Masonite Jar Mom

Okay so I am kinda obsessed with giving gifts and masonite jars. Put those together and I will be giving you a masonite jar filled with something. Between myself and my husband we have a horde of siblings and friends. So if I am not crafty, giving seasons will be filled with over spending and a gloomy heart. I love giving and I never want it to become a gloomy event. 

I really believe you can make great gifts for many friends and family on a shoestring budget. Budget is key in our house as we are raising 3 girls.  I do think that we need to move away from the value of gifts in currency but rather see the value  that someone took the time to think about us and to give us a gift.

Here are 3 different Masonite Jar gifts I have made for Christmas and Fathersday, hope you find them so helpful you replicate them.

1. Fathersday Sweet Jar

Yummy

I asked our girls what they wanted to give Daddy for  Fathersday and the resounding answer was sweeties, chocolate, a real Transformer and a hand drawn card. We settled on the realistic gift of sweeties, hand drawn cards and ofcourse I threw in the masonite jar.  We decided that it needed to be a jar that daddy could put on his desk at work.  

We went with blue and called it "Dad's Work Table  Stache." My husband is slighlty obsessed with moustache's.   The best part about this gift it is that you can just keep refilling  it. We also duplicated this for all the dads and stepdads in our lives.

What you will need:

1 large masonite jar

1 thickish ribbon

Enough treats to fill jar (we went with menthol and mint flavours to help keep dad's breath fresh)

Make 1 pretty label with a quote. We used: " Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father." - Lydia M Childs

2.  Thank You Jar

Lovey

I made 22 of these babies for family and friends as Christmas gifts one year.  I firmly believe in gratitude and reflection and that is exactly what the thank you jar is all about.  

What the recipients of these jars had to do was at the end of every week, to write down 1 thing they were grateful for during that week, put the card back into the jar and keep doing this for 52 weeks. This also helps you to look for the good in every week. Then on New Years Eve or Day take the jar and read all 52 cards out aloud. It is a great way to be reminded about the good things and to reflect on the year past.  Wowee, I just calculated that I cut out 1144 rectangular cards!!!

What we put in each jar:

1 large masonite jar

52 colourful blank cardboard cards

1 pen

A few bitesized variety chocolates

Ribbon 

1 pretty label with instructions on how to use the jar

3.  Kindness Jar

My favourite

These were last years Christmas gifts to friends and family.  They were my absolute favourite to make and give. I really really really really loved this idea and couldn't wait to execute it.  The idea behind this gift was for the recipients to take 52 weeks and committ to doing one act of kindness each week as an individual or as a family.  Basically a year assignment of becoming a nice human.  

I encouraged our friends and family to take one kindness card out on a Sunday or a Monday and discuss it as a family and see if they could execute that specific act out in the week.  If they couldn't and it needed a bit more planning then they should put that card back in the jar and take another one.  It gave them a chance to sit down as a family, discuss the act and work on a plan to execute it.   I really encouraged those with small children to include them too as our children need to learn kindness, compassion and generosity from a young age. 

What we put in each jar:

1 large masonite jar

*52 printed cards with different random acts of kindness (I included them for you at the end of this post - you're welcome)

1 scratch and win lottery card (how cool if somebody won millions)

A few sealed blocks of homemade fudge

Ribbon 

1 pretty label 

Card insde the jar explaining how to use the kindness jar.  

There is always a way to give a gift!!!

*52 Random act of kindness ideas for your kindness jars:

1.  Buy a small gift for someone.  Just because!

2.  Call your parents.  Hi Mom or Dad!  If you don’t have parents who are living then call someone elderly whom   

     you feel plays a significant part in your life. 

3.  This week carry around a small care package of basic toiletries and give it to someone who might need it.    

     We live in South Africa we should definitely see someone who needs it.  If you don’t see then you are maybe 

     not looking.

4.  Sign up to become an organ donor this week.  It will save lives. 

 

5.  Donate blood this week.

6.  Find an organisation where you can volunteer your time this week.  A soup kitchen, an orphanage, an old age home, a shelter for animals etc.  

7.  Call someone you love.  Tell them you love them.

8.  Write someone a handwritten note.

9.  Make a positive comment on a website, blog or social media platform. 

10.  Buy an extra bag of dog food and donate it to a local animal  shelter. 

11.  Bring doughnuts for everyone in your office.

12.  This week spoil yourself, see the good in yourself and write it down.  We are sometimes hardest on   

      ourselves. 

13.  This week give out free smiles extravagantly and generously. 

14.  Do something nice for your spouse/roommate/partner/child.

15.  Bake or buy cookies this week and give it to whomever you want. 

16.  Be kind to a cashier and engage with them and try to strike up a conversation.  Encourage them and thank   

       them for the service.

  

17.  Leave an unexpected big tip for a waiter/waitress.

18.  Instead of throwing left over food away, freeze it immediately in a disposable container. At the end of the  

      week take it along with you and give it to a homeless person.   

19.  Stop negative conversations when you realize that you are a part of them. 

20.  Acknowledge people who work in maintenance in your office or complex.  

21.  Pay the toll fee for the driver behind you. 

22.  Put a coin in an expired parking meter.

 

23.  Call or write to a teacher who impacted your life.

 

24.  Pass along a great book you have just finished reading.

25.  This week be generous with genuine compliments. 

26.  Make a big effort to promote a friend’s business, cause or organisation this week.

  

27.  Buy someone a box of chocolates this week. 

28.  Donate 2^nd hand clothing this week to a credible organisation.  Make sure the clothes are still in great 

      condition.

  

29.  If you have a domestic worker, give her one day off this week (but still pay her)!

30.  Be kind to yourself this week.  Make a list of your great qualities. 

31.  Email all your siblings and tell them what they mean to you.

  

32.  Babysit for free for a friend/colleague or neighbour.

33.  Donate R100.00 this week to an organisation that is in need.

34.  If you know of someone going through a rough patch, send them an encouraging message.

  

35.  Share a comic strip or something funny with someone else.  i.e make someone laugh.

36.  Send someone an animated greeting card on the internet.

37.  Copy your favourite recipe and give it to someone. Also make them that recipe. 

38.  Pick up trash all around you. 

39.  Buy/make a small gift for a vendor whom you see daily in your routine.  Could be a car park attendant,  

       newspaper salesman etc.

40.  Be the person who puts a tip in the tip jar at the coffee shop. (Fewer people tip than you’d think!)

  

41.  Write your partner a list of things you love about them.

42.  Bring a security guard a hot cup of coffee and muffin.

43.  Be encouraging!

44.  Send a friend an old photo and recall that time.

45.  Spoil a child in need this week.

  

46.  Every day this week find opportunities to give a sincere compliment to at least one person who walks across your path. 

47.  Buy a can of coke and give it to someone who works along the road either selling newspapers, cleaning the 

      streets or whatever else.

  

48.  Call a long-time friend whom you have not connected with in a long time and just have a good old   catch-up 

      chat. 

49.  Buy yourself and a colleague lunch and have the meal together.

  

50.  Send someone flowers, or pick a bunch from your garden and drop it off yourself with a note of 

      encouragement attached. 

51.  Send an encouraging email to someone you know.

  

52.  Put a surprise note in with your spouse/partner or children’s lunch box.

53.  Cook an extra portion of supper tonight and give it to someone who needs it. 

54.  Send someone a Whatsapp just to tell them something you appreciate about them. 

55.  Everyone is important.  This week make an effort to learn the name of a home/office/store security guard and thank them for the work they do.

56.  Here’s a biggy! Pay for a totally strangers dinner/lunch/coffee.

57.  If you don’t know your physical neighbours make an effort to say hello to them if you see them and try and connect with them.

  

58.  Post a positive note on a colleagues table.  If you do not have an office job find a place and just do it. 

59.  Collect all household disposable plastic separately this week and give it to the person you see scratching in your garbage for recyclable plastic.  Make sure it is at least a good amount of plastic. 

60.  Invite friends over for dinner this week.