lots of baby food Jars.....

So for some reason I keep baby food jars and now that my little man is no longer eating food from them I have amassed a larger box of baby food jars. Actually I keep any small jar I love it when the label comes off easily and if they have a unique shape I get even more excited....Anyhoo here are some Idea's of what to do with your baby food or small jars....

Pin cushion storage jar

What you will need ...
1.) kitchen sponge
2.)scrap fabric
3.)elastic band
4.) ribbon
5.) baby food jar
6.) glue

simply cut out shape of jar lid and glue it down to the top of the lid then place scrap fabric over top of lid and sponge then using an elastic band to secure the fabric , trim extra fabric away, then place ribbon around the base of lid secure ribbon with a dab of glue... then fill jar with buttons or sewing needles and enjoy...



Jar Storage ...
If you have a shop or a craft space or a garage this is a cool out of the way small item storage idea...

you will need....
*a 1X4 board or piece of wood
*several clean de-labeled baby food jars
*several 1/2 inch screws
*a screwdriver
* 4 1inch screws

*take the lids off of your jars, space them out along your board with about a 1&1/2 inch space between each jar
*using the shorter screws screw lids to the board , with the flat side of lid against the board
*then attach the board to the underside of a shelf or onto a wall with the longer screws
* then you can fill your jars with just about anything and simply screw the jars into their lids

and there you have it an out of the way baby food jar storage idea...
things to store in little baby food jars...
*sewing pins and needles
*beads
*nails and screws
*buttons
*ribbons
*sewing machine extra feet
*stickers
*small scrapbook supplies
*fortune cookie notes... ( I keep these for scrapbooking and other crafting things)

You can use larger jars like spaghetti jars if you have a larger space or want to store larger items... just use 2-4 screws to attach each lid for larger jars.


Craft Jar idea's

Recycle a baby food jar into a candy container.

What you'll need:

• Baby food jar and lid, washed, rinsed, and dried
• fabric scrap
• Low temp glue gun
• Pinking shears
• Yogurt lid (or similar size)
• Pen
• coloured paint markers or acrylic paint
  
• Candy

How to make it:

1. Use the paint markers to draw on a few hearts on the side of the jar. You may wish to add a TO/FROM on the jar itself as well. Let dry.
2. If creating the fabric covered lid, then trace around the yogurt lid on the wrong side of the fabric. Cut out with pinking shears.
3. Center the fabric, wrong side down, on the middle of the jar lid. Glue in place on the top and in places on the side of the lid.
4. If creating the painted lid, then paint with pink paint. Let dry. Paint red heart on lid. Let dry.
5. Fill the jar with candy or small cookies.
6. Fasten the lid on the jar.

Votive Candle holder
using a small jar decorate the out side with paint, glitter, stickers ...what ever you like and pop in a votive candle and tah dah you have a decorative candle holder...

Add a sparkling glow to any holiday by making a sparkling votive candleholder. Kids can transform a baby food jar into the perfect gift, with a few simple crafting supplies.

What you'll need:

• Gold sparkle glue (or other colors)
• Wax paper
• Baby food jar
• Votive Candle

How to make it:

1. Tear off some wax paper and lay on work surface.
2. Squirt a good amount of sparkle glue on the wax paper.
3. Roll the baby food jar in the sparkle glue.
4. Set upright on a clean area of the wax paper to dry.
5. Add a votive candle and give as a gift for your mother or someone else special to you.

(sparkle glue can be either store bought or made at home.... home made version... equal parts glitter to clear drying glue...mix and have fun can be pre-made and stored in an air tight container)

Snow globes

What you'll need:

• Baby food jars (medium or large) or any other type of jar with a lid
• Florist clay (can be found at any craft supply store)
• Small figurine (see “Choosing your figurine” under “Helpful Hints”)
• White and/or silver glitter or fake snow
• Hot glue gun or aquarium sealing glue (hot glue is less expensive)
• Ribbon or felt (optional)
• Garland plastic greenery (see “Getting your greenery” under “Helpful hints”)

How to make it:

1. Wash and dry your jar completely, including the lid.
2. Attach figurine to inside of jar lid using florist clay. If you are using a small object, it's a good idea to build up the clay so the object will appear taller. To preview, simply place empty jar over the top of your figurine to see if you have the height where you want it. Attach any optional items with the clay (greenery, berries, etc.). Important: Use your imagination, but make sure whatever you use is waterproof and won't dissolve.
3. Fill jar with water to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of top. Use cold water, warm water tends to cloud. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of glitter, or “ snow” into water. This measurement is based on a medium to large baby food jar. Adjust glitter amount according to your size jar.
4. Using hot glue gun, line inside of lid with glue. Insert figurine in water and screw on lid.
5. Dab lid dry if any water dripped or spilled. Apply a layer of hot glue around the rim of the lid to seal shut.
6. Let stand and dry overnight -- lid side up.
7. Decorating the lid rim is optional, and there are several ways to do it. Attach decorative ribbon with glue, use plastic holly berries for a holiday feel, or use colored felt as we have. This can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. Use white or craft glue to run a squiggly line around the felt then sprinkle with glitter and let dry. Glue on buttons, use stickers, or personalize your globe by writing your name in glue and sprinkling with glitter. You may also paint the lid rather than use ribbon or other embellishments. The possibilities are endless so have fun!

With the snow globes if you add a couple drops of liquid glycerin (available at drugstores) your glitter will not clump.

Keep your globe secure. Make sure the objects are secure in the clay, you could even glue them for added security.

Choose your figurine wisely. Choose a figurine made of a material that will not dissolve or deteriorate in water over time. Cake toppers, small ornaments with the hanger removed, miniature toys and dolls are all possibilities.

Easy-to-find greenery. You will only need small pieces so look for stems in the floral department that are on sale or inexpensive. You can also trim pieces from silk and plastic greenery, or you can even fashion your own small trees out of chenille stems. Another option is to use tiny plastic pine trees found in toy train and car sets.

Glitter tips. Before gluing or sealing the lid, make sure you have sufficient amount of glitter. Depending on the size of the jar, you may need more or less. Be careful! Too much glitter will completely obscure your figurine.

Add color and pizzazz. To make a more elaborate snow globe, add tiny objects to “ float” in the water, use a drop of colored oil to create a swirling effect or use food coloring in the water. Or, instead of using just white or just silver glitter, mix the two colored glitters. Silver tends to fall faster, the white floats more. Putting them together creates a fun effect. These are just some ideas to help you create your one-of-a-kind snow globe. Use your imagination and have fun.

Choose a theme . Make your snow globe for any occasion or theme such as Halloween, birthday, sports, holiday, Victorian and beach (seashells). You can also make two and give one away as a gift.

Save your felt scraps. This craft is a perfect example of utilizing small felt pieces that were left over from other projects so remember to save those scraps.

Spooky Jars....

For Halloween this year I saved about 30 little jars of different sizes and shapes and filled them with all sorts of "witches brewing" items... they were used as display and to be honest I was very proud of them, I covered the ops of the jars with scrap fabric, tied some scraggly yarn around the neck and attached a label of what concoction was inside the jar...
what was on display???.....
Dragon scales.... dried potatoes from a scalloped potato's in a box
Ogar Toe nails... dried apricots
Mummy skin.... Water , two drops of brown food colour and some cheese cloth
powdered fairy wings... glitter mixed with some salt
powdered neut ... green powdered bath salt
Viper Blood... Tabasco sauce.. used the same jar to...

you can pretty much do what ever you like if you want to use it again next year I highly suggest using dried things or liquids in tightly lidded jars, and keep in a dark cool place , dont use products that require refrigeration.