DIY Edible and Non-Edible Gifts in a Jar

Some of the most thoughtful gifts are the ones you make.  This can be for any age.  Taking the time to think about the person and make something for them means you took the time for them.  Christmas can get very costly.  You have friends, teachers, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, moms, dads, nieces and nephews...   The list can go on and on.

Here are some ideas to inspire you to make some fun gifts in a jar that anyone can do!!  All you need is some canning jars that you can purchase at most grocery stores.

EDIBLES:
A great gift to give your girlfriends or family members that you don't normally buy for is a nice treat.  Could be just a jar of their favorite candy or a baking mix like brownie or how about peppermint hot chocolate!

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NON EDIBLES:

You don't always have to have food in the jars to make a really nice gift.  Check these out!

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More ideas:

Scrapbooking Supplies

Kids Crayons & Markers

Seeds or Bulbs

Crockpot Fixings

Bakers (sprinkles, cupcake liners)

Candles (filled with votives or tea lights)

Teachers (gift card, school supplies)

Makeup and/or Polish

DIY Christmas Countdown Fabric Chain

Count it down year after year with this DIY fabric countdown chain idea from Holly Ramer.  Holly shares her step by step instructions to create this as a Christmas countdown, you could do the same idea only for other celebration by using different theme fabrics such as Valentines day or Birthdays and so many more.

Click here to get your free downloadable instructions.  Happy Counting.

PS- you can begin a countdown when ever you choose - 25 days, 12, 10, 5 etc.

Handprints and Fingerprints For Gift Giving

Thumbprint Reindeer - a fun way to record your families fingerprints and create a lasting memory - perfect for framing.  Another idea is to buy blank greeting cards and create greeting cards with Thumbprint Reindeer.

This idea was found over on the Little Pink Monster website.  Click here to see full instructions.

Snowmen Footprints - Not only does tish make a lasting gift to hang during the Christmas season but could even be used all winter long with a Snowman theme.  This adorable ideas came to us from Craft Interrupted.  Click here to see the full idea and details.

Hand print Christmas Tree -  This will bring back memories for years of your children's hand prints.  This make a great gift for giving.  Ucreate with kids  gives step by step how to instructions.  Click here to get your how to instructions now.

I think this would be fun with all five of my kids - Having each child do one row.

Christmas Wreath Hand prints - Trace those sweet hands and create a fun Christmas wreath with R.I.C. Publications easy to do instructions.  Click here to get the how to instructions now.



 





Snowman Hand print Ornament - Decorate your tree with these adorable hand print snowmen ornaments .  Fun to create with your kids for gifts.  Diary of a Crafty Lady gives her tips on creating these as keepsakes.  Click here to go to Diary of a Crafty Lady.

DIY Christmas Wreaths

Buying a already made wreath can be so expensive.  Making your own can save you so much money and now you can decorate it to your liking.  Not only that but YOU made it!

Christmas Ball Wreath from Good Housekeeping
A shimmery stunner takes Christmas ornaments off the tree and onto the wall. Buy a straw wreath about 22 inches in diameter from the crafts store. Using 1/2 yard of white felt cut into 3-inch-wide strips, wrap each piece around the wreath, pinning to secure and overlapping the edges. Take assorted Christmas balls and attach to the felt with a low-temperature glue gun, using the smallest balls to fill in holes and gaps. This is also a great way to use older ornaments that may not look good from all angles. You can also add small stars, snowflakes, or other ornaments to give your wreath a unique look. Hang with wire, wrapped securely around "top" of wreath. (Note: You'll need to add the wire before you cover the wreath completely with ornaments.)

See Stars from Good Housekeeping

Assembled in minutes out of common home supplies — star cookie cutters, silver paper clips, and red twist ties — this charming creation is a cinch to craft. On a flat surface, arrange cutters into a circular shape as shown; clip together where stars touch. Carefully flip wreath over and secure the same spots with additional paper clips. Tightly twist ties around these sections as shown. Evergreen sprig optional.

Starlight Wreath from Gwynn Wasson Designs

I've been dying to make a candy wreath since before Halloween but I just haven't had the time. So I was really excited to finally be able to make one last week!! If you would like to make one too, here's what you will need:

- Two 20oz bags of Peppermint Starlights
- One 16" styrofoam wreath form
- One 20 yd. roll of 1 1/2" floral ribbon
- One 4 yd. roll of 1 1/2" decorative ribbon
- Hot Glue
- Shellac (optional)

For directions on how to make this click HERE 

 

A Marshmallow World from The Food Network

While you’re picking up marshmallows for hot chocolate, buy a few extra bags to make this easy (30-minute!) winter-white wreath. Insert about 150 toothpicks halfway into a 12-inch flat foam wreath, then skewer a marshmallow onto each toothpick. Refrigerate overnight to set. (Birds may fancy this one, so consider hanging it inside.)

Snowy Pinecone Wreath from Xenia Nova 

Create this frosty pinecone wreath by spray-painting each pinecone completely white; let dry.  

• Lightly spray an evergreen wreath with white paint, allowing some of the green needles to show through.
• Let dry.
• Use hot glue to adhere the painted pinecones to the front of the wreath.
• Add a red velvet bow for a splash of holiday color.

Pom Pom & Bells Wreath from Craft a Spell

I started off with these 'baubles' - fuzzy sparkly pom-poms in silver-white and red, Styrofoam 'bowl filler' balls in red and white, and bells in red and white. I got them all at Hobby Lobby but I know some, or similar things, can be found at Michaels.  Click HERE for full instructions.

Balls and Pine Wreath from Ali Lilly

(This one is very similar to the ones I make for my home.  Super easy to make and with using hot glue...  these things last for years!)  :)  ~Leslie

Click HERE for how to make this

DIY Moms - Chicken Wire Frame

I have seen these in Etsy stores, on Pinterest and other places and now I discovered the DIY ( do it yourself) instructions to create my own over on My Crafty World.  Click here to get the full how to instructions.

5 DIY Advent Calendars To Make

 The 25 day count down fun is about to begin with lots of activities  in the days ahead.  Here are 5 ideas to create your own Advent calendars.   Looking for ideas for daily countdown activities?

Click here to read about the 25 Days of Christmas Activities

Click here to read about Christmas Countdown experiences verse things.



#1 Wilton Favor Tins

Makoodle created a fun and simple magnetic Advent calendar using the Wilton favor tins.  She even created free printables for the daily countdown numbers.  Click here for her complete instructions and free printables.




#2  Dollar Store Advent Calendar 

Here is a creative idea for an advent calendar using Dollar Tree pails and a large painted board from infarrantly creative.  Click here for complete how to instructions and create a fun tradition.  This would be also cute for Valentines day with some changes.

#3 Over The Door Shoe Organizer Advent

eighteen25 dreams up some of the best ideas including this over the door shoe organizer Advent count down.  eighteen25 even provides the free printables numbers and simple how to instructions.  Click here to go to eighteen25 now.



#4  Advent Bags

Use either lunch bags or small colored bags yo can purchase at your local craft stores.  Print and place the  FREE printable numbers on each bag.    Then Place each note in a numbered Bag and fold the top of the bag down and close secure with tape or a sticker for no peeking opportunities.. You can download our 25 day count down numbers by clicking here.




#5 Envelope Advent

No time to create an Advent - when i first began the 25 Days of Christmas countdown I purchased Green and red envelopes.  I numbered 25 envelopes and placed our daily activity into each envelope and then gave one envelope out each day for the kids to open.  This was quick and simple.

DIY Children's Growth Stick

For the past 20 years we have been keeping track of our Children's growth with a wooden growth stick.  I often am asked where one can purchase this or how to make one..  I went out searching for the how to DIY ( Do It Yourself) and found a great article over at Chica and Jo www.chicaandjo.com and they gave us permission to share it with our 24/7 MOMS.



How To Make Your Own Hand Painted Growth Chart

By : Chica
When my friend’s little girl became a toddler and started growing like a weed, we knew it was time to track her growth, and we brainstormed to figure out how best to do it. Most of us have the fond memory of marking our height on a door frame in the house where we grew up, and it’s quite nostalgic to look back at it over the years (I have such a chart in my garage from the family who lived here before and I refuse to paint over it). But these days people don’t stay in one house their whole lives and you can’t really take a door frame with you, so we need a portable — yet sturdy — solution. I solved my friend’s problem by surprising her with a hand-painted wooden growth chart that she could mount on the wall.
Sure, you can just buy a growth chart. They sell them everywhere. My problem with the ones that I see in stores are that they are either too short, too flimsy, or just plain ugly! In addition, it’s nice to have them personalized with the child’s name. Plus I prefer homemade over store-bought crafts almost all of the time, so I just had to make this for that sweet little girl.
I started with a trip to the local home improvement store where I picked up a simple piece of wood that was 6 feet long, 6 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. Look in the “nice” wood section (not the construction lumber) and you can easily find a nice piece of pine for just a few dollars.

I took the wood home and decided how I would mark it. I knew I didn’t want my friend to have to put the board all the way on the floor because the baseboard would make that hard to do. I decided the board should be mounted one foot above the floor. That means that my first mark at the bottom of the board would be at 1 foot, and I had enough room to take it all the way to a 6 foot mark at the top. I decided I wanted an inch or two of blank space above the 6 and below the 1, so that means my entire board needed to be 5 feet, 4 inches long. I took it to the garage and made a quick cut and I was all set. (I certainly could have kept the entire 6 feet of length, but I decided to trim it a bit.)

After a quick light sanding, I painted the entire board white on both sides, using some leftover trim paint I had. I then marked all my measurements with a ruler and a pencil. I put the “1″ mark 2 inches from the bottom and marked every inch and foot from there on up to the top, where I finished with the “6″. I then painted over the pencil lines with acrylic paint.
Next was the fun part — painting the design! I started with large block letters that spelled out Emily’s name which I outlined in blue and then filled in with pink. I then decorated the top and bottom with lots of tiny flowers and leaves. For simple flowers, just make 5 round petals and put a dot in the middle. For the leaves, just a quick swish with a paintbrush will do it.

The finished growth chart now hangs in Emily’s room and has lots of markings on it, measuring what a big girl she’s turning out to be… she’s up to 38 inches so far!

Toolbox ( what you need)

• long piece of smooth wood (6' x 6" x 1")
• wall / trim paint
• acrylic paint
• brushes

12 Months of Onesies - Fun Shower Gift

Looking for a fun and creative gift to give at the next baby shower you attend - look no further.  Create monthly onesies for the new little bundle to show their growth month to month.  These are perfect for taking a monthly picture in.

Click here for Holy Craft  step by step instructions

DIY Dry Erase Board from Aluminum Foil

We see them in stores, in magazines in and in our friends homes - White boards gone aluminum. Now you can create your own Aluminum eraseable board using the roll of foil in your kitchen with these easy step by step instructions from Wikihow.  Click here for complete instructions.  You may also like to pick up a inexpensive picture frame and frame your DIY Aluminum board to go with your room decor.

DIY Fun Halloween Decorations

Here are some fun and easy Halloween decorations that you can even get the kids to help you with!

Floating Eyes See YOU By Family Fun

Materials you will need:

Ping-Pong Balls

Battery Tea lights
Permanent Markers
Construction Paper
Glue dots

Instructions:
*Cut an X in the ping-pong ball and place securely over the battery operated tea light flame.
*Draw eye details with permanent markers.
*Embellish eyes with construction paper details secured with glue dots.



Owl a Glow Paper Lantern By Family Fun
Materials you will need:
Paper Lantern Globe from craft or party store for the body
Scrapbooking Paper for eyes, facial features and wings. Secure with glue dots.
Jute Twine and orange construction paper for talons. Insert twine through bottom center bar of globe. Attach paper talons to each side.
8.5 by 6 fan-folded construction paper inserted under to center bar for head feathers.

Hang from an appropriate light fixture with a low-wattage bulb for an "Owl A Glow" craft or simply from a clear fishing line for an "Owl In Flight".

Signs of Danger by Woman's Day

Materials you will need:

Glue stick

Colored construction paper

Cardboard

Garden stakes

 

Give ’em fair warning with “Caution,” “Danger” and other pleas to turn back before it’s too late. Using a glue stick or spray glue, attach colored paper to corrugated cardboard (for strength), then cut out desired shape. Glue on words and designs made out of more colored paper, then attach the entire sign to a garden stake placed askew in the ground.

 

 

 

 

Peek-a-Boo Pumpkins by HGTV

Materials you will need:

3 to 5 miniature pumpkins

a mixture of 3 to 5 small bowls and lidded dishes

spray primer (if any of the dishes are not black or white)

black and/or white spray paint

googly eyes
craft glue

Collect Dishes


Pull together a grouping of small, inexpensive bowls or lidded dishes. Tip: Search flea markets and thrift stores for super cheap options with character.   The idea is to paint all the dishes black or white, so use spray primer to coat any of the dishes that aren't either of those colors.  Once the spray primer is completely dry, use black and/or white spray paint to coat all of the primed surfaces.  Apply craft glue to the back of a pair of googly eyes (Image 1), then attach one set of googly eyes to each pumpkin (Image 2). Tip: Place the pumpkins in the dishes before you attach the eyes so you can make sure they're positioned correctly.

Spider Tea Light Holders By Real Moms Real Views

Materials you will need:

Mini pumpkins
Black pipe cleaners
White Tea light candles

Scoop out top of pumpkin just enough to fit the candle in it.  Use a hand drill and drill 8 holes (4 on each side) for the legs.  Add the pipe cleaners and bend to make them look like legs. 

DIY Countdown Calendar For ALL Occassions

Do your children enjoy counting down the days to upcoming holidays, birthdays or other meaningful events and activities?  In my home and storage I have several various advent countdowns including Christmas, Valentines day, St. Patrick's day, Summer and Thanksgiving. The Novotny kids enjoy counting down to fun with daily surprises from notes to trinkets.  It is not always easy to store one more countdown decoration so when I saw this DIY Countdown Calendar from Visual Heart I thought what a great idea you could create this to be generic, match your home decor and use it year round to countdown upcoming fun and celebrations.  She made it as her Christmas Advent countdown but with a few color modifications you could make it usable year round.

Some fun celebrations to countdown to:

Thanksgiving
Christmas
Valentines Day
St. Patricks Day
Easter
End of the school year - Summer
Back to School
Birthdays

Click here for complete how to create a DIY Countdown.

DIY Tile Photo Coasters

It's never to early to begin thinking about Christmas and what creative gifts you can create for gift giving this year.  We found a fun and personalized one using pictures of your family.  The DIY Photo Coaster.  Lindsay at Lee La La has easy to follow instructions over on the Saturday Evening Pot.  Click here for complete how to instructions now.

DIY Moms - Sweet Popcorn

During a recent trip to our state fair I was able to sample sweet popcorn - I choose huckleberry and caramel apple to test and both of them were amazingly sweet.  Now I'm wondering how I can make up a batch of sweet popcorn at home.

How do you make a sweet  popcorn?  Less Cake More Frosting shared her secrets and tips to sweet popcorn. Click here for compete how to instructions and the recipe.

Do you have any tips on creating sweet or flavored popcorn?


*Stop by each week for our DIY MOMS feature.

I Love You Family Message Board

A fun way to remind your family members why you love them on a daily basis is to create a re-useable framed I Love You Today sign.  You can create one for each family members bed room, bathroom or use one for your entire family and leave random messages to a different family member each day.

Simple to create with Creative Juice Free printables - they come in three color choices red, blue or pink.  Print them out place inside a frame and use dry erase markers to leave a message.

Click here to get your FREE Blue or Pink I Love You sign

Click here to get your FREE Red I Love You sign

DIY Moms Paper Plate Baskets

Looking for a inexpensive treat basket or party favor for your next celebration or a simple container to deliver fresh baked cookies to your child's teacher in? This weeks DIY Moms comes from   Sarah Hearts who shares a simple and inexpensive idea creating baskets out of paper plates.  Click here to get complete how to instructions.