Kids Artwork Into Useful Presents

Turn art into permanent storage containers! This is something I made September a year ago for my dad's birthday but worth sharing with Christmas right around the corner. I know, I know, it's not even Halloween but trust me the gift giving holidays will be upon us before we know it. December is like a ninja and just takes me by surprise every year. Fortunately, even if you do get taken by surprise, this present can be done in just a few hours. 

First you need to find a large glass jar. I bought the large 2.5 gallon jar above at The Container Store. But just this past weekend I saw large glass jars with glass lids at The Goodwill. Yard sales are also great places to find these jars. I've also thought this project would work well for hanging art. Use an old frame with glass or buy a new one to match your decor, add coordinating fabric or scrapbooking paper to the frame's back board to finish the effect. Second you'll need glass paint and conditioner. I bought Delta's CeramDecor Perm Enamel. This glass paint air dries and requires no baking. Apply the surface conditioner to your clean glass, allow to dry then you're ready to paint which brings us to the last thing you'll need. 

Your kid's artwork. This gift was for my dad. He loves pretzels and always kept a huge plastic jug of them on his desk at work. This was to replace that. I asked the kids to draw a picture of their PawPaw. I asked them to only use one color so it would be easier for me to transfer. I cut out their art, used the copier to adjust the size, and taped each drawing to the inside of my glass jar. Finally, I traced over each illustration with the special black glass paint. If your children are older I see no reason they can't do the paint tracing on their own. 

How my daughter, then newly 4 years old saw her PawPaw: heavy focus on his hair. 

My middle son, then 5 years old, chose to draw both he and his PawPaw. 

He said he added hearts because they love each other.

And my oldest son, then 8 years old, drew his PawPaw as a mighty warrior with rocket powered jet pack and sword; a hero indeed. 

All filled with pretzels and ready for wrapping. My dad enjoyed his present and loved showing off the way his grandkids saw him when office visitors came in to swipe pretzels. I never applied the top coat and more than a year later, the jar still looks just as it did when we made it.