DIY Hanukkah Mason Jar Gift

Hanukkah is right around the corner, so that means it’s time to start gathering gifts for loved ones. While this may seem like a daunting process that is not so kind to your wallet and tends to be quite time-consuming, you can actually DIY some great gifts instead of giving store-bought items. As they say—gifts made by hand are gifts from the heart!

An easy and fun gift you can make with simple supplies is a Hanukkah-themed Mason jar. Mod Podge a Hanukkah symbol or emblem on the jar itself, and fill it with candy or other small fun gifts. I love these because they are simple to make, easy to personalize, and extremely versatile. Follow the steps below to make your own jars. Whether you need one gift or 10, you will have fun making them and love the results!

Step 1 - Prep the Craft Area

First, lay down newspaper where you plan to work. Mod Podge can be messy and dries quickly, so you don’t want to get any on your furniture!

Step 2 - Cut the Tissue Paper

Cut your tissue paper into strips slightly taller than the length of your Mason jar, measuring from underneath the lip of where the lid screws on. The strips should be about an inch wide. I chose a white tissue paper with specks of glitter in it because I felt like that was festive!

Step 3 - Apply the Mod Podge

Once you have your strips ready, flip your Mason jar upside down. Paint a thin layer of Mod Podge on a section of your jar, about three inches wide.

Step 4 - Apply the Tissue Paper

Carefully place a strip of tissue paper over the Mod Podge, lining up the top directly underneath the lip and folding the excess of the length of the strip onto the flat bottom part of the jar. Don’t worry if the paper does not go on completely smoothly. Even if there are a few wrinkles, your jar will still look great and the texture just gives it more character.

Step 5 - Apply Another Layer of Mod Podge

Paint a layer of Mod Podge over the strip you just placed on the jar until it is covered and adequately adhered to the jar. If the tissue paper tears in any spots, you can simply cut a small scrap of paper and place it over the tear with Mod Podge. When it dries, it will look seamless and no one will ever know!

Continue this process all the way around the jar, painting blank space with Mod Podge, placing the tissue paper over it, and then covering that with another layer of the glue. Repeat until the jar is completely covered.

Step 6 - Create a Hanukkah Symbol of Your Choice

Next, while the tissue paper dries a bit, it's time to draw your design or symbol and cut it out. Using your cardstock and a pencil, draw your design. As you are drawing, be conscious of the size of your design, as you don’t want it to look too large on the jar. In my opinion, the simpler, the better! I chose to do a Star of David, but some other ideas are a dreidel shape or menorah. Once you’ve completed the drawing, cut out your symbol.

Step 7 - Afix the Symbol to the Jar

Now it's time to glue your design onto the jar. You can do this before the tissue paper glue is completely dry. Dab some Mod Podge onto the jar where you are going to stick your design. Carefully place the cardstock onto the Mod Podge, using one hand to hold it in place while you paint over it with the glue to make it stick down completely. Don’t be afraid to use a liberal amount of Mod Podge—it will dry clear. I typically use my finger to ensure that the design is really stuck onto the jar, as it can be a bit tricky to get it to stick firmly around the curve of the glass.

Step 8 - Fill the Jar With Small Gifts

Let your jar dry overnight. Once it's completely dry the next day, fill it with goodies of your choosing. I chose caramel chocolates because the wrapper was a pretty blue that went well with the theme! Also, at the bottom of the jar under the candy, I placed a battery operated tea light. The beauty of using tissue paper on the jar, since it's sheer, is that a tea light turns it into a great decoration for the recipient after they empty the jar! You can fill these jars with whatever you want, such as tea bags, nail polishes, socks, or even a cookie mix kit.

Step 9 - Decorate the Lid

For the lid, I traced the flat circle part on my cardstock and cut out the shape. Then, I used my embossing supplies to put the stamp that says, “Wishing you Joy and Cheer and a Happy New Year” on top for some extra flair. If you don’t have the embossing kit, you can easily leave the top as-is or cut out a fun wrapping paper or patterned cardstock to cover the top.

It’s as simple as that! I love that you can get different sized jars, use a variety of colors, switch up the design, and fill these with whatever you want to make them personalized to the recipient. However you choose to make them, they're bound to be a hit!