characters, birthday party images, holiday images, or similar themes, and wrap strips of the paper or cloth around the jars.
Small baby food jars can also be used to make nice sewing kits. Cut a Styrofoam ball in half and glue it, flat side down, to the top of the jar lid. Cut a circle of fabric and drape it over the ball. Begin gluing the fabric to the side of the jar lid. Pull the fabric all the way down to the edge of the lid but not under the lid. You’ll have to create small pleats in the material as you glue it around the edge of the lid. When the fabric is in place, trim it if necessary, then glue or tie on a narrow, satin ribbon to hide the raw edges of the fabric. The fabric-covered ball creates a pincushion and you can place all sorts of sewing needs inside. Fill the jar with buttons, needles, pins, a paper or cloth tape measure, thimble and similar items. These make great gifts for attendees at a quilting bee, young girls at a birthday party or just to give as a thank-you gift to a friend.
The jars don’t absolutely have to be for kids and women. You can make gift jars or men’s party favor jars by creating a more manly theme. Jars can be filled with assorted screws, nuts, washers, tacks, nails, paper tape measure, drill bits and similar items. You don’t have to be knowledgeable about all sorts of hardware to make men’s jars. You’ll find small kits of nails, screws and similar items at most any dollar-theme store.
For a baby shower you can make gifts for the mom by creating a baby theme with paper, cloth and/or ribbon. The jars can be filled with things like cotton swabs, cotton balls, baby nail clippers, hair accessories, baby bracelets and similar items. Cut pink or blue tissue paper to fill the hole in the jar and fluff it up and out of the jar to create the finished look.
Larger glass jars are perfect for making homemade games to give out to kids at a birthday party or other event. One such game is a memory game where the child dumps the contents of the jar onto a table. Everyone at the table has one minute to view the objects before they are put back in the jar. After the jar is out of sight the players try to write down as many of the objects that they can remember. Create these games by placing 20 things in each jar along with instructions for playing. You can add small note pads and pencils for the players to use. Suggestions for inexpensive things to place in the jar include a button, a piece of ribbon, a fake coin, an old key, a soda bottle lid, a clothes pin, or even a pebble. Make a jar for each child attending the party and they can play the game with their friends and family. The objects can always be changed out so that they don’t become memorized.
A glass jar is the perfect way to create a last-minute gift when you’re low on funds. Fill the jar with a boxed cake mix or something similar. Add all the dry ingredients the person will need. Make a card that states the recipe and be sure to include other ingredients they will need, oven temperatures and times, etc. Cut a circle of cloth to go over the top of the jar and tie it in place with a ribbon. Poke a hole in the card and slide it onto the ribbon before tying it.
Most of us go through quite a few glass jars in a year’s time but there’s no reason to send the empty ones to the landfill. There are way too many crafts and decor projects you can do with those jars! The next time you make spaghetti, empty the mayonnaise jar or buy a jar of instant coffee think about the fabulous new thing you’ll make from the empty jar. Soon, you’ll be like me and never, ever throw those jars away again!
Reference:
- Purchase cheap party favors here: www.orientaltrading.com
