It is easy to recycle an empty jar into a wonderful container for Valentine’s Day candies. Just add some cutouts from old Valentine’s Day cards or leftover Valentine's Day napkins to make a decorated jar nice enough to give as a gift. Any size jar will do, just make sure it’s a good size for the candies you plan to put inside.
This craft project is great for family, classroom or group craft time. Have the kids rescue glass jars from the recycling bin and collect a batch of Valentine's Day cards from prior years.
Related crafts: For another craft that uses recycled glass jars, see the Snow Scene in a Jar Snow Globe craft project.
Read through the project then gather the materials needed for making the candy jar. Thoroughly wash an empty, clear glass jar. Gather your Valentine's Day cards from prior years or leftover Valentine's Day napkins.
If you are doing this craft with a group, have each child bring an empty glass jar that has been washed and dried. When doing this craft with smaller children, use plastic jars. Have everyone bring old Valentine's Day cards or leftover napkins and setup a box to collect them for sharing.
Sort through the old Valentine’s Day cards or leftover napkins to find pictures and text to put on the jar. Cut out your decorations and text—you may want to leave a small margin around each cutout.
Glue the decorations and text to the jar. Use a white craft glue that dries clear. Something like Elmer's Glue-All® works well.
For card cutouts, use a paintbrush or foam brush to apply a thin coat of glue on the back of each cutout. Put the cutout on the jar and wipe any excess glue away with a damp paper towel. Use rubber bands to hold the cutouts in place. Let the glue dry.
For napkin cutouts, separate the printed top layer and discard the lower sheets. Pour a little white glue into a bowl and thin it with a bit of water (or use decoupage glue). Apply the glue mixture to the jar and then lay the napkin cutout on the glue. Gently smooth the surface of the cutout with the brush. Carefully wipe away excess glue with a damp paper towel. Let the glue dry.
To protect the decorations and text, cover them with clear packing tape. Cut one or two strips of wide packing tape—just long enough to cover the decorations. Place the tape over the decorations and smooth it to remove air bubbles.
Tip: Instead of tape, you can protect your decorations with two coats of decoupage glue (a mixture of 3 parts white glue to 1 part water), clear Contac® paper or acrylic spray sealer.
Fill your jar with candy and screw the lid onto the jar. The jar can be carefully hand washed on the inside. Do not use a dishwasher or submerge the jar (unless you want to remove the decorations).
That's it! Your candy jar is
ready to enjoy!
Tip: Use a Valentine's Day paper napkin to make an Easy Jar Lid Cover to enhance your candy jar. Or use the printable heart jar lid cover pattern to top off your Valentine candy jar.
Tip: Use cutouts from paper napkins to decorate your candy jar. They have more of a decal look than cutouts from cards.
Related craft: Recycle an empty jar into a snow globe. See how in the Snow Scene in a Jar craft project.
Related craft: Use conversation heart candies to decorate a Valentine Crown!
