February is almost here.  I can’t believe how quickly January has blown by!  It seems like just yesterday, we were preparing for Christmas.

In preparation for February, I have started making Valentine’s Day gifts for my daughter’s teachers.  I love making gifts for teachers!  They are one of the most under appreciated people in our children’s lives.  They have so much influence on the minds & emotions of our future leaders, yet many parents take them for granted.  I am always proud to shower them with EXTRA LOVE!

Supplies needed are: Glass jars, paint, foam paint brushes, ribbon, twine, heart charms, keys, & 3-D heart stickers.

I have been saving glass jars for years, and they always come in handy when I am ready to create something.  For this project, I used several Bertolli pasta sauce jars.  These jars are great because they have character to them.

I started by painting the outside of the jars in Valentine’s Day appropriate colors.  I used containers of paint samples, so that I didn’t need to invest a lot of money in paint.  You can find inexpensive paint samples at Target, Lowes or Home Depot.  I used red, pink, lavender, and beige paint.  Once painted, I turned the jars upside down and let them dry for a couple of days.

I had quite a lot of red & beige burlap ribbon left from Christmas, so I decided to try using it.  On the red jars, I stacked both colors of ribbon for added texture.  I only used red ribbon on the other colors of jars.

I added heart shaped charms that I purchased at Joann’s and keys that I purchased at Michael’s Crafts, attaching them with red, pink, and natural twine.  Very simple to make, yet very festive.

I also had some 3-D heart stickers that I thought would be fun to work with.  I tried several styles, as you can see.

In all, I created over 35 jars that I will fill with Hershey’s Kisses and Hershey’s Hugs.  I will hand these out in a few weeks, spreading lots of LOVE in the process.  I mean, isn’t that what Valentine’s Day is all about?  Spreading LOVE?  I think so!!!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

“Wonder what I will come up with next”…

These are SO darling!  I have made several versions of these over the years.  I thought I would share how easy they are to create, yet how cute they are.

I used both decorated tissue paper, solid tissue paper, and paper doilies that I purchased at the Dollar Tree.  Be sure to cut the solid tissue paper wider that the decorative one, so that it will stick out on the ends.

Once the paper is cut, place the decorative paper so that it creates an edge, see picture 1.  Then flip the paper over.  Fill the toilet paper roll with fun stuff!  I have filled them with candy, rings, bracelets, pens, stickers, etc.  Place the toilet paper roll in the center from left to right, and at the far side of the paper, not near the edge you created.

Carefully roll up the toilet paper roll and tape it at the edge.  Next, roll the toilet paper roll over to the front and tie off the ends with curling ribbon.

Then feel free to add extra decor.  I used stickers to spell out the recipients names.

These make fun gifts for kids, and are an easy craft for kids to make.

Happy rolling!

“Wonder what I will come up with next”…

If you are looking for a simple gift for Valentine’s Day, look no further!  I’ve got it right here for you!  These jars can be filled with candy, or turned into a lantern by adding a tealight.  You can make them so quickly, that everyone you know will be getting one for Valentine’s Day this year.  I know of several teachers that will be receiving them!

I bought these key embellishments at Michael’s Crafts.  They were in a pack of 6 for $1.50, and they had slightly larger ones in a 4 pack for $1.50.  I couldn’t help myself!

I used marinara sauce jars, so there was no added expense, but you could purchase mason jars at any craft store or hardware store.  To cover the jars, I used burlap ribbon, jute, or a red wool ribbon.  Wrap the jar and glue the ends with a quick dry Tacky glue.

I then used a contrasting color of a thinner jute to add color.  I tied knots under the chalkboard heart I purchased at Michael’s and the key.  On the chalkboard heart, I wrote “love” with a chalk marker.

On some of the jars with red ribbon, I added an adhesive heart embellishment that I purchased at Michael’s.  These came in a 9 pack for around $5.

My daughters have male principals at their schools, so I created a few that were a bit more masculine, using burlap ribbon, jute and a key.  I left out the “love heart” on these.

For more detailed instructions, watch my YouTube video.  You can subscribe to my channels on YouTube.  Weezys Wonderland and Weezy’s Wonderland.

Happy jarring…

“Wonder what I will come up with next”…

I love creating!  After I made the wood & burlap picture clips (see my post in “Gift Ideas” from October 2014), I decided to create wood plaques using the same concept.

Start with wood squares & wood heart cutouts.  I bought the squares at Hobby Lobby & the hearts at Michaels.  Paint the wood whatever color you fancy!  I used both tempera paint & wall paint (I buy samples at Lowes & Target of different paint colors, which is an inexpensive way to have several fun colors).

Once the paint dries, attach the burlap with furniture tacks, or any tack you like.

Then, glue on the painted wood hearts.  I used E6000 glue to attach these hearts.  Notice I glued the hearts with the flat side up.  I thought this looked better than the double heart side.

On the red & black plaque, I added a vinyl label and wrote “love” on it with chalk markers.

Here is the finished product.  I think it would be fun to add a ribbon tacked to the back and hang this on a wall.

You can not add the burlap and furniture tacks for a more simplified version of the plaque.

Happy creating…

“Wonder what I will come up with next”…

I LOVE using jars to create fun gifts for people.  Here, I swirled paint on the outside of used jars and filled them with candy for teacher gifts.  You can use any combination of colors to create festive jars!

Start with Tempera paint, foam brushes and disposable plastic containers.  Pour each paint color into a separate container.

Cover the jar with the first color.  Preferably start with the lighter color.  You don’t need to paint on the color neatly.  It looks better if it is messy.

Choose the next color you want to swirl in.  Lightly add in the second color and swirl the brush.  Again, messy is better.  Try not to create a pattern of swirls.

Be sure to paint the bottom of the jar also.

Place the jars upside down to dry.  The paint will dry matte.  If you want a shiny finish, spray with a clear gloss spray paint.  Once the paint has dried, fill the jars with treats, and give them to your favorite friend or teacher (BTW Teacher Appreciation Day is May 5th).

Happy Swirling…

“Wonder What I Will Come Up With Next”…