A Jar Of Blessings

Cherish your blessings.  It is a seemingly simple statement.   But, I think that, all too often, we forget that our lives are blessed and wonderful in so many ways.  I love to make personalized gifts for family.  So, one Christmas I made a "Blessings" jar.  It is a very simple craft to put together and  as I put it together it also helped me to remember all that I am grateful for in m life.  I filled this jar with 52 "blessings".  Each one was on an individual piece of paper that was rolled and tied with a ribbon.  I also included a journal and pen.  The idea was that the gift receiver would open the jar each week and pull out one piece of paper, untie it, read the slip of paper, and then make a little note in the journal about that blessing.  Once the jar was empty, the following year they were to write new blessing down and put them into the jar.  This idea can be adapted to a number of themes.......activities to do with the kids, "Reasons Why I Love You", a "date" jar, etc.....

To make this adorable, simple craft you will need the following items:
*Glass jar - I used a cookie style jar with a metal screw on lid. Purchased at a local craft store
*White printing paper
*Two or more colors of thinner ribbon
*Mod Podge
*1 piece of scrapbooking paper of your choice(I coordinated with my ribbons)
*1 Metal(or other) embellishment - again, many choices can be found in the scrapbooking section
    of crafting stores.
*Glue gun and glue stick
*Optional - item that represents something important to the person receiving the gift.
*Scissors or paper cutter

Instructions:
Begin by making a listing of items that are pertinent to your chosen topic.  For me, I wrote down 52 individual blessings.  Now you can either type and print these onto paper and then cut or cut individual strips and hand write the items on each piece of paper.  Once the previous step is complete, cut the appropriate number of lengths of ribbon( I had 52 pieces each about 3" long) out of your two chosen colors.  Now(this is a bit tedious I will admit) roll and tie each piece of paper and place it into the jar.

Next you will lay the lid of your jar on the backside of your paper and trace the outline.  Cut it out.  Apply a thin layer of mod podge to the lid and then place the paper(design side up) onto the lid.  Allow to dry completely and be sure to check for any air bubbles.  If you want a glossier finish, you can apply a second coat of mod podge to the top of the paper once the application layer has dried.  While the paper drying, I cut two lengths of each color ribbon.  The lengths will be dependent upon the circumference of the jar opening and how much ribbon you want to hang loose.  Wrap these pieces of ribbon around the neck of the jar and tie in a knot allowing the excess to cascade.  Once your lid is completely dry, attach your chosen embellishment to the lid as well.

I then included a letter explaining how it was to be used.  Enjoy!