Decorative Jar DIY

Last week I made a mint sugar scrub & mentioned that a pretty jar would make it suitable for gift giving.

Materials:

scrapbook paper

paper punch

white glue or mod podge

clean glass jar

clear coat spray

hot glue

ribbon or other embellishments

So first thing is first, get a clean jar. You can buy a jar, or use one that you have.  I used an applesauce jar.  Make sure you clean the jar well if you are repurposing a food jar!  I also boiled my jar to help lift up the sticky residue from the jar label's glue.

Measure your jar's width and cut a sheet of scrap paper fit to wrap around the jar.  I chose to use a decorative punch to get this fun edge.  You could use a punch, hand cut with scissors or a razor blade, or use decorative scissors to create the edge you want.  I only did one edge, as I would later be covering the second edge with ribbon.

As you can tell, I had some slight major issues with getting my decorative edge the way I wanted it to look!

Word to the wise- do your punching over a trashcan or another sheet of paper, so you won't have to waste time scooping up all of this mess!

After you get your decorative edge the way you want, you are going to adhere the paper to the jar.  If you are reusing a food jar, look around and see if there are any markings that you might want to hide or disguise, this will help you with your paper placement.  My applesauce jar had small blue print on one side near the top, so I made that the "back" and that is where my paper seam is on the jar.  You can use a spray adhesive if you want, but I love simplicity so I went with good old fashioned white glue.  I used it full strength, it will work watered down to paint consistency just as well.  Spread  the glue in a thin, even coat, apply paper to jar, and smooth any bubbles out before the glue dries.

Apply a thin, even layer of glue.

Now we embellish!  I used a ribbon in a coordinating pattern to cover my one rough paper edge and line the rim of the jar.  Feel free to use your creativity and what you have on hand.  Buttons, silk flowers, and much more would work perfectly.  If you use ribbon, you will want to go ahead and give the cut edges a quick heat seal, then adhere to the jar with hot glue.  I also found a striped letter L chipboard that matched the colors from my paper and ribbon, so I added that to the front of the jar (L for Linda, my mom).

My tag with heart rub on transfer.

Finally I used a second punch to make a tag, and did a simple rub on transfer for the heart.  To add a bit of depth, I used Scotch mounting squares, which you can find in office supply or craft stores.  You could easily recreate the same effect using a bit of foam or corrugated cardboard and glue.

Scotch Mounting Squares

Finally give a nice even coat of clear coat spray over the entire jar.  Clear? not so much, it left a visible film on the glass, which I think actually works out fine, but if you want a completely clear glass you will want to protect the glass from being hit by the "clear" coat.

Front view of final product.

What can you use your jar to hold?  Add a lid and it's perfect for your sugar scrub, or go topless and use it to hold kitchen utensils, pens & pencils, or whatever else you have that needs a "spot."  I gave this to my mom & she now has a cute place to toss her spare change at the end of the day.

Sweet tag embellishment on the back.