Pie In a Jar

easy-pie-in-a-jar-recipe theidearoom.net

I have seen this fun idea several places on the internet. However, I used the link here and followed their easy tutorial. I decided to make mini-apple pies. I simply made my favorite pie dough recipe which I have posted here and then peeled and sliced some Granny Smith apples.

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I used some small jam jars I had laying around and lined all the edges and the bottom with a thin layer of pie dough. Then after filling the jars with the apple slices, I added aobut 2 TBSP of sugar to each jar and 1 to 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. I also added around a 1/2 pat of butter to each jar. I used the jar ring to cut out a top for the pies and used a small star cutter to make a vent hole in the top crust. On clean finger tips I used a small amount of milk and rubbed it on the top crust to help it turn a nice golden color while baking.

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I then got my finger tips wet and ran a little water on the bottom edges of the top crust. (This will help create a good seal between the top and bottom crusts). Very carefully pinch the top and bottom layers together to prevent the pie filling from leaking out.

easy-apple-pie theidearoom.net

Bake them in a pre-heated 375 degree oven on a cookie sheet for about 40 minutes or until they are golden brown in color. If you are giving them away, cut out some cute paper and cover the mason lid to spice up its appearance.

Make Your Own Brown Sugar Scrub

 

Do you love using those expensive body scrubs but hate paying a small fortune for them? Here is a recipe for a brown sugar scrub that will give you the same results for a LOT less. You can make them for yourself or give some away as gifts.brown sugar scrub 1

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Brown Sugar Scrub Recipe

1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey

Find a cute jar to put the scrub in. I found some really cute and inexpensive jars at IKEA in all shapes and sizes.

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Add 1 cup of brown sugar.

Mix in 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil.

2 Tablespoons of honey.

Stir all together and that’s it! Make it pretty and then either indulge in it yourself or give it to someone you care about!

brown sugar scrub

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Personalized Hand Sanitizer & Soaps

Personalized-Soap-Bottles

In need of some great and extremely useful teacher gifts? Have a germ-a-phobic friend? or a friend with a new baby trying to keep germs away from well-wishers? Try making some Home Made Soap Bottles. I saw this idea about two years ago on a local television show and have made several as gifts since then.

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Simply print your own personalized message or quote onto some transparency film using a laser printer. If you don’t have a laser printer, print it out with your ink jet printer and then copy it onto the transparency film. You can also take your paper and have the copy center copy it onto transparencies which is usually around $1. The reason it needs to be copied or printed from a laser printer is so the ink will no run and fall apart in the soap.

If you don’t want to come up with your own, I am providing you with the template I have used.

**Click here for a downloadable template, or on the image below…


You may need to resize it according to the size of your bottles. Then personalize it by adding a name (etc.) to the top and underline it in a font of your choice and size. Crop to fit if needed. It should be 3 inches wide by 3.5 inches high for the hand soaps and 3 inches wide by 4 inches high for the sanitizer bottles I used.

I usually buy my soap from the dollar store, but there are also places who sell the empty soap bottle dispensers online.

Anyways, below is a tutorial, of sorts, to help you come up with the finished product.

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Remove all stickers and labels from the bottles. I got my paper labels wet and they easily scraped off. To clean off any glue residue, I used Goof Off which I had bought earlier to remove a million stickers manufacturers had placed on our girls headboards. (Why do they do that??). If I remember right, I bought it at Home Depot.

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Cut around your printed label as straight and as close as you can get to the writing so that it fits properly into your bottle. Check before you cut the bottom of the label to be sure that it will sit as high in the bottle as you would like to to.

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Roll up the label so that the writing is in front. I roll mine backwards. Stuff it into the bottle carefully.

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Use the soap dispenser to push the label to the front wall of the bottle and to straighten it in the right position.

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And…There you go! Some practical and affordable gifts that are sure to please.

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