Apothecary Jars–Quick and Easy Gift Idea

Sometimes the best gift ideas are the easiest ones, right?  It seems like I’m always needing a hostess gift, or a birthday gift, and of course as we get close to the end of the school year, it’s time to find teacher and volunteer appreciation gifts, too.  This is one of my favorite ideas–an apothecary jar filled with colorful gum balls or seasonal candy.

First, you’ll need to find a cute apothecary jar.  I usually buy mine at TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, and HomeGoods.  They are only $7.99-$14.99 there, and they have a variety of shapes and sizes.  The one above is a smaller one, filled with hot pink gum balls, for a tween girl’s birthday gift.  I buy my gum balls at Party City, by the way.  They have every color under the rainbow, and if you buy the individual ones they’re 15/$1, which is much cheaper than their by-the-bag price.  You can mix and match colors then, too.

Then, just decorate your jar.  I have a box in my gift wrap area full of ribbon bits, so I just pull something out that works.  I also printed a tag with her initial on it (that’s the Monogram KK font and it’s a free download HERE).  I used a 3″ scrapbook punch to cut the tag out of white card stock.  I don’t scrapbook, but I have a punch in every size under the sun for making tags–so handy!

If you have a Silhouette, Cricut, or other vinyl cutter (I have a Silhouette Cameo), then you can monogram the jar itself, like this one that I made as a hostess gift for a St. Patrick’s Day party:

We are now offering this monogram in our Etsy shop.

Wouldn’t this be cute to hold bath salts or cotton balls in the hostess’s bathroom when the party’s over?

Of course, you don’t have to put gum balls in your apothecary jar; the ones in my house hold things like marshmallows, K-cups, beans, dog biscuits, Q-tips, bullet casings (in my son’s room-lol!).  But, of course, we have at least one that holds gum balls, like in my daughter’s room:

And this batch is going to be used as part of a candy station at a fundraising gala that I’m working on at the kids’ school:

For about $15 total per jar, it’s no wonder this is one of my favorite, fun gift ideas.  Oh, and here’s another cute vinyl idea–just a monogram on a $2 reusable shopping tote.  It’s a great idea as a gift bag (or as the gift itself)!

What’s your favorite go-to gift idea that never fails you?

Thanks for stopping by~