Peanut Butter Jar Santa Gift Container and Santa Ornament

Since our family eats a lot of peanut butter, I decided to recycle some of the jars into gift containers.  I used supplies I had at home. If you do not have googly eyes, you can make eyes from construction paper or felt.  I liked the contrast between the cotton for the hat trim and tassel and the fiberfill for the mustache and beard. However, you could use cotton or fiberfill for both. I used fiberfill from an old pillow for this project.

I filled my Santa containers with chocolate, but these would be great filled with hot cocoa mix, chocolate, or fudge.   As a bonus, the lid is a Santa ornament that can be hung on the tree when the treat is finished. You could also make these with a large peanut butter jar if you wanted a larger container for cookies or other treats.

I think these would make a good kids' craft. In that case, you would probably want to glue the thread hanger on instead of making a hole with an ice pick. I'd love your opinion if you try this project.

Materials:

18 oz. red (creamy) peanut butter jar and lid
2 1/2 " square pink construction paper
1" square red construction paper
2 15mm googly eyes
cotton ball
handful of fiberfill stuffing
10" piece pearl cotton thread/embroidery floss

Tools and Supplies:

Scissors
Ice pick
Pencil
Tacky glue
Nail polish remover
Rag

On the pink construction paper, draw and cut out an oval for Santa's face. You do no need to be exact. Most of the pink will be covered with fiberfill to make Santa's mustache and beard. Make sure the pink does not cover the part of the lid that will be Santa's hat.

On the red construction paper, draw and cut out a jelly bean sized mouth. Again, you do not need to be exact since most of Santa's face is his mustache and beard.

If there are black label marks on your lid that might show, remove them with nail polish remover.

Glue the pink construction paper face on the lid with tacky glue.

Make a ball from a small piece of the cotton ball  to be Santa's hat tassel. Glue on jar lid.

Pull off a piece of the cotton ball to make a hat brim. Glue to top edge of Santa's face.

Glue on  the googly eyes and red construction paper mouth

Tear off and glue on a piece of fiberfill for Santa's mustache.

Tear off a beard shape piece of fiberfill. Glue on Santa's face.

Using an ice pick, carefully poke a hole in the jar lid for the hanger thread.

Insert both ends of the cotton thread through the hole. Knot together. Your Santa ornament is now complete.

Fill the peanut butter jar with treats, close with ornament lid, and give your special gift.