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Potpourri Jars for End of the Year Teacher Gifts

Frugal Crafts and Homemade Gifts (featured column)
Submitted by Michelle Jones

Potpourri jar teacher gifts

Recreate these beautiful and inexpensive potpourri jars for end of the year teacher gifts. (Sure wish we had a better photo for you!) We used baby food jars, paper lace doilies, silk roses, and the teachers loved them.

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Items Needed:

Clean baby food jars (Keep at least 1 lid for making this craft project.)

Bag of potpourri (A berry scent is wonderful and pretty!)

Lace doilies, paper or other

Miniature paper or silk flowers (Clip flowers off the stems with scissors.)

Pretty ribbon (a color that will blend well with the potpourri and flowers you've selected)

Hot glue gun, and regular glue

Directions:

Fill baby food jars with potpourri.

Place lace doilies on top of jars, then use a reserved lid to press down and twist lightly making a firm rim impression on the doily.

Remove doily, then place a few drops of hot glue around the jar rim and fit lace doily back on securely (Be careful not to let hot glue touch your fingers, ouch!  You can use the lid to press the doily back on, but do it quickly or it may not come off! ;o)  

Place ribbon around the rim of jar and tie into a bow.  Put about 2-3 drops of hot glue under the ribbon (1 in the front of jar under the bow, and another in the back) to keep ribbon secure.

Then glue (with regular glue) a small paper or silk rose (or any flower desired) onto the center of the doily.  (If using cloth doilies, it will be okay to use hot glue, but we discovered that hot glue will not hold the flowers well on paper doilies.)

To finish: Attach a gift tag or write the child's name and year on the bottom of the jar.

(Please Note: Depending on your child's age, he/she can help with choosing the potpourri and the flowers, filling the jars and placing the flowers on top, and writing their name on the bottom of the jar, or on the gift tag.  Leave the hot glue gun steps for the adults!)

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Copyright © 2004 by Michelle Jones. All rights reserved.