One of my favorite things about the holidays is decorating. But decorating on a budget can be a challenge. Like most ladies my age, I peruse Pinterest to find new affordable craft ideas. That is where I found jar winter-scapes. These are a great idea for anyone pinching pennies and looking for an easy yet impressive craft.
Start with a glass jar. I saved sauce and sauerkraut jars. I wish I would have saved the lids to go with them. If you are going to attempt this yourself I highly recommend saving the lids. Lids will make it easier to store your creations afterwards. To remove the label from the empty jar I let soaked it in hot soapy dish water while I did dishes. If the labels do not easily peel off afterwards, try scrubbing the jar with the dish rag. This should take off the label and the glue.
Interior
For the inside of your jar you'll need trees. I found variety packs of trees at Michael's for $2-3. Trees with more decorations will cost a little more.
Whatever else you want to add to the inside is up to you. I found wrapped presents, sleighs, a black bear and a church. Again all of my tiny decorations at Michael's and I did not spend more than $3 on an item.
Snow
For my snow I used crushed stone (not crystal meth). Other people have used Epson salts, cotton balls or sand. 
Coverings
To cover the tops of my jars (after foolishly throwing out my lids) I used red burlap and snowflake burlap ribbon from Michael's.
To Secure
To fasten your trees to the inside of the jars you will need a hot glue gun and adult supervision. Any another type of crafting glue would suffice if you don't have a glue gun. 
Step 1 Trees
To start, visualize how you want your jar to look. Once you glue down the trees there's no going back. When you have a picture in your mind, start gluing down your trees. If your jar opening is too small for your hands to fit in, use tongs to lower the trees in and hold them in place until the glue is dry. Any other big ornaments, such as my church, that will stand above the snow can be glued down now also.
Step 2 Snow
Pour in enough snow to cover the base of the trees. I have yet to find a way to glue down the snow. I'm sure there's a spray adhesive out there that would do the trick. If anyone finds one please let me know.
Step Three Additions
Since the snow is not glued down there is no point in gluing anything to it. There are ways to secure certain ornaments though. The presents came individually and I glued them together into a pyramid. The black bear I secured to the tree. For lowering and re-positioning additional ornaments into the jars I used a fork. Because these pieces are not secured they will move when jostled, so place them on secure shelves out of the reach of little ones.
Step 4 Covering
To top off your jars, you can paint or decorate the lids however you want. If you didn't think ahead, like me, you'll need to get creative. Here I cut squares of burlap to cover the opening of the jar and tied a ribbon around each one. To make this more secure, glue down the burlap and then cover the glue line with ribbon.
Finished!
Now you can give your jars as gifts or keep them as part of your Christmas decor. Add any ornaments you can find that will fit in the jars to create whatever scene you want.
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