Smelly Jelly! Weekend Project

Here's the project I promised you. I had to figure out what to do with the outside of the jar. I wanted something that was not so bright or bold that it would take away from the inside color of the jar. I had thought about putting a card stock band around the jar but there wouldn't be much jar left showing. It's not like the jelly is lit like a candle, I didn't have to worry about paper burning but I wanted to be able to see what is in the jar too. Then this little light went on in my head. It use to be a big bright light but with all the cutbacks It's not just a little one!! LOL But at least it's still burning!!! LOL

I took the Stampin' Up! Baskets & Blooms Die and I cut out the open flower on it using the "Sticky Pages." If you are not familiar with them they are a 12" x 12" double stick sheet. I cut 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" squares and ran them in the Big Kick with the die cut. I removed the protective papers and stuck it to the jar. I removed the outside protective paper and then I pressed the flower (on the jar) in my container of micro beads. It was just what the jar needed. A bit of a design that will allow you to still see what is inside!!! I tied a ribbon around the neck of the jar and it is ready for gift giving. You can add a tag or make a box for it. I like it just the way it is though I am thinking about adding a tag so I can include some type of instructions. Those would consist of opening the jar and placing it in a place where you can enjoy the fragrance. And I should include a warning on it about keeping it away from children.

I made the jelly Mulberry scented. I didn't want to use a fruit scent, I tend to think about who's hands this could get into. I wouldn't want a child to try to eat it because it smelled like fruit.

I suppose you want the recipe for this too!!! Ok, since you begged I will share my recipe with you!! LOL

There are a couple ways you can make this. Here is how I made this one and the following recipe is how I'm going to make my next batch.

I took 1 cup of boiling water and added it to one entire box (4 packages inside the box) of Knox unflavored gelatin. Stir gently so you don't get bubbles. Once the gelatin was dissolved I added one Tablespoon of Vodka. This keeps the jelly from getting moldy. Then I added one cup of the Mulberry simmering potpourri. I gently stirred it and then poured it into the clean jars. I did test my jars to see how much liquid would fit in each jar. I knew that this recipe would make 2 cups of liquid.

Now the next time I make it (because I don't have any more simmering potpourri) I will take one cup of boiling water and dissolve the 4 packets of gelatin. Then I will add the 1 Tablespoon of Vodka. I will add 1 Tablespoon of fragrance oil or essential oil and a bit of colorant. Then I will add one cup of cold water and pour the mixture into the jars. From reading many recipes on how to make this stuff I found that most of them want you to use 4 packets of Knox and something to make it so it won't mold (the Vodka or salt) a colorant (if you are not using a pre-made simmering potpourri), a scent (you do want it to smell nice) and 2 cups of liquid. The bottom line on most of the recipes was that when you were done mixing everything you had 2 cups of liquid to fill jars with. I hope that I'm making this clear and not more confusing!!! Over explaining can get confusing too!!

The recipes I've found on making this tell you to boil the one cup of water with the fragrance. I do not trust that. These fragrances are flammable and flash fires scare me to death. There really is no need to boil fragrances. Any of them. It's the hot water that dissolves the gelatin. Once that was dissolved you can add pretty much anything you want to it. And some recipes call for salt instead of the Vodka. Salt is ok but it will cloud the liquid a bit and may not dissolve with some fragrance oils. Vodka dissolves with them just fine. And if you make a lot of this stuff you may want to have a shot of that Vodka with some sour when you are all done!!! LOL The recipes I found also said it would take up to a couple of days for the gelatin to set. Mine set up in less than 2 hours. One recipe stated that you can put the jars in the refrigerator to speed up the gelling process. A big YUCK on that one. I don't think I want the inside of my refrigerator and the foods in it to pick up the smell. By the time you get the outsides decorated and the labels made for the bottom the gelatin should be getting close to setting up. Just be patient. If you need it for a gift the day you are making it you may want to think that one over again. Anything could go wrong. On my second batch my color was a bit lighter but after a couple of hours it did set up. I would think to speed up the process use ice cold water (no ice in it though). But my best advise on these is just be patient and do NOT heat up anything that has the word "flammable" on the packaging. Just add that stuff after you dissolved the gelatin. Be smart and be safe!!!

You can use baby food jars and put some thin fabric or netting over the top and tie a ribbon around it. You want some type of fabric that will allow the scent to come through. You can leave it as it is too, it's a preference thing! Decorate your jars as you wish. Do NOT use plastic for the container and do NOT mix the recipe in plastic either. The smell with get stuck in the plastic that you mix it in and the plastic will break down in the container you store it in, so use glass.

I think that covers everything. Well, one more thing. If you are making these to sell you really do need to add a warning to the container about keeping it out of the reach of small children. Just find something with that warning on it and copy it over.

These are VERY fun to make and they smell wonderful. These are something I could make a lot of because of how easier they were to do!! They would make great gifts, wonderful to have in your home (cheaper than other room fresheners) and they would be a fun item to have at a craft fair.

Thank you SO much for visiting today and have a wonderful Easter weekend!
Wanda