Needing a sweet, glittery and inexpensive gift for your Valentine or “Pal”-entine this year? Well you’ve come to the right place. Below is a step by step outline for an easy, homemade craft for those who want to show a little love this Feb. 14.

Supplies (all optional depending on design preference)

• A Mason jar of any size (I used a recycled marinara jar to save money and the earth)
• Craft paint, any color you’d like 
• Ribbon
• Scissors 
• Paint Brushes
• Modge Podge 
• Craft Paper (cardstock or similar will work) 
• Sharpie or markers
• Glitter, if you’re brave 
• Candy or Chocolate
• Paint pens 

Step One

Prepare your space. Lay down some newspaper or old paper grocery bags to protect whatever surface you’re working on. Assemble all the supplies you will need and put on some jazzy tunes.

Step Two

Start by deciding on your design for your jar. There are a couple routes you can go. I decided to create three different designs for each jar; one painted from the inside, one painted on the exterior of the jar and one with glitter.

Step Three

If painting from the inside, pour your paint directly in the clean jar. Begin to move the jar around, tuning on its side and around, covering the entire interior of the jar. This craft can get messy fast! If your paint is runny, be careful not to spill as you turn the jar. 

Leave the jar out to dry overnight. If you have lots of excess paint left inside, turn the jar upside down on your paper and let the excess come out. If you need to, take some nail polish remover on a cotton ball and wipe away any paint that may have smudged on the outside of the jar. 

If painting the exterior directly, you can choose your design and go wild! I used the back end of my paintbrush to create small dots in a heart shape on my jar. 

If you want to skip the paint and go straight for the glitter, grab your modge podge and let’s go! I used glitter to cover up the logo on the lid of my recycled marinara jar. 

 Paint a thin layer of modge podge wherever you want glitter to stick. Sprinkle on the glitter, making sure to get the modge podge fully covered. Remove excess glitter by slightly shaking the jar. Let sit to dry for a few hours. 

Step Four

When paint and glitter aren’t enough, add ribbons and bows! For an additional touch, add some ribbon around the neck of the jar, tying in bows and curling the ends with scissors. 

You can also create a gift tag for your valentine! Cut some card stock in whatever shape you’d like, and write a sweet note or pun. Create a small hole in the tag and thread your ribbon through. Tie into a bow and voila! 

Step Five

Fill your Jar! Add candy, chocolate or whatever treat you’d like to the jar after it is completely dry. Now you have a sweet little gift that doesn’t break the bank and will be sure to put a smile on the face or your valentine!