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Before creating a gift from your emptied baby food jars, be sure that they've been thoroughly cleaned. This can be done by rinsing them in the sink and running them through a cycle in the dishwasher with your other dishes. If you're short on time, use liquid dish soap, warm water and a washcloth to clean them. For stuck-on bits of food, soak the jars in warm water for five to 10 minutes, then scrub with a washcloth (hint: this is also a good way to remove the label from the jar).
Be sure to allow the jars and lids to completely dry before using them to create your gifts. -
To create your "Garden in a Jar" gift, start with modeling clay or play dough. Pick a color of clay or dough that will look like ground (like brown or green). Roll it out using a rolling pin and use the lid to cut out a circle of dough. Using craft glue or a hot glue gun, attach the circle of clay to the inside of the lid. Next, take some small silk flowers and stick them into the clay in an arrangement that looks good to you. If you're using play dough, let the lid sit out overnight so the dough can harden. Screw the lid onto the jar, taking care not to mess up the flowers. If you'd like, you can decorate the lid using felt, fabric, ribbons, or spray paint.
This can be a gift for Mother's Day, a springtime celebration, grandparents or just for fun. -
You can use baby food jars to make candle holder gifts for any holiday or season. The outside of the jar can be decorated by painting or using tissue paper and decoupage to create the base color. Once that has dried, use felt, buttons, pom poms, stickers, ribbons, or paint to finish decorating the jar. Once everything has dried, add a small votive candle to the jar
For example, at Christmastime, make the base of your jar white, then add eyes, a mouth, and a nose, with ribbon for scarf to create a snowman candle holder.
For Halloween, create an orange jar with a jack-o-lantern face.
The possibilities are limited only by your imagination so have some fun creating your candle holder gifts. - Start by painting the lid of the jar a pastel color to match the season. You can also use stickers or ribbons to decorate the lid a bit more. Place a little bit of Easter grass into the bottom of the jar, then fill the remainder of the jar with jelly beans or other small Easter treats.
- In the winter, fill the jar with hot cocoa mix and mini marshmallows. Spray paint the lids a Christmas color or tie a pretty ribbon and some fabric to the top. This is a fun a simple way to warm the recipient on those cold nights.
- To create your own air freshener using a baby food jar, purchase some potpourri, paper doilies large enough to cover the lid, rubber bands, and ribbon. The lid of the jar isn't necessary in making your air fresheners. Fill the baby jar with the potpourri, place the doily over the top of the jar and secure in place with the rubber band around the rim of the jar. Tie a ribbon around the rubber band to disguise it and make the gift more attractive.
