Jars, jars and more jars

I've stumbled upon and reclaimed/repurposed a bunch of nice jars, lately.

A while back, I mentioned the small square jar that I snagged out of the recycle bin at a charity tea I was working. Well, very recently, I got another 2 of those jars, plus these 2 larger square jars, also from a recycling bin.

In addition, when I was checking Goodwill for goblets, I came across 4 of these jars, for 20 cents each.

I already have plans for some of these jars. The small round jars are lovely when filled with jelly or jam. I have juice and fruit in the freezer, for jam-making this month. I would like to make a batch of jam or jelly to give as gifts this Christmas.

And for those square jars, I'll be filling a couple of them with loose tea, for Christmas and hostess gifts.

I seem to have an attraction to glassware of all sorts. We opened 2 large and 2 small bottles of sparkling cider for Thanksgiving dinner. Those small ones are so cute. I can't bear to part with them. I was thinking that they would make nice votive holders for the patio, if cut them off just below the neck. I may give glass-cutting a try with a few of my saved bottles, this spring.

Easy-To-Make Gift (No Special Skills Required): Decadent Drinking Chocolate Filled Ornaments

A very quick gift to make. Decadent Peppermint Drinking Chocolate packaged in plastic ornament balls. All four of these took me about 30 minutes, total, and cost about $5.50 to make. These could be made with a less expensive cocoa mix, which would reduce the price substantially. I'm giving these to a family. But a single ball would make a nice, affordable teacher gift.

I bought the fillable ornament balls 50% off at Michael's, for 50cents each. I know Hobby Lobby has also carried these. The balls come in several sizes. For a ball which makes 1 mug of drinking chocolate, the 2.5-inch diameter ball is the right size.

There are several brands of premium, sweetened drinking chocolate on the market now. Ghirardelli has one that you can buy in the supermarket. I bought Trader Joe's version for $3.99 a tin (enough to make 7 of these balls). The drinking chocolate does not have milk in it, just sugar and chocolate or cocoa. They're meant to be mixed with milk (as opposed to something like a Swiss Miss instant cocoa). So, I added instant powdered milk, some crushed candy canes, and a little bit of finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips to the drinking chocolate powder.

Here's how I made them.

First, I washed the insides of the plastic balls with hot, soapy water. I turned them upside and supported each on the handle end of a plastic fork, so they could drain and dry out completely. I allowed them to dry overnight.

The next day, I began to fill the balls. I set the uncapped balls in an open egg carton, and used a plastic funnel.

I spooned the amount of drinking chocolate powder, that the tin called for, to make 3/4 cup of beverage (in this case, it was 3 tablespoons). I gently shook the ball, to level the chocolate powder.

Next, I measured in 5 tablespoons of instant powdered milk, leveling each ball after.

I crushed 1  1/2 tiny candy canes in a plastic baggie, for each ball. I shook 1/2 tablespoon of additional milk powder, with the crushed candy canes, to help keep the crushed candy dry.

I topped each of the balls with 1 tablespoon of finely chopped, semi-sweet chocolate chips (poured through the funnel slowly, to prevent clogs), and 1 more tablespoon of drinking chocolate powder.

After wiping the exterior of each ball clean, I put the ornament cap back in place, and tied a little ribbon to the top of each ornament ball.

To make 1 mug of drinking chocolate, pour the contents of 1 ball into a 12-oz mug, add 1 cup of very hot water to the mug and stir.


These are to be sent to my brother's family. I'll include a little card with instructions on how to make each cup of drinking chocolate. I think they're awfully cute, and personally would find them delightful to receive.