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Baby Food Jars

by: Shiloah Baker

If you feed your baby from the baby food jars, chances are you have tons! Save those jars!! There are so many things you can do with them. Here are ideas I have compiled.

Spices
Put mixed spices that you can do yourself. For example: spaghetti mix (oregano, basil, garlic, chilies, thyme) or (cinnamon, cloves, allspice and ginger) or everyday mix (paprika, thyme, marjoram, garlic and sage) Use your imagination and go for it. It's simple and very useful when you are in a hurry!

Time Capsules

Use baby food jars as a sort of time capsule. Fill them with discarded things and keepsakes all from a certain period of time. From baby hair and ribbons to Girl Scout pins, to bubble gum toys, to guitar picks, to old movie tickets.

Holiday Gifts

Cut wooden shapes (i.e. animal heads, stars, holiday themes, etc.) a little larger than the lid, paint them & screw them to the lid. Screw from the inside of the lid & use a nail that's not so long that it will come out through the other side. Fill with goodies have a quick gift to gift to give those unexpected guests during the holidays.

Sample Jams, etc.

Great for giving samples of your homemade jams and jellies and potpourri to your friends at holiday time.

For jam/jelly you can use baby food jars for short term use- not long term storage. To seal, melt paraffin wax in a coffee tin inside a pot of boiling water. Dip the lid of the baby food jars into the wax and allow to cool and seal. Keep these refrigerated when done and use soon.

Votive Candle Holders

Decorate them with flowers, ribbons, put small piece of fabric over the cap and tie with ribbon, or paint flowers or fruit on the jars, and put votive candles inside.

I know you have 'candles' in there, but more specifically: I found a local gal who makes candles. I can take jars to her to fill with 'baby powder' scented wax...then give shower gifts, You can do them in blue, pink, yellow or whatever you wish. If you wanted it to like plums, for instance, have them scent and color it accordingly.

-Contributed by: Lisa

Miscellaneous Items

Use them for buttons. If you dry your herbs, and grind them, use them for this also, and stick on labels.

Sand Art

Take different color sands and layer them and then with a stick or knife you insert inside the jar edge and move the sand into a zigzag effect and glue the cover on and they make great gifts for decorations.

Storage Idea

This is just another storage idea, collect seeds from annual flowers, marigolds, cosmos, snapdragons, etc. and the smaller baby food jars are great for storing them in. Leave lids off for a couple of weeks, to be sure the seeds are really dry first.

Funny Gag Gifts

Texas Snowman
Fill a jar almost half full of water, put in a 5 small black beads a small plastic carrot and small plastic black top hat. Then paint the lid, put the lid on and put a tag on them.
You can also call it a California or Arizona snowman.

Pork 'N' Beans
Place some dry beans in with a little pig sitting on top of the beans and write on top of the lid "Pork 'N' Beans."

100% Natural Bubble Bath

Fill it with dried beans and print with "100% Natural Bubble Bath." The put a tag on it these directions: "Cook and ingest at least one hour before bathing."

Donut Seeds

You could also fill with cheerios and print "Donut Seeds". Or you could put frosted cheerios in and have it say "Powdered Donut Holes". Cute for little gag gifts.

Chicken Soup

You can put a chicken in with egg noodles and label it "Chicken Soup"

Beef Stew

Put a small cow with beans and call it "Beef Stew"

Ocean

Fill half with water and a couple of drops of blue food coloring. Fill rest of the way clear cooking oil. Instant ocean.

Jam Jars

Great for selling. Make raspberry, strawberry, and blackberry jams and put in jars. fabric with ribbon/bow on the lid. You could sell for up to $3.00 each!
(see above for tips on sealing)

Fun Fish Jar

Decorate the outside of a clean empty baby food jar with fish stickers. Put a few small shells inside. Nearly fill the jar with water, and a little bit of light corn syrup. Add a drop or two of food coloring and some blue glitter. Seal the lid to the jar to prevent leaking.

Bath Salt Jars

Put batting on the lid and add a gingham cloth for a soft look, then fill them with bath salts. You could add these to baskets that filled with candles and soaps.

Potpourri Holders

Fill with potpourri, cover top with lace and weave a ribbon around the side and tie tightly to keep daily or lace in place. Add small flowers, ribbon and even a tiny bird. They look great, are nice smelling and they make wonderful gifts.

"Stained Glass" Candle holders

You can use them for container candles. Or glue various colored pieces of tissue paper on the outside to get a stained glass effect. For votives in your yard, you can wrap some around the neck to hang.

Snow Globes

Glue things to the inside of the top of the jar lid using a water-proof glue. Create some sort of scene: i.e.: small house, trees, or a little snowman, or Easter scene, whatever you'd like.
In the jar, place water with a few drops of glycerin in it to make it a little more viscous, and add snow the lid, and (white glitter) or angel dust (silver or gold glitter), and replace close tightly. Shake gently and place it overturned on the lid to watch it snow on your little world!

Quote Jar

I used baby food jars for a special service project last year. I washed and took off labels, good soaking does the job.
I painted the lids with Metal paint that I bought at Michael's, decorated the outside of the jar, added a tag and bow (sometimes). I decorated the jars all different ways.
One Enrichment night we had a special class. The sisters filled the jars with "Teddy Bear Quotes" which I created. These jars went to our sisters in our ward, especially geared to those inactive sisters . It was called "Sister to Sister" service project. Most every got a jar before the year was out.
I also made up some with different type quotes that I got off the following site. Quote Lady
Just go to the site and on the left you will find subject, click on it and things to choose from.
These jars have been given as a personal service project for those that are struggling with physical or emotional problems---that need an extra smile.
I've given the jars to nurses, aides etc. I've given them to those on my visiting teaching route. Inexpensive but of great worth.

Contributed by: Joan B.

Baby Food Jar Rack

I recycled baby food jars 30 years ago. My husband built a wood frame box, put shelves in at slightly higher than height of baby food jar, and ran a wire about in the middle to keep from falling out after it was hung on the wall in his garage.
It held 50 jars, 10 on each row......he used it for sizing all his nuts, bolts, screws, washers, etc. At arms length he could see what he was getting through a little glass jar.

Contributed by: Connie G.

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