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 #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 #14 – Playdough Jars

Posted on January 29, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

rainbow playdough photo from nicolehastings.com by cathryn via Pinterest

Here another idea geared for children. We know that kids can sit still longer if you can keep their hands busy. So how about handing out jars of colorful playdough when you want to tell them a family story? You could encourage them to be inspired by something in the story on what they create. If your story has something to do with making something with your hands that would be a perfect fit too.

I was amazed at all the different recipes for playdough out there now. You can make playdough using jello, with glitter or glow in the dark. It can even be edible or gluten-free. Jars are a natural fit for packaging and story playdough. It prevents it from drying out and it looks pretty too. Here are some ideas from Pinterest that I found intriguing.

DIY Jello-o playdough tutorial from Our Little Coop

Homemade Glow in the Dark Play Dough with instructions

How to Make Glitter Playdough

Homemade (edible) playdough party favors

Gingerbread Playdoh from Maddycakes muse

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 #13 – I Spy Jars

Posted on January 22, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

image by Spell Outloud via Pinterest

I find I spy bottles fascinating. They are easy and inexpensive to make. I think it would be fun to make jars with objects that represent favorite family stories or things about a specific ancestor. I can just imagine a group of cousins with identical I spy jars gathered around listening to stories about their family while they try to find the item. Another option is to create an I spy jar to help in telling just one story. The items in the jar could represent different parts of the story. It would be awesome to make a story book to go along with the jar. How about a series of I spy jars with companion books waiting on the shelf for the grand-kids to come by?

Rice is the most common filler but lots of other things work like beads, bird seed, wheat or a mixture of small items. I hope the images below will get your creative juices going.

image from brainintrainin.com via Pinterest

I Spy Bottle Tutorial on Southern Disposition

image from Tara Teaches

image from Meet the Dubiens

glitter spy jar from inspire co.

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 #11 – Craft Kit

Posted on January 17, 2014 by tellingfamilytales

snowman craft kit by Michelle of chalkboardblue.com

Do you know someone who likes to make crafts? How about gathering together supplies and packaging it into a jar? The supplies could be for a specific craft, like the snowman kit above or just a gathering of supplies.

How do you tie into to telling your families stories? Well if your family has a story about a snowman the snowman kit would be the perfect opportunity to share that story. One year when we went on our annual Christmas tree cutting trip we found a huge snowball someone had made. We took the opportunity to take family photos on and around the snowball. It was a memorable occasion. So pick a craft that reminds you of a family story.

image from Breann Suttles on Pinterest

contents of the jars above

Or if an ancestor who enjoyed a certain craft or hobby and kit related to that would work great. My grandmother learned to paint when she was older. A jar with painting supplies would create an opportunity to share about how Irene enjoyed taking classes on painting and went on many outings to paint landscapes.

Jar filled with crafting supplies via The Shine Project

Another option would be to have some of the craft supplies come from buttons or fabric etc that were once owned by an ancestor. I’ve inherited much of my grandmother’s thread and buttons. A kit could also give you the chance to teach a skill such as sewing or knitting or something like wood working or candle making that a used to be common knowledge for our ancestors that we don’t often learn today.

image from ashleyannphotography.com

image from Geraldine Martinez

You could also put together a kit or scrapbooking and encourage a family member to record a story from their own life. There are so many possibilities. Start brainstorming and see what you can come up with that ties into your own family stories.