Frugal Holiday Crafts with Elmer’s Holiday #GlueNGlitter – DIY Apothecary Jars and Hang Tags

I am a huge, huge, HUGE fan of Apothecary jars. I think they can completely transform a table scape, party table, mantle or shelf. You can fill them with all sorts of things. Anything, really, from candy to berries to pinecones and rocks!

For my #ElmersHoliday #GlueNGlitter Frugal Craft project(s) I decided to create a couple of Apothecary jars with Hang tags. The tags made use of several Elmers, CraftBond and X-ACTO products and were super inexpensive to make.

For the Apothecary jars all you need are some cute jars with lids and glass, wooden or metal candle stick holders for the bases. If you don’t have lids, you can create your own with an upside down bowl that just fits inside the jar and a glass/wooden/metal knob glued to the bottom which is then the top. Easy peasy! You can find plenty of jars at Walmart and dollar stores. You can also “shop” around your house for treasures that can be used!

I had a couple of jars at home to use but I also wanted something to reflect the Holidays more. Even with the hang tags I was making, my jars just didn’t “pop” like I wanted them to. So we headed to Walmart in search of more. I found EXACTLY what I was looking for. I found some adorable Christmas Tree shaped jars.

I have more finished jars to come in a few weeks because I’ve been bitten by the Apothecary Jar making bug and I”ll show those to you then but for now, here are the steps I took to achieve my Christmas Apothecary Jars and Hang Tags.

Supplies:

For jars:

• Assorted jars. Christmas Tree Jar at Walmart: $1.98
• Candle stick holders: Walmart: $2.50
• Glass to glass glue. Sadly, I couldn’t find an Elmers product that worked exactly like I wanted so I used E6000. Walmart: $2.97
• Ribbon (optional) Walmart: $1.97

Total for Apothecary Jar Supplies: $9.42

With that, you can have a complete Apothecary Jar for under $10.00. I wanted to add some Handmade Holiday Hang Tags to it as well as some Christmas gifts. I cam considering them a separate craft since they will go on multiple items and here is the break down for them.

For Tags:

• Elmers Foam Board: $2.88
• Assorted Scrapbook papers: Walmart – $.97 (5 pack)
• Assorted Scrapbook elements: Walmart – $.97 x 3 = $2.91
• CraftBond™ All Purpose Glue Stick: Already in my stash but $3.00 per 3 pack at Walmart
• CraftBond™ Foam Mounting Tape: Walmart: $5.00
• CraftBond Glue Spots Thin-Small: Walmart: $4.00
• X-ACTO Precision Scissors: Walmart: $7.00 I needed these for multiple crafts but can’t exactly break the cost down for several uses so…. they are an investment piece.

Total for supplies: $25.76 for all hang tag supplies

Most crafters/scrapbookers have the adhesive and scissors handy already so minus the cost of those = $11.76 for dozens of tags. I made part of my foam board into tags and another part into a Christmas Card Holder to be featured in another post so the $2.88 for the foam board ALSO breaks down into multiple crafts just like the adhesives and scissors. F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S! For $38.06 TOTAL, because I also bought some garland for another craft I’m going to post, I bought supplies to make FOUR individual crafts with supplies left over! Can you see how inexpensive it really is? $9.42 for the jars and really, $11.76 for the tags. Cool!

Ok, for the jars, cover your work space with newspaper or plastic to protect it.

Thoroughly clean your jars and candle holders and remove and labels. I use Boogie Wipes (I am an a Saline Ambassador) and they work perfectly! Hey, they have the ability to remove dried, stuck on boogies without drying out your tots nose. They also removed the label adhesive. How cool is that?

After the jar and candle holder are clean and dry apply a thin layer of the E6000 to the top of the candle holder. Place your jar in place and make sure it is nice and even. You don’t have a ton of wiggle room to make sure it is straight but you have a minute or so so make sure it is just right.

Set it aside to dry for at least 24 hours. 48 hours is better. Once it is dry, you can turn it over and add your goodies and any tags or labels you want on it.

While you are waiting for it to dry, you can make your tags.

I printed out a hang tag template that I created in Paint Shop Pro but you can free hand your tag as well or trace one you already have. I wanted different sizes, so I created a few and printed them. Trace your tag onto your foam board and cut out CAREFULLY using an X-ACTO knife. You don’t want to slice your finger or lose one so be careful!

After your foam tag is cut out, trace your pattern onto coordinating scrapbook paper. Trace two so you can cover each side.

Using your X-ACTO Precision Scissors OR X-ACTO Decorative Edge scissors, which I used because I already had a pair, cut out your scrapbook paper hang tag.

Glue onto your foam board tag using your CraftBond™ All Purpose Glue Stick. Press into place and allow to dry for about one minute.

Cut a smaller hang tag out of coordinating scrapbook paper. Attach on top of your tag using CraftBond™ Foam Mounting Tape for dimension.

Poke a hole in your hang tag for your ribbon using a hole punch or the tip of your scissors.

Lastly, add any decorative embellishments you’d like.

Add your ribbon and attach to your, now dry, Apothecary Jar (presents, Christmas tree, etc.) Then make more! They can be used at birthday parties for holding assorted candies, Holiday parties for fudge, cookies, etc. and all around the house for everyday decor. I ♥ these jars!!!

Along with my jars and tags, I also made DIY Wreath Letters and a DIY Christmas Card Holder with the items I purchased today. Click on the names above to view those tutorials.

You can also see my entire shopping experience at Google+.

You can follow Elmers in several ways:
www.elmers.com
www.facebook.com/elmers
http://twitter.com/elmers
www.facebook.com/xacto

Disclosure: This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for #ElmersHoliday #gluenglitter #collectivebias #CBias. #ElmersHoliday. All opinions are my own.