Christmas in July: {Christmas Potpourri Jars}

It's July.

Way back many many years ago when I was teaching in the school system, I would spend my July getting ready for Christmas.

I loved my summers off as a teacher and took advantage of the extra time I had to organize my home, do fun things with my kids....and knock out my Christmas list.

I took "Christmas in July" literally and took it upon myself to organize my Christmas gift list.

One of the reasons I did this is because I loved making Christmas gifts to give away.

Another reason I did this was because we lived on a tight budget and this was one way I could give gifts to many without it costing me a fortune. I love to give gifts....family, friends, neighbors, postman, Sunday School teachers, co-workers, the gal who cut my hair, my doctor, my dentist....you get the picture.

You can imagine my excitement when I discovered Pinterest! Oh my...the glorious-ness of pinning all these awesome gift giving ideas! Pinterest is a great tool for just that. And I must say, I do actually try quite a few of the things I pin....That is where much inspiration comes from today for most of my projects.

One gift I made for a friend {or two} last year were some potpourri jars. I started out with a clean spaghetti sauce jar. The lid on this brand was actually already black and had no writing on it, so it was good to go as is. You can always spray paint the lids to cover up writing. 
I actually love to look at the different jars when I'm shopping to see what ones I can re-purpose into these.

I put the following in my jars. I don't measure or anything, just kind of fill them up w/ a mixture of:
**sliced oranges
**sliced limes
**sliced lemons
** bay leaves
**cinnamon sticks
**whole cloves {use at least 2T}

After you have placed the above things in the jars, you just fill with water.
Put the lid on and they are ready to give away as is, or you can add ribbons, labels etc...


Which is what I did:

I had found this red bowl and napkin at a local goodwill store and knew it would be perfect for this gift. I added a ribbon to match and then a sticker that had the instructions for use. {which is basically : simmer on stove}

I added a ribbon to match and then sticker that had the instructions for use: {which was basically: "simmer on stove" adding water when necessary} 

I then finished it off with cellophane wrap and a big bow in a coordinating color....ready to give....ready to enjoy!


Using re-purposed jars, goodwill finds, and not so expensive ingredients, these are great gifts that you can make a lot of for a small amount of money.




Here is another one I made. I just packaged it differently.

This one is the same recipe in a smaller jar that I nestled into an antique bowl I found. My friend collects them and this was a perfect find for her.
These jars are just perfect to tuck into things or to just give by themselves.

If you look close enough, you'll see I did another technique on the lid. I used this tutorial right here to mod podge a cupcake liner onto this lid. Can you imagine the possibilities??

So, if you, like me, take Christmas in July literally, why not make up a few of these jars to tuck into gift baskets or give as a stand alone gift this year. Recipients love to use these to bring the holiday smells into their homes.

....and making them this summer will allow you to enjoy your holidays completely this December....