DIY: Mani-in-a-Jar

Last weekend, on of my #5Things was to craft a jar. I have a pretty extensive collection of old jars and I really need to put them to use. So, I did a Mani-in-a-Jar, inspired by a pin I found that didn't link back to a source. However, it's pretty simple and could honestly be done a variety of ways. I went for the painting on the jar, but you could easily use scrapbook stickers or modge-podge paper if you don't trust your painting skills.

THE JAR I used was a popular one around our apartment: queso. I cleaned it out and used Goo-Gone to remove the sticky residue from the label. Easy as pie.

THE CONTENTS for the "mani" bit of the jar, were a humble $8.44 at Walmart. You could buy nicer pieces, but in my opinion, it's really just an adorable way to wrap some nail polish...so, go all out on the polish paint. This is my favorite color of my favorite brand: Revlon Flirt.I know it's kind of girlish, but I just love it.

THE LID was simply patterned paper and modge podge. This was inspired by the blog Design Sponge, and you can see the tutorial here. I added the bow because I accidentally ripped part of the paper during the modge podging and I had to cover my ass. It happens.

For THE BODY of the jar, I got fancy with my painting skillz. Be sure to clean the outside so there is no dirty or oil on your painting surface. First I painted the toes and then the toe nails. To get the glitter to stick neatly, I used the old Kappa Alpha Theta trick of painting (not gluing) where I wanted the glitter to be, then I sprinkled the glitter over the paint and let it sit to dry. Finally I put in the words "Mani in a Jar" and sprayed the whole thing with a glossy seal to prevent chips.

I can't wait to give this as a gift. I think it would be perfect for children! Another idea would be to make them as your go-to Christmas gift. Last Christmas I got nail polish from my supervisor at work with a little tag that said, "For your mistle-TOES!" So perfect. I've made little printable tags if you want to make your own (much easier) Mani-in-a-Jar. Just cut and hole punch the tag, tie a ribbon around the neck of the jar and through tag. Make a cute little bow and you're done. Like I said, much easier.

For the PDF file, click here.