Wine & Chocolate Gift Jar

Regular contributor, Michelle James, is sharing a quick and easy DIY gift jar that’s perfect for any occasion. You are going to love this project.

Two of my very best friends’ parents are having some major health issues right now, and it is so hard to watch them struggle through this difficult time. I wanted to give them something so they could relax and de-stress a bit. So, I came up with a wine and chocolate gift jar!

Wine and Chocolate Gift Jar

They both like wine and who doesn’t like chocolate? Well, I guess I know a few people who don’t like chocolate but it is not these two. You should definitely substitute the chocolate for something else if your recipient doesn’t like it.

Here’s a quick and easy idea for a thoughtful gift… #DIY #GiftIdea #GiftInaJar

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Supplies needed:

Large jar
Sticker Paper
Free Printable (download link at the end of this post)
Printer
Kraft Card Stock paper
Small piece of fabric – I used a piece of drop cloth
Scissors/paper trimmer
4 Small bottles of wine
Twine
Hole Punch
Chocolate/Candy of your choice

First you will want to download the free printable. This includes the tag and the wine bottle labels. Cute right? I love how they turned out.

Here’s what to do:

Print out the labels and tag onto sticker paper.
Trim each label and the tag with scissors or a paper trimmer
Peel off the sticker backing and place directly over the current label. (if you don’t want to cover the label you can place it directly opposite on the other side of the bottle.

Peel off the sticker backing of the tag and place it onto the kraft card stock. Trim around the edges to create a border around the sticker. You can see this in the photo below. Punch a hole at the top left. I punched it about an inch and a half in from the corner. I also wrote a little bit on the back of the tag before attaching it to the jar.

Wrap the neck of the jar several times around with the twine leaving a bit of length at the beginning and the end. Tie a knot. Then thread the tag onto the twine and tie another knot.
Place the piece of fabric at the bottom of the jar. This looks nice but also keeps them from banging and clanking too much. We don’t want to break good bottles of wine.
Place the 4 wine bottles into the jar so the label faces out.
Fill in with chocolate or candy all around the wine bottles.

You are done. Now…surprise your friend!

Say yes, to Wine and Chocolate in a Jar! #DIY #Gift #Jar #Wine #Chocolate

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Download your free labels and tag here

I can’t wait to deliver these.

Have a great couple of weeks!

~Michelle

Visit Michelle at her blog, Michelle James Designs!

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Do you have any quick and easy Gift Ideas?

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~Lorelai

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21 Mason Jar Recipes For Autumn

21 Mason Jar Recipes

for Autumn

During this season of the year, I often find myself daydreaming about the beautiful Autumn colors of falling leaves drifting to the ground. Here in Southern California, I don’t get to experience much of that loveliness. So, I settle for decorating my home and enjoying the rich flavorful samplings of homemade Fall foods. There is almost nothing that says homemade better than a good old-fashioned Mason Jar, and better yet, Mason Jar Recipes.

Mason Jars are incredibly versatile, from food stuffs, to decorating, to storage and gift giving, and more. Today, I have a collection of 21 Mason Jar Recipes for Autumn to share with you. Please enjoy and be inspired.

Fill your jars with these scrumptious Mason Jar Recipes:

1. Chili and Cornbread in a Jar
from StoneGable

2.Mason Jar Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifle
from Food, Family & Finds

3. Hot Apple Cider In a Jar Mix – Gift – Free Printable
from eHow Craft Blog

4. Creamy Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oatmeal in a Jar
from Mason Jar Breakfast

5. Scarecrow Snack Mix in a Jar
from Sunshine and Hurricanes

6. Mini Chicken Pot Pies in a Jar
from The Nerd’s Wife

7. Pumpkin Bread in a Jar
from StoneGable

8. Caramel Apple in a Jar Gift
from The Gunny Sack

9. Chocolate Caramel Pumpkin Cobbler in a Jar – Free Printable Tags
from Living Locurto

10. Pumpkin Granola in a Jar
from Real Food Real Deals

11. Fancy Dinner Rolls in a Jar
from The Farm Girl Recipes

12. Shepherd’s Pie in a Jar
from Cravings Of A Lunatic

13. Pumpkin Cake in a Jar
from Maurine Dashney

14. Fall Cookies in a Jar Gift – Free Printable
from Lil’ Luna

15. Pumpkin Creme Brulee in a Jar
from Garden Therapy

16. Fall Friendship Soup Mix in a Jar Gift
from Bargain Briana

17. No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake in a Jar
from A Night Owl

18. 7-Layer Dip in a Jar
from Krista and Jess

19. Pumpkin Cookies in a Jar Gift – Free Printable
from The 36th Avenue

20. Mason Jar Apple Crisp
from New House, New Home, New Life

21. Mini Pumpkin Pies baked in Mason Jar Lids
from Mason Jar Crafts Love

So many scrumptious ideas. I hope you find something you would like to give a try this Autumn. Maybe you will even come up with your own Mason Jar Recipes. If you do, be sure to come back and let us know. Happy Eating!

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What are some of your favorite Fall foods?

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Have you ever tried a Mason Jar Recipe?

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~Lorelai

Linking to these fabulous parties:

Merry Mondays Link Party #24
The Yuck Stops Here Link Party #29
Home Matters Linky Party #10
Share Your Cup Thursday Link Party #122
Pretty Pintastic Link Party #25

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Mason Jar Pump Dispenser – DIY

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DIY
Mason Jar Pump!

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A couple of weekends ago, I posted a scrumptious recipe for Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup (This recipe has been updated. Find the new recipe here… Pumpkin Spice Syrup–Improved Recipe, Saavy?). The photo I used showed the syrup in a mason jar with a pump. I loved this idea, and decided to make one for myself. The project is really very simple, but Luke and I had a great time doing it together. Here is the How To…

What You Need:

Mason Jar with Canning Lid and Ring
Plastic Bottle with a Pump (Soap Dispenser)
Nail
Power Drill with a Hole Attachment
Box Cutter
Stainless Steel Washer or a second Lid (optional)

Instructions:

Empty contents of pump bottle and clean.
Measure width of bottle threads. (We used a soap dispenser that measured 7/8″)
Measure for the center of the lid, and use the nail to mark the center.
Drill hole in the center of the lid and smooth edges.
Use box cutter to slice off the top of the bottle with the threading and a little shoulder to keep it from pulling through the hole.

Assembly:

Check fit of all pieces. Trim pump straw (at an angle) to proper height for jar.
Slide bottle threading through the stainless steel washer, and then through the lid hole.
Place pump through the threading and tighten.
Place lid on jar and lock in place with the lid ring.

Notes:

We used the stainless steel washer to give extra support for the pumping. You could also double the lid for more strength. Both of these are optional.
All pieces are removable for easy cleaning, especially when using the pump for food items.
DO NOT use zinc lids if you will be using the pump for food. Be sure to use the canning lids only!

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Rory and I are loving our Mason Jar Pump Dispenser filled with Pumpkin Spice Syrup! I hope you find this DIY project easy and fun. Let me know if you give it a try.

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Have you made anything similar?

What DIY projects have you done for your home?

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On Another Note~

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Around the World with I Am Meg
Today marks the 7th post in the Travel Guest Blogger Series. Please go check it out!
Today’s Post: Kimberly: Greensboro, North Carolina
For a list of all posts, Check the Schedule: HERE

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A Pinteresting Halloween!

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An InLinkz Link-up

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~Lorelai

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Our Little Happiness Jar Is Full

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Our Happiness Jar Is Full !

A while ago, Rory and I made a Happiness Jar. I wrote a blog post about our project, and why we were doing it in Our Little Happiness Jar, click to read about it.

Today, our Jar was very full, and we decided to read the notes we stuffed inside. It was great. We sat down with our morning cups of coffee, and took turns reading the scraps of paper. What a joy. We laughed and talked about some of the memories the notes brought back, about how somethings had changed. We became sentimental with others. It was a nice moment, quality mother and daughter time, and a wonderful start to our “Happy” day.

If you don’t have a Happiness Jar, I would highly recommend you think about starting one for your family. We saved our notes in a ziplock bag and marked it with the date we read them. Maybe somewhere down the line it will be fun to take a look back.

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Do you have any similar family traditions?

Does your family sit down and focus on the happiness/blessings of your lives?

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Our Little Happiness Jar…

Times are tight and tough right now for Rory and me. So, I thought I would do something to remind us that we are still blessed in many ways. There are still things for which we can be happy.

We have long had the tradition of a Christmas Blessings Box. This decorated box sits below our Christmas Tree with Christmassy paper and pens next to it for everyone to write random blessings and place them in the box. We do our big celebrating and gift opening on Christmas Eve, but on Christmas morning (after the excitement of stockings), we settle in next to the tree and read the notes in the Christmas Blessings Box.

I thought it would be a nice idea to turn this long-time holiday tradition into an everyday opportunity. I knew I had seen something on the internet regarding a Happiness Jar and it had reminded me of our Christmas box. I did a search and found lots of photos and even the originator of the idea. Read about Elizabeth Gilbert and her Happiness Jar, here.

Remembering that I had found an old mason jar when cleaning off the shelf over the dryer, I went to find where I had stored it. I grabbed my prize and went to scrub it clean. It had bits of old labeling stuck to it. Have you any idea how to get off those pesky bits? It’s really very simple…vegetable oil! I ran the jar under hot water to heat the leftover labeling and then scrubbed the jar with vegetable oil. The old labeling came easily off the glass.

Now, I had a sparkling jar to decorate. I tied a beautiful floral print bow around it and designed a printable (watch for this Printable DIY as a post soon).

I liked the idea of using a clear Mason jar for my Happiness Jar because you can see the blessings piling up inside. I figure that once a month Rory and I will sit down together and read these happy notes. Long live the Happiness Jar!

Do you have any similar traditions or ideas?

UPDATE: Our Little Happiness Jar Is Full

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