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This week's Craft of the Week features a wonderful gift that children of any age can make for their mom. Gel Jars are beautifully decorated, scented gifts.  They are sure to liven up any room with their fragrance. You'll want to choose scents which your mom likes. You can substitute potpourri oil for the essential oils in this craft.

Potpourri Gel Jars

What you need:

• Jars with lids
• 2 cups distilled water
• 4 packages of plain Gelatin
• 50 drops essential oil (any scent)
• Food Coloring

What you do:

1. Heat one cup of the distilled water in a saucepan. Add the desired coloring. Remove  from the heat, add remaining 1 cup of distilled water and the gelatin, stirring to dissolve.
2. Divide  the drops of essential oil, or potpourri oil, into the jars (wide mouth jelly jars or canning jars work well).  Add the gelatin mixture to  the jars. Place the jars in the  refrigerator for about two hours.
3. Remove the jars from the refrigerator and cover with plastic wrap or the jar's lid. If you are using the plastic wrap choose one the new colored wraps for a prettier 'topping".  Store them at room temperature. To release the scent, remove the  lid or plastic wrap. If you would like to decorate the jar place piece of fabric over the lid or plastic wrap and tie with a colored ribbon or lace.   You can include a silk flower tied at the end of the ribbon or knotted at the base of the jar's mouth for a floral presentation.

Comments:

Try using Knox Gelatin
From: Claire
When I was making these I began to experiment a little and found that if you put the Knox Gelatin in a cup of cold distilled water it dissolved very quickly then add a cup of boiling hot water with food coloring to it. I put the scent in the jars and then poured the mixture in and cooled it in the frig. It was so easy, quick and less mess.

Using "soil moist" instead of gelatin
From Jerry
I have come up with another way to use your liquid potpourri that you might find just as useful as the "Gel Jars". I purchased a big jar of "Soil Moist" (available at your garden center) granules for making a "neck cooler" (which I love, by the way), and decided to try activating them with liquid potpourri. It worked fantastically well without the mess of dissolving the gelatin.

• I am positive that you could use your favorite scent drops and water with the granules in the same way and just keep adding more liquid as it dehydrates.
• Just put a LITTLE bit of the granules in a favorite vase, jar, crystal stemware and add your liquid. You can still decorate the container for gift giving. I use only 1 - 2 tsp. in a neck cooler so I would start with a tablespoon or less in pint size bottle. You can always add more! It will be the color of the potpourri.
• One note of warning!
  Since these granules stay plumped up with liquid, DO NOT get any of them in your drain! There are several other brand names of this product, so let your garden center people advise you as to what's available.
• Hope you enjoy,
  Jerry

Use more than jars
From: Jerry
I have made these many, many times as a classroom project. It is really pretty easy to just take the jars that you are going to use.... don't limit yourself to jars.... they are beautiful in rose bowls, long stem ware etc. Get out all of the "jars" that you want to fill. Pour water into each of them to the depth that you want your gel to fill. Just dump the water into a large measuring pitcher. Now you know how much liquid it will take to fill your containers. I use liquid potpouri half and half with water. Now all you have to do is purchase enough liquid potpourri to equal that much.... of if you use the drops, then go by that formula and add the appropriate amount for the measured amount of liquid. Two months is a very short time I would think. As they dehydrate. add more water or even more liquid potpourri. I've had some in rose bowls that have lasted over a year now. If I can help any more, just ask.

A Child's Footprint
This craft features a great gift for Dad on Father's day or Mom on Mother's Day. This Footprint Craft includes both the child's footprint, a nice momento, and a wonderful, touching poem.  Write the poem in the shape of a large footprint using waterproof marker.  Using watercolors or watered down tempera paints paint the child's foot and print it over the written poem a couple of time. After all is dried laminate the piece of paper and attach string on the back for hanging.

Box Photo Album
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Mother's Day Gift Buckets
To show that you appreciate and love your mom why don't you make her this wonderful gift "bucket"?  After decorating the bucket, fill it with all the items your mom loves- perfume,candy, books, facial cream, lotions etc...  She'll love the gifts and the homemade container.  For the little ones you can paint the bucket white let it dry and then using another color of metal paint and place the child's hand in the paint to make handprints all over the bucket.  Not only will this be a terrific gift, but a perfect mom keepsake!

Making Candles & Potpourri
by Catherine Bardey