DIY Love in a Jar

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My kids are now teenagers and over the years they’ve made some wonderful, precious gifts for me that stole my heart over and over again. These gifts were usually craft projects made at school for special holidays like Christmas or Mother’s Day. I’ve kept significant pieces as a way to hang on to that moment in their childhoods just a little bit longer and I still take them out every now and then to bring me back to when they were little. Moms, you know what I’m talking about here (cue the Kleenex)!

One of my favorite gifts given to me by my son was this jar containing sweet affirmations about what he appreciated or loved about me at the time (I believe he made this gift when he was in first or second grade).

The teacher had preprinted some unfinished sentences on colored construction paper and then cut them into strips. My son finished the sentences on the strips in his own, early elementary school printing to tell me what he appreciated about me. The sentences included:

“Mom, you are so good at….”
“I love when you say….”
“You are good at….”
“I love when we….”
“I love when you help me with….”
“I love when you make….”
“My favorite thing to do with you is….”
“You look so pretty when….”
“My mom is the best….ever!”
“I love when you tell me….”

The strips were curled on a pencil and then placed in a jar with a screw on lid. For a pretty topping, a square piece of thin, patterned fabric was tied to the top of the jar lid with a colorful ribbon.

I still like to open the jar from time to time and read what my son wrote about me way back when.

It dawned on me that this simple jar with beautiful and sincere affirmations inside would make a wonderful gift for the other important people in our lives. From grown daughter to mother, from student to teacher, from child to grandparent, from husband to wife, from BFF to BFF. The gift giver can use these same affirmations listed here or make up his or her own, depending on the person receiving the jar. The affirmations can be serious or funny, but always sincerely from the heart. It’s so easy to make, takes just a few minutes, but will be one of the most cherished gifts that person will ever receive. And it’s one of those priceless gifts that are so inexpensive to make.

Get creative with the statements and how you might decorate the jar. You might add a touch of shredded colored paper or confetti inside the jar as well to brighten it up even more.

There you have it. Love in a jar!