Some of you may remember back in July when I posted that I had been busy making jam from all those beautiful and delicious blackberries that I had coming in too fast. With Christmas just around the corner I thought I would share "the other side of me". No stamping on this project...sorry! This project brings out the "computer gal" side of my crafting. I designed labels on my computer and cut them out by hand. I wrapped each jar with corrugated paper and applied the labels. The "ribbon" is actually strips of fabric that I cut from a larger piece. I like the frayed edge look that I get this way. I covered each jar lid with more corrugated paper and made snowflakes for the top of each.
I have been totally inspired by the awesome crystal snowflakes that Anna Wight makes for her projects and that is what I attempted to do. It was a little difficult to gather supplies this close to Christmas, but I managed to pull it off thanks to ebay , WalMart, and my local Hobby Lobby craft store.
So far I have decorated 12 jars of jam and one jar of jelly. I don't put up much jelly, because it is more difficult and time consuming, but my mother loves it so that one is for her. My mother's Eastern Star organization makes apple butter each fall, so I decorated some of those to give as gifts as well.
This is one of the snowflakes that I made for the top of each jar. I used a pre-made ornament that I purchased at Hobby Lobby in the "Tree Just for Me" section (these are the little tree decorations). I removed the jute string and frosted it with Diamond Dust Glitter (ebay). I used my Martha Stewart punch and some Old Olive CS to make those tiny little branches, and my Martha snowflake punch and white cs for the smaller snowflake. I threaded some natural hemp twine through some old buttons I had laying around and attached it all with my handy, dandy glue gun. I haven't used my glue gun in so long, I had to search for it. TIP: keep a bowl of ice water on the table when using a hot glue gun so that you can put your poor little fingers in it when you accidentialy get glue on them.)
Merry Christmas,
