Homemade Treat Jars

Lately I have seen different versions on these on Pinterest.  I have been saving some jars just to have around for projects, and I was inspired to try to find some good, cheap candle holders to complete this one.

I've always had a hard time getting the labels to come off the jars cleanly.  Thankfully, I found Trish at Mom on Time Out!!  Trish suggests a couple of different methods for removing pesky labels.  I started by filling the jars with hot water, and then dropping them into a pot also filled with hot water.  Letting them soak for awhile loosened the adhesive and most of the labels just fell off.  There was still some residue from the adhesive on the jars, though.  Using Trish's second method, I grabbed my nail polish remover and some cotton balls and started scrubbing.  I found that a circular motion worked best

Note: you will want to make sure that you either don't have nail polish on, don't care that it gets messed up if you do, or wear gloves!!

Since I had a few things to drop off at Goodwill last weekend, I decided to run in and see if they had any candle holders that were in decent shape at a good price.  A lot of candle holders that are meant to have the candle sit on top (as opposed to a candlestick that sticks inside the holder) have a needle on the top to help stabilize the candle.  I was thrilled to find some that not only were of varying heights, but didn't have that needle on top, so I didn't have to worry about removing it.  Here is what I got:

The last supply I needed was some spray paint.  I planned to make fall-themed jars, so I went with a burnt orange color of Valspar spray paint from Lowes.  (As much as I love the summer weather and despise having to be out in the rain, fall & winter are the most fun for crafts!!)

I painted both the candle holders and the lids to the jars, while I left the jars alone so that you could see what was inside.  I was a little nervous about this step because I haven't done much with spray paint before.  You want to make sure to do lots of quick, light sprays, and shake the can up often.  I'm not a very patient person, so it was irritating to have to wait for one side to dry before rolling the candle holders over to get the other side.  But....it paid off in the end :)

Now - you could just set the jars on top and be done (it would make them much easier to wash), but I wanted to make sure mine didn't fall off.  Using my hot glue gun, I made a ring around the bottom of each jar and attached them to the tops of the candle holders.

Finally: fill them up!!  You can use them to hold fall candies, or use some sort of "filler" just for decoration.

Not including the fillers, this project cost only $12 - the candle holders were $3 a piece at Goodwill and the spray paint was also $3.  For that price - you probably could get 1 actual candy dish at the store.  I'm always excited when I think about the deals I can get by doing things myself.  Plus, you can design the project yourself and personalize how you want it to look in the end.