50 Jar Gifts: idea #24 – bird feeder

Posted on August 28, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

from the GardenRoofCoop.com ideas for four different jar bird feeders

Do you have a birdwatcher in your ancestors? A bird feeder would be a great way to share that joy of birdwatching along with stories about that family member. Some of the ideas use old plates or saucers as part of the bird feeder. I can imagine spending a quiet morning watching the birds and sharing family stories. If you have some old plates to use that could make another connection to the past. Here are a few tutorials on how to make bird feeders from jars:

from Old Time Pottery

from RunnerDuck.com

from LittleHouseLiving.com

ideas for several kinds of bird feeders via simply-living-simply.com

from celynnssunflowerpatch.blogspot.de

from q-made.blogspot.com

If this idea inspires you, let me know. I’d love to share your project here too.

Want some more ideas? Visit my Pinterest board dedicated to jar gift ideas.

50 Jar Gifts: idea #23 – hanging vases

Posted on August 26, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

Mason Jar Hanger by Midwest Finds via MasonJarCraftsLove.com

When I think of my Grandma Jenson I often think of flowers too. We had a family reunion recently and when Grandma Jenson came up the conversation also included memories of her lilac bushes and hollyhocks. She was also very proud of her Amaryllis and other houseplants. I great way to share memories of Irene would be to put some lilacs in one of these great hanging jar vases and give them to a family member along with a story about Grandma either verbal or written or both. Tell the story and include a written copy along with the vase. Chances are every time that family member say that vase they would think of Irene. Do you have an ancestor or living relative who loves flowers? Here are several different ideas for hanging vase jars.

beaded jar vases from PrettyHandyGirl.com

tutorial by intimateweddings.com

this tutorial by 17apart.com includes a frog for the top of the jar

upcycled baby food jars from HGTV.com

If this idea inspires you, let me know. I’d love to share your project here too.

Want some more ideas? Visit my Pinterest board dedicated to jar gift ideas.

50 Jar Gifts: idea #22 – wind chime

Posted on May 26, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

Mason Jar Chimes by Johnnie Collier via Saved By Love Creations

This is a pretty involved project that takes tools that not everyone has but I love it so much, I had to share it. I can imagine sitting on the porch or deck and listening to the tinkling sound of the glass. You can pick items for the hanging parts that have some sentimental meaning. This could be a great gift for dad. Then hang it up and spend sometime together listening to the chimes and reminiscing.

This would be a super fun project. There is a very good and detailed tutorial by Johnnie Collier on SaveByLoveCreations.com

If this idea inspires you, let me know. I’d love to share your project here too.

Want some more ideas? Visit my Pinterest board dedicated to jar gift ideas.

50 Jar Gifts: idea #21 – “I Love You” Jar

Posted on May 19, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

gift of love in a jar from New Nostalgia

I had visions of getting a bunch of jar gift ideas done for Mother’s Day but somehow other things took priority. So now I have a chance to do some Father’s Day focused ideas. I find dad’s harder to buy for and often resort to edible gifts for my Dad. I’ll resist that at least for a bit and see what else I can come up with first. This idea works equally well for Moms, Dads, Grandparents or anyone. It is super simple in concept. Just write the things you love and appreciate about the person on slips of paper and put them into a jar. By folding or even curling them it looks fun and helps the jar look full. You can decorate the jar any way you would like. Here are a few examples of what others have done.

photo via Pinterest via Squidoo.com

I love you jar from Debbie Hanley

image from Cool Mom Picks via Pinterest

If this idea inspires you, let me know. I’d love to share your project here too.

Want some more ideas? Visit my Pinterest board dedicated to jar gift ideas.

50 Jar Gifts: idea #20 – bath salts

Posted on May 2, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

image from My Crazy Blessed Life

Here is a quick idea for Mother’s Day or any time of year, homemade bath salts! I’ve never tried them but they look like they are fun and easy to put together. Show your mom you appreciate her hard work and that she should take some time for herself. Remissness about childhood bath time. Thank her for all the years of service and the good memories.

Click on the photos for recipes and instructions.

image from Denise in Bloom

photo from Paula Deen

photo from Saving with Shellie

If this idea inspires you, let me know. I’d love to share your project here too.

Want some more ideas? Visit my Pinterest board dedicated to jar gift ideas.

50 Jar Gifts: idea #19 – secret message

Posted on April 30, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

image from My Sisters Suitcase

This would be a great gift for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or a birthday. The basic idea is to write a message, one letter at a time one side of a group of small objects. Then number them 1 to whatever and put them all together in a bottle. When the gift is opened, they put the object in numerical order and then turn each piece over to read the message. You can use wooden game pieces like the example above or paper or even candy. I did it with a variety of hard candy for my dad’s birthday last year and not only did he enjoy it but his grandsons had a great time figuring out the message.

To tie the idea into sharing family stories, the message could be the start of a story or a favorite memory about the person. It could be the starting off point for story telling or you could record the story on an audio or in a book or even just written down on a piece of paper. Here are some more secret messages in bottles ideas.

image from Lessons Learnt Journal

image from Club Chica Circle

If this idea inspires you, let me know. I’d love to share your project here too.

Want some more ideas? Visit my Pinterest board dedicated to jar gift ideas.

50 Jar Gifts: idea #18 “Anyone” Story Prompts

Posted on April 23, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

Anyone Story Prompts

This is the fifth in the series of story prompt jar gifts with questions geared for anyone. The idea is a set of questions in a jar that you can pull out to help anyone to remember and record some of the events from their lives. I printed it on chipboard but they could be printed on cardstock. There is a different color on each end of the question so that once you have answered it you can turn it over in the jar and keep track of which questions you haven’t answered yet. The questions are intended you spark your memory and lead you to other thoughts and memories. Let your them flow and see where they take you.

back of story prompt questions

The first sheet in the file is the back of the story prompts. This sheet is optional but it helps in keeping track of which set of story prompts the question comes from and adds more color to the jar. I start by printing four copies of the first page (full bleed if your printer has that option) and then feed these pages back into the printer to print the question pages. (You should refer to your printer manual to know the right way to feed these into your printer.)

anyone story prompt questions

The next four sheets are the questions. After printing these pages need to be cut apart by cutting the sheet in half (the long way) at 5.5″ and then every 1 1/16″ to finish cutting the questions apart. I also like to use a corner rounder on each question but that is optional. But it looks nice and will help the questions not get so dog-eared with use.

anyone story prompts question sheet

anyone story prompt questions

The last page has an insert for the canning jar lid (wide mouth quart or pint and a half work great) and a set of tags to tie on to the jar with simple instructions. There is a journal cover so that you can also give them a place to record the memories for sharing and future reference. Cut another piece of chipboard or heavy cardstock for the back along with some blank or lined paper for the inside. Then bind them together by your chosen method. I’m lucky enough to have a wire binding machine but you can get the journal bound at your local copy center. This sheet isn’t strictly necessary but it helps pull the gift together into a nice package.

journal cover, lid and labels

I am putting the jar and journal in a gift bag along with some treats to munch on while answering the questions to help get them started on recording their memories.

Feel free to use these files for personal use and gifts. You can download pdfs here.

Questions come from those at StoryCorps.org.

50 Jar Gifts: idea #8 “Remembering” Story Prompts (tellingfamilytales.com)

50 Jar Gifts: idea #17 – Jar Games

Posted on February 24, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

games in a jar from lost button studio

Can you remember the simple games you played as a child? This great idea from Lost Button Studio uses simple objects to play a variety of games. It even has a free printable game booklet with ideas on what games you can play with the objects in the jar. What a perfect opportunity to share memories of childhood games that you remember playing or memories of friends, siblings or cousins that you played with.

games in a jar by lost button studio

Here are a few more jar games ideas. But the one above is my favorite.

secret message in a bottle by my sister’s suitcase

bottle top ladybugs via Love and Lollipops

50 reasons why I love you from Repeat Crafter Me

gumdrop questions game & free printable by the Crafting Chicks

If this idea inspires you, let me know. I’d love to share your project here too.

Want some more ideas? Visit my Pinterest board dedicated to jar gift ideas.

50 Jar Gifts: idea #16 “Children” Story Prompts

Posted on February 18, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

Children’s Story Prompt Jar

This is the fourth in a series of story prompt jar gifts with questions geared for kids. The idea is a set of questions in a jar that you can pull out to help a child to remember and record some of the events from their lives. I printed it on chipboard but they could be printed on cardstock. There is a different color on each end of the question so that once you have answered it you can turn it over in the jar and keep track of which questions you haven’t answered yet. The questions are intended you spark kids memory and lead them to other thoughts and memories. Let their ideas flow and see where they take you.

back of story prompts sheet

The first sheet in the file is the back of the story prompt. This sheet is optional but it helps in keeping track of which set of story prompts the question comes from and adds more color to the jar. I start by printing four copies of the first page (full bleed if your printer has that option) and then feed these pages back into the printer to print the question pages. (You should refer to your printer manual to know the right way to feed these into your printer.)

story prompts question sheets

The next four sheets are the questions. After printing these pages need to be cut apart by cutting the sheet in half (the long way) at 5.5″ and then every 1 1/16″ to finish cutting the questions apart. I also like to use a corner rounder on each question but that is optional. Though it looks nice and will help the questions not get so dog-eared with use.

story prompts question sheets

story prompts question sheet

jar lid, tags and journal cover sheet

I am putting the jar and journal in a gift bag along with some treats to munch on while answering the questions to help get them started on recording their memories.

Feel free to use these files for personal use and gifts. You can download pdfs here.

Questions come from those at StoryCorps.org.

50 Jar Gifts: idea #8 “Remembering” Story Prompts (tellingfamilytales.com)

50 Jar Gifts: idea #15 – Bubbles

Posted on February 14, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

Homemade Bubble Jars by Maison de Pax

Here is another activity oriented jar gift idea. While bubbles are usually thought of as a kids thing there are lots of adults who like them too. Homemade bubble jars create the perfect setting to talk about childhood memories. Below are more bubble ideas to get you started.

Bubble dispenser via Amy Wright

Homemade bubbles: combine 12 cups water, 1 cup dawn liquid soap and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Stir gently. Put all of this in a $5.00 container from Target/Walmart. Inexpensive and spill proof! Give the kids Dixie cups with all your extra wands from previous bubble jars. Enjoy! Amy