Spice Stocking Stuffer - Inexpensive Gift #5

This will be a perfect stocking stuffer for a college student or someone moving into their very first apartment.
I found approximately 156 spice suppliers in the United States. Spices may be packaged by different names but they come from the same places. So this is my premiss for buying spices at the Dollar Store. Paprika cost one dollar there or you can get Spice Island Paprika for $4.56 at the grocery store. Are they the same? Maybe not. Can you taste the difference? Perhaps. But in order to keep this gift an inexpensive one we are betting that they are of the same quality. Also, make sure to check the expiration date before you buy. The jars I picked up have expiration dates of 2015 or 2016. That’s good.




I found some of these cool plastic containers at Staples for 50 cents each. They are supposed to be used for paperclips and thumb tacks but I’m going to make a neat stocking stuffer with them. You can use any little stackable container. I found these in the school supply section.
Always wash things out before you begin. Better safe than sorry.
Choose spices that will look good together. Don’t put a garlic powder next to an onion powder. Try to make the color and texture interesting.
After decided which spices to use make labels on your computer or write on some white duck tape to tag each spice. Writing on the plastic is difficult and will be hard to read once the spices are in the containers.
Pour the spices in the corresponding jars. Now stack them on top of each other. The Lock Ups will snap into place. They are ready to slip into any stocking or wrap with ribbon to make a special gift topper.
The best part is they don’t take up much room and if you’ve ever been in a college dorm you know that space is hard to come by.
The containers were 50 cents each and they hold a half container of spice so each Lock Up cost about $1 per jar. You can make them as tall as you’d like.




$4 for the one on the left and $6 for the one on the right.


“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci

Hot Chocolate Snowman - Inexpensive Gift #4

I needed to figure out what to do with all those other jars that came in the pack I bought at Walmart. After all, I used just two of them for the Teachers Gift post (Inexpensive Gift #3). I thought it would be sweet to make something just for fun. You can use baby food jars or any jars you have around the house.
I’m going to stack 3 jars on top of one another and fill them with fun hot chocolate stuff. I’ll make two of these so I’ll use 6 jars all together. First and always wash out the jars. You don’t have to sterilize them for this project.




I painted two jars with snowman faces. I gave one a traditional carrot nose and the other a round clown type nose. Next I took 4 more jars and paint buttons on them. Remember, we are using the same acrylic paint that we’ve used for Inexpensive Christmas Gifts #1 (Glass plate painting for kids) and #2 (Painted candle stick holder). We are also going to bake the glass in the very same way so please review those posts before you begin.
We will glue 2 of the lid seals to the jar tops. Remember to be careful if you are using a hot glue gun because the metal will heat up. You won’t have to do this with the other 4 lids and tops unless you want to but since we are glueing hats on the top jars it would be best to seal them together.



Next take some material to make the snowman hat. I had some foe leather scraps from when I recovered a chair so I used that. Use any material you have around. If you don’t have material around you can use felt or paper.
Trace the lid to make a top for your hat. Glue a strip around the outside of the lid. Next trace a bigger circle to create the lip of the hat. I used a cardboard coaster we got when we went to Biltmore Estates and ate lunch at Cedric’s in the Village. (3-12-13 blog post)
Don’t glue this larger piece on. It will screw onto the jar opening with the lid.
I’ll try to guesstimate the price on each of the snowmen. We already determined that the jars cost 58 cents each. I bought a big bag of mini marshmallows but only used a small portion of them so I’ll guess 15 cents per snowman. The white chocolate morsels can be between 2.50 and 3.50 per bag. All depends on what brand you choose. You may even decide to use peppermint instead of chocolate which would bring the cost down. I used half a bag of white chocolate per snowman. I used Publix brand Hot Chocolate Mix which cost $1.97 for 10 packs. One snowman will use 5 packs. You can use fancier stuff but it will cost you. So I’ll guesstimate each snowman will cost about $4.12.



Once the jars are filled you can stack the jars and glue them together. You’ll still have to be careful with them so the little guys don’t come apart. I used some of the same cloth I used for the hat for the belt and I had some red ribbon with wire in it I bought two Christmas’s ago so I used that for the scarf. You can use any ribbon you'd like. Just remember to always save ribbon. It's so handy and doesn't take up much room.

And I'll leave you my friends with this quote:
Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.
Booker T. Washington

More money saving tips very soon.

Teachers Gift - Inexpensive Christmas Gifts #3

This is especially good to make for teacher gifts, for kids in college or anybody really.



I went to Walmart and found half pint canning jars. They came in a 12 count box and cost $6.97 (58 cents each). I also bought some honey at $4.08 (16 ounces), 84 cents for 2 lemons and $2.00 worth of ginger (about a finger sized piece) and a box of pectin (about $2.50 a box). You’ll get two 1/2 pint jars out of these few ingredients. Each gift should cost about $5.29.

Always wash citrus before you eat or cook with it - Wash the ginger as well. While I was in the store I saw a guy put a piece of ginger right up to his nose to sniff it and then he put it back. YUCK!

I’ll sterilize the jars using the instructions from my August 21,2012 blog called “Making Peach Jam.” You may want to review that blog post before beginning this one.

It wasn’t hard finding this recipe online. It’s everywhere! I did have trouble finding the exact amounts. I followed one recipe but the syrup never jelled. So I got new seals and sterilized the jars again. (You can only use the seals once) and this time I added more pectin (which totaled one box). I had to cook the ginger and lemon in with the honey because it was already mixed from my fist attempt. I think this is best so it worked out alright. The flavors kind of cooked in together.



Instructions:

In a small saucepan heat the honey, sliced lemon and sliced ginger.
Add pectin (6 Tablespoons or one box) and cook on high, allowing it to boil for about 3 minutes.
Pull the lemons and ginger out of the honey and add two drops each of  Lemon and Ginger Essential Oils. You can get more information on how to purchase these oils by emailing me at settersrun360@gmail.com.
Add a few new lemon slices to the sterilized jars and pour the honey mixture over the lemon.
Once the jars are sealed put them back into the pot of water and boil for 10 more minutes.
Take them out and when you hear the top pop then you know the jar is sealed.
Cool and put in refrigerator.
Since I cooked the lemon and ginger in the honey I didn't add any extra ginger to the jar. I think it will be easier to use without having to fish around the ginger pieces.



The Jar: First I tried to put labels on the jars but they were cold so that didn’t work. I just made tags on card stock on my computer with the directions on the inside. I drew a bee and flower on the front with an ink pen. I used a simple piece of raw hide to finish the gift. You can use any kind of ribbon. I keep ribbon from packages I receive so I always have some around.
Here are the directions:

“When you feel a scratchy throat coming on take a spoon full of this jell and add it to a mug. Fill the mug with hot water and stir until dissolved. Now you have a nice, hot and tasty drink that will sooth that sore throat.”
KEEP REFRIGERATED

In my research I found this bit of important information. You may need to include this at the bottom of your directions.

Warning: Ginger has some blood-thinning properties so if you are on an aspirin regiment consult your physician before using this mixture.

I hope that you and your children enjoy making this gift. More to come!
Write me for more information at settersrun360@gmail.com