How To: Canning Jar Gifts

Is it time to start thinking about holiday neighbor or group gifts? If so, check out these great ideas! And don’t forget to personalize them!

Vanilla-Brown-Sugar-Scrub The Frugal Girls Gifts in a Jar
I-Love-You-to-Pieces The Frugal Girls Gifts in a Jar
Hot-Cocoa-Mix The Frugal Girls Gifts in a Jar
Reeses-Chocolate-Cookie-Mix The Frugal Girls Gifts in a Jar

Canning jars can be used for other things besides flower vases. As scary as it sounds, it is coming to the point of the year when people are starting to think of great group gifts for the upcoming holidays. (Dare one say Christmas?) One of these group or neighbor gifts can be to create large quantities of homemade recipes that only require adding minimal liquids or perishables to make yummy homemade treats. The benefits of making these is that not only do you get to let people sample your recipes, but their homes will start to smell of fresh baking for the holidays. Examples for these homemade canning jar gifts may include (but, of course, are not limited to): hot chocolate, wassail or chai mixes, candy in a jar, cookie or cake mixes, or even a good sugar or salt scrub.

And don’t forget that those canning jars don’t just decorate themselves! While a canning jar itself isn’t something spectacularly beautiful, by adding satin ribbon to compliment the contents of the canning jar, you can really create something special. Add a personalized ribbon with a “Thank You” or “Happy Holidays” and let that neighbor know you really care. Or, add any message you desire to your personalized ribbon.

So, don’t forget to throw in your own personal touch by adding embellishments to your canning jars. Not only are you sharing your recipe and the joy of homemade goodies with those around you, but you can also create your own personal flair with these gifts. Go to it; decorate those canning jars however you want! Just don’t forget to use some personalized ribbons to really make these wonderful gifts really special and memorable.

How To: Canning Jars and Ribbons

No matter what the occasion is, when the urge hits to give someone flowers, keep in mind to never just steal them from your neighbor’s garden! Put some thought into the arraignment and make it a personal gift that will mean something for a long time with thoughtful personalized ribbons. And what better way than to make a personalized vase?

So, take those flowers from last week and create a home made project that is sure to please for years to come. We’re all into up-cycling anything these days. Why not incorporate all those old Mason Jars? While it isn’t required to actually use a Mason Jar, find a few of those old canning jars that are lying around your home. And here’s a couple amazing ideas to get you going in the right direction for that something special and personal. All you need is a canning jar without a lid and some scraps of ribbon!

Spring Tulips and Burlap Wrapped Mason Jars flower arrangements
gingham and mason jars a pretty cool life
mason jars with satin green ribbon and white doilies
flowers in clustered mason jars, held together with a ribbon

The simplest way to create a personalized masterpiece is an old canning jar, a wide strip of burlap and a favorite piece of old scrap ribbon. Simply wrap that burlap around the canning jar and secure down with a bit of hot glue. Next, take that ribbon and tie a pretty bow. It’s that simple!

Another way to create these simple vases is to just take a ribbon of your choice and wrap it around the top part of the canning jar. This example used gingham ribbon, but any ribbon will work. Make it personalized by ordering (or using some you already have) personalized ribbon rolls. Dress up this version with a simple paper doily wrapped around the canning jar before tying the ribbon around it.

The final suggestion is to arrange several canning jars together and secure them with a long piece of ribbon. Finish this with a simple, or maybe a more extravagant bow. Whether they be in clusters, like this example, or individual canning jars, these are sure to impress and be a keepsake for years to come.

Using Ribbons and Flowers for Gifts

Make your flowers stand out with a personalized ribbon!

Due to the recent seasons being quite wet, there is now an abundance of flowers in nearby meadows, fields and gardens. Flowers are always a great idea to either bring into a home or give as a thank you or a just because gift. Once you choose the right flower, dress it up with some personalized ribbons!

From the beginning of recorded history, flowers have been assigned special meanings and significance. The symbolic use of a flower is mentioned in Egyptian inscriptions, Chinese writings, and in Greek and Roman mythology. Subtle and secret messages can be given by choosing a flower carefully. Flowers were used throughout history as a secret language that enabled people to communicate feelings that were not allowed at certain times and places. Other factors to consider when giving flowers include color and number.

Nowadays, it has become almost a norm to give flowers for certain occasions. Weddings still dominate this category, but they are good for funerals, birthday gifts, anniversary gifts, and many more. Once an appropriate flower is chosen, such as a bunch of a dozen red and white roses for your significant other on your anniversary, choosing the right ribbon is fairly simple.

When choosing the ribbon to match the flower bouquet, make sure that your colors compliment each other well. You don’t want to choose a bland ribbon color to go with bright flowers.

yellow gold single faced satin ribbon imprint pigment white with pink roses and flowerstropic blue single face satin ribbon imprint metallic ivy green with daisies and other flowersOne idea is to wrap the stems of pink roses with yellow or gold ribbon. When choosing the printing color, make sure that compliments the arrangement as well. Make sure your ribbon choice helps the flower colors to really pop and stand out.

For some flower bouquets, use a neutral color for your ribbon. Try a white or tropic blue with metallic green printing. Can’t decide how to personalize the ribbons to match a flower? Try using your name or provide a date that the present is being given upon. Or, use a short phrase or logo to really make them personal.

silver double face satin ribbon imprint pigment black with flowers in a glass

No matter what the occasion is, when the urge hits to give someone flowers, keep in mind to never just steal them from your neighbor’s garden! Put some thought into the arrangement and make it a personal gift that will mean something for a long time with thoughtful personalized ribbons.

Avoiding Boring Badge Ribbons – Part 1

stock badge ribbons horizontal badge ribbonsThe boring badge ribbon makes its debut at many business conventions, corporate retreats, or any number of other professional gatherings. One can usually find these badge ribbons attached to someone’s name badge or possibly just pinned onto someone’s shirt or jacket. The boring badge ribbon is meant to be functional in presenting a word or short phrase, usually in all capital letters and a very plain font. Please note that there is nothing wrong with this ribbon type if the purpose is to simply designate a particular person as a “Speaker” or any other title.

Badge ribbonsstock badge ribbons verticle badge ribbons that are going to be given out as prizes or promotions are ribbons that aim to get the viewer interested in asking about a particular topic, business or cause you are representing. These badge ribbons are meant for something more, but sometimes they look just as plain as the examples described above. It is this ribbon type that deserves a little extra planning to really perform in their function the best way possible.

TIP #1: Remember what medium you are working with.

You are printing on a ribbon not a brochure or flier. Your text should be concise and to the point.

TIP #2: Consider the badge ribbon size you are ordering.

A horizontal ribbon that is four inches wide can fit words like “promotional” or “team leader” and still be big enough to read from a short distance. But, if you’re getting a vertical ribbon that is only two inches wide, try to use shorter words.

TIP #3: Vertical text should be limited.

Vertical ribbons typically have printing running vertically stacked down the ribbon. Usually you can only get away with having one word like that; any more and it becomes hard to read.

TIP #4: When lots of text is acceptable.

There are promotional ribbons with entire poems that are used as bookmarks, ribbons with wedding details for favors, and keepsake ribbons from family reunions or church events. But, if you want your ribbon to say a lot, plan on having small letters and be prepared to order a metal die to be able to imprint the fine details that are required to have this small print.

TIP #5: Consider the tone of your words.

A corporate meeting would be a great setting for the boring badge ribbon with a simple ribbon saying “President” but, if you have a smaller or less formal meeting why not have a ribbon saying “Man In Charge” or “Big Cheese” instead?

Innovative and Engaging Badge Ribbons promotional badge ribbons stock badge ribbonsTake some time to consider these five tips when choosing which badge ribbon is the best for your purpose. There will be five more tips to follow up after you make your choice to help solidify what you really need. These final tips will help you maximize your badge ribbons and promotional ribbons.

*Tips and graphics provided by guest author Melanie Bunch, Graphic Artist at Coller Industries.*

Buying The Right Personalized Ribbon Type

You have the perfect logo and the perfect personalization, but do you know what ribbon type you need to buy? This simple guide might be just the ticket to help you figure out which ribbon type you need. While we do have an idea gallery available for several ideas, sometimes you just need to know which type of ribbon is best for what type of project you have.

The most important bit of information is to figure out what ribbon type is going to suit your project best. We have three main ribbon types: rosettes, badge/promotional ribbons, and ribbon rolls.

rosette ribbons award ribbons recognition ribbonsRosette Ribbons

Rosette ribbons are typically used to recognize achievements. They are perfect for fairs, festivals, contests, shows and more.

custom badge ribbons promotional ribbonsBadge/Promotional Ribbons

Badge ribbons help identify roles or rewards, or just break the ice when attached to a name badge. These are perfect for conventions, meetings and other events for which this type of identification is necessary.

Promotional ribbons are great for getting the word out for promoting a sale or event. Or you can use them for a “save the date” notification, bookmarks, gift tags or keepsakes.

ribbon rolls satin ribbon grosgrain ribbon organza ribbonRibbon Rolls

These ribbons are probably the most versatile of the bunch. Use these ribbon rolls to promote a sale or event, decorations for a party or convention, product packaging or gift wrapping, floral arrangements, and more. Ribbon rolls are also very flexible as they come in different ribbon types, colors and sizes. Each type of ribbon comes in four sizes and at least 30 different colors; some even have over 100!

 

satin ribbon roll double face single faceSatin Ribbon Rolls

This comes as single face, satin sheen on one side with matte finish on the other, or double face, satin sheen on both sides.

floral dyna satin ribbon rollDYNA Floral Satin Ribbon Rolls

A soft floral ribbon with a slight satin sheen which is great for flowers or decorations for parties.

grosgrain ribbon rollsGrosgrain Ribbon Rolls

These are a heavily corded, or ribbed, the texture shows through any imprinting creating a unique look.

organza ribbon roll chiffon ribbonOrganza Ribbon Rolls

Organza ribbons are translucent and light weight; these work well for product branding or wrapping.