Gifts in a jar make a great handmade gift idea for many occasions. While the basic idea is very simple and straight forward, there are plenty of ways that you can make your gifts in jar really stand out by adding jar toppers, handmade labels, gift tags and more! A few basic craft skills are all that is required to make a great handmade gift that is perfect for many occasions.
What are Gifts in a Jar?
A gift in a jar often contains dry ingredients to make a special food or drink. The ingredients are layered within the jar to make an attractive looking gift. Gifts in a jar can contain ingredients to make a wide variety of dishes including cakes, cookies, soup or even a special chocolate drink. Most recipes can be adapted to giving as gifts in a jar. However, it is important to remember to add just the dry ingredients and to inform the recipient of what other ingredients they need to add.
Tips for Making Great Gifts in a Jar
Here are some tips for making your gifts in a jar really stand out:
- Decorations – handmade jar toppers and labels give a great handmade finishing touch to the gift in a jar. Jar toppers can be made from scraps of fabric or paper. Pieces of decorative paper or scrapbooking paper are a quick way to make a jar topper and the paper can also be used to make a matching gift tag.
- Jars – any jar with a tight fitting lid is ideal for using to make gifts in a jar. Look out for interesting shaped jars, many food jars can be recycled and used to package gifts in a jar. Decorate plain jars with glass paint to add pretty decorations. It is important to sterilize jars before using them and make sure that they are thoroughly dry before adding ingredients.
- Labels – Remember that an ingredients list and instructions are an important part of a gift in a jar. You need to let the recipient know what ingredients are in the jar, how to make or bake the ingredients and any special instructions such as a use-by date. Add this information to a gift tag or jar label. This is a really good opportunity for decoration. Use rubber stamps or draw your own decorations that follow the theme of the gift and use colors that co-ordinate with the rest of the packaging.
- Ingredients – layering ingredients gives an attractive visual appearance to gifts in a jar. Consider how the ingredients will look when planning your gifts. Ingredients such as dried beans for savoury gifts and chocolate chips for sweet gifts will help to emphasize the layers of ingredients in the jar. Also consider contrasting colors, for instance try adding brown sugar instead of white to contrast with white flour.
Gifts in jar make great last minute present ideas. They are easy to make, however they also offer plenty of opportunity for crafty people to add their own handmade flourishes to make this an extra special gift for many occasions.
