Favors

Mason Jar Contents - Help!

So, a few months ago as I was scouring the internet in the middle of the night looking for the perfect favor, I came across a fantastic deal.  Mason jars.  Huge mason jars.  And I could have hundreds of them, for very little money.  Fast forward to the weekend, and FI and I lugged home dozens of boxes, and this week, with under a month to go, I realized that I had no idea what we're going to put in them.

Small candies are too small (M&M's and the like), and I worry about putting chocolate balls (malt balls) or gummy/sticky candy, as our wedding is in August, and that does mean heat!  Lolipops are too tall, so are candy sticks.

We're discussing doing the cookie/cake mix, even found an ice cream mix, and granola, but are still not really "feeling" it.  DIY bath balls, bath salts, sugar scrubs, even laundry detergent  have also come into the mix, but we need something practical for us (not too labor intensive if it's DIY, and something that we can knock out a few dozen every night until the wedding).  (For the kids we're putting in colored pencils and some sheets of doodle paper so they can keep busy)

Any suggestions or ideas would be very truly much appreciated!
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Re: Mason Jar Contents - Help!

  • i was looking into using mason jars as well but smaller. how many oz are the jars you picked up?
  • My cousin did this white choclate popcorn and kix (I think thats what they are called) it was wonderful!! the white choclate was melted on the popcorn and the kix and put in the mason jars on the tables SOOO yummy! 
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_favors_mason-jar-contents-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:27Discussion:6be2fd70-7a5f-460e-a6e1-355c7c8f6308Post:4cb008b4-b5bb-405f-b6c3-73cdfdb42380">Re: Mason Jar Contents - Help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]i was looking into using mason jars as well but smaller. how many oz are the jars you picked up?
    Posted by chaniray[/QUOTE]

    <div>I think around 16-18oz?  I would definitely stick to something smaller.  Even the few 12oz I got are hard to fill.</div>
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_favors_mason-jar-contents-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:27Discussion:6be2fd70-7a5f-460e-a6e1-355c7c8f6308Post:05905efc-2884-405a-bf63-79dab29f8a5f">Re: Mason Jar Contents - Help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]My cousin did this white choclate popcorn and kix (I think thats what they are called) it was wonderful!! the white choclate was melted on the popcorn and the kix and put in the mason jars on the tables SOOO yummy! 
    Posted by louannholzer[/QUOTE]

    <div>We were considering moose munch too (or some twist on it), but the chocolate/gooey factor worries me.  I don't want it to look, well, melting whilst still in the jars <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-frown.gif" border="0" alt="Frown" title="Frown" /></div>
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  • I like your bath items idea like the sugar scrub...some that is non parishable...do one for men and women? Another idea is to gather fun items that remind you if a relaxing time like the umbrellas for mixed drinks, a pic of a sunset, colored art sand etc and include a recipe card for your favorite mixed drink for them to make in the jar. Place jar in a clear favor bag and tie with a colorful ribbon.
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  • PeavyPeavy member
    5 Love Its First Comment
    Since your jars are so big, you need something that takes up a lot of volume -- popcorn or carmel corn would work, and so would salt water taffy.  Peanuts in the shell would work, but that will make a mess if people eat them at the reception.  Pretzels would work, too.
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_favors_mason-jar-contents-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:27Discussion:6be2fd70-7a5f-460e-a6e1-355c7c8f6308Post:74f247df-3ecb-4e6c-9c8a-f84dbd6894be">Re: Mason Jar Contents - Help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]Since your jars are so big, you need something that takes up a lot of volume -- popcorn or carmel corn would work, and so would salt water taffy.  Peanuts in the shell would work, but that will make a mess if people eat them at the reception.  Pretzels would work, too.
    Posted by Peavy[/QUOTE]

    <div>Yeah, we are looking for something with large volume.  Popcorn we're on the fence about due to melting chocolate v mushiness v messy inside.  But taffy sounds like a great idea (and a great way to tie in our color, not something we were looking to do, but easily achieve).  Aaaand I just realized that a friend of mine just opened up a shop specializing in Taffy & Root Beer!  (duh Melanie, there are people who can help you, lol!)</div><div>
    </div><div>Thanks for that - but keep the ideas rolling ladies, we're probably going to do a mix, so that people can choose which one they want. <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" /></div>
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  • brommelbrommel member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited July 2012
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_favors_mason-jar-contents-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:27Discussion:6be2fd70-7a5f-460e-a6e1-355c7c8f6308Post:2884cb23-5c77-40b9-8c98-5744c4de7460">Re:Mason Jar Contents Help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]I like your bath items idea like the sugar scrub...some that is non parishable...do one for men and women? Another idea is to gather fun items that remind you if a relaxing time like the umbrellas for mixed drinks, a pic of a sunset, colored art sand etc and include a recipe card for your favorite mixed drink for them to make in the jar. Place jar in a clear favor bag and tie with a colorful ribbon.
    Posted by IdoIdo2014[/QUOTE]

    <div>Yeah, we're trying to aim for something that won't be "stale" by the time our wedding comes... which although it isn't too far away, we just don't want to worry about the heat melting it, or it shifting around inside.  Your DIY drink (at home) sounds nifty, but we'd like for there to be something inside the jars they can use already.  Maybe for our (even) larger jars that we'll give away at our Opening of Gifts we can do that so that they have 'a piece of Cali sunshine' to take home with them ... or for our out of town guests' gift bags!</div>
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  • PeavyPeavy member
    5 Love Its First Comment
    Is the taffy and root beer store in Los Angeles?  Where??
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_favors_mason-jar-contents-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:27Discussion:6be2fd70-7a5f-460e-a6e1-355c7c8f6308Post:9be5c0e7-44ec-465d-bb20-7cf06e202e7f">Re: Mason Jar Contents - Help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]Is the taffy and root beer store in Los Angeles?  Where??
    Posted by Peavy[/QUOTE]

    <div>Peavy,</div><div>
    </div><div>It's a fairly newer store in Eagle Rock called "Zweet Station" ... I think they have a FB page and you can definitely find them on Yelp.  The owners are a wonderful family and they host charity events on the regular!</div>
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_favors_mason-jar-contents-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:27Discussion:6be2fd70-7a5f-460e-a6e1-355c7c8f6308Post:2884cb23-5c77-40b9-8c98-5744c4de7460">Re:Mason Jar Contents Help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]I like your bath items idea like the sugar scrub...some that is non parishable...do one for men and women? <strong>Another idea is to gather fun items that remind you if a relaxing time like the umbrellas for mixed drinks, a pic of a sunset, colored art sand etc and include a recipe card for your favorite mixed drink for them to make in the jar.</strong> Place jar in a clear favor bag and tie with a colorful ribbon.
    Posted by IdoIdo2014[/QUOTE]

    Sorry, but this would be a totally worthless favor to most people and would be thrown out or left behind. 
  • I kinda dig the cookie mix idea (there are TONS of books and online resources for how to make "gifts in a jar" like this), but that could be because I really enjoy baking and they also look really cute sitting on a kitchen counter.
  • If you are going for a mix look for Puppy Chow. It's made with Chex and is is wonderful! Google it....
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  • MobKazMobKaz member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited July 2012
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_favors_mason-jar-contents-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:27Discussion:6be2fd70-7a5f-460e-a6e1-355c7c8f6308Post:13593482-908f-4a73-8c3f-15ab8eb845d2">Re: Mason Jar Contents - Help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]If you are going for a mix look for Puppy Chow. It's made with Chex and is is wonderful! Google it....
    Posted by kymalibustacey[/QUOTE]

    Puppy Chow is a little bit of heaven on earth!  I doubt the chocolate, peanut butter, and confectioner sugar would stay "pretty" unless the jars remained in a very cool spot.

    There are tons of ideas if you literally google "mason jar recipes".  On this site,
    <a rel="nofollow" href="http://christmas.organizedhome.com/recipes/gifts-in-a-jar/dreamsicle-cookies">http://christmas.organizedhome.com/recipes/gifts-in-a-jar/dreamsicle-cookies</a>
    it specifically mentions an "orange dreamsicle cookie recipe" as a great suggestion for hot summer months. 

    This site also has some great suggestions.....
    <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tipjunkie.com/jar-homemade-gifts/">http://www.tipjunkie.com/jar-homemade-gifts/</a>
    and I would take note that <strong><em>not all the jars are filled to the absolute top</em></strong> and they still look great. 

    One last google page that has tons of suggestions, including "soup in a jar"
    <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=d2Y&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=gifts+in+a+jar&revid=1087935363&sa=X&ei=30sDUKzcGKWI2gXX3IyyCw&ved=0CIABENUCKAc&biw=918&bih=407" rel="nofollow">http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=d2Y&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=gifts+in+a+jar&revid=1087935363&sa=X&ei=30sDUKzcGKWI2gXX3IyyCw&ved=0CIABENUCKAc&biw=918&bih=407</a>

    Do you and your FI have anything that screams "you" that might work?  Are you "known" for a favorite food, snack, trail mix, or beverage?  Are you both lovers of jelly, salsa, or some other easy to jar food? 
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_favors_mason-jar-contents-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:27Discussion:6be2fd70-7a5f-460e-a6e1-355c7c8f6308Post:6b45e405-21eb-4e4b-a502-37b6e00585a7">Re: Mason Jar Contents - Help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Mason Jar Contents - Help! : Puppy Chow is a little bit of heaven on earth!  I doubt the chocolate, peanut butter, and confectioner sugar would stay "pretty" unless the jars remained in a very cool spot. There are tons of ideas if you literally google "mason jar recipes".  On this site, <a href="http://christmas.organizedhome.com/recipes/gifts-in-a-jar/dreamsicle-cookies" rel="nofollow">http://christmas.organizedhome.com/recipes/gifts-in-a-jar/dreamsicle-cookies</a> it specifically mentions an "orange dreamsicle cookie recipe" as a great suggestion for hot summer months.  This site also has some great suggestions..... <a href="http://www.tipjunkie.com/jar-homemade-gifts/" rel="nofollow">http://www.tipjunkie.com/jar-homemade-gifts/</a> and I would take note that not all the jars are filled to the absolute top and they still look great.  One last google page that has tons of suggestions, including "soup in a jar" <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=d2Y&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=gifts+in+a+jar&revid=1087935363&sa=X&ei=30sDUKzcGKWI2gXX3IyyCw&ved=0CIABENUCKAc&biw=918&bih=407" rel="nofollow">http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=d2Y&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=gifts+in+a+jar&revid=1087935363&sa=X&ei=30sDUKzcGKWI2gXX3IyyCw&ved=0CIABENUCKAc&biw=918&bih=407</a> Do you and your FI have anything that screams "you" that might work?  Are you "known" for a favorite food, snack, trail mix, or beverage?  Are you both lovers of jelly, salsa, or some other easy to jar food? 
    Posted by mobkaz[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>We've perused through a bunch of ideas and have kinda settled on the fact that we'll just do a little of each (in essence, on one table, 10 different favors, and let them choose from there ... or steal from another table, lol).  We liked some cookie recipes that allowed for us to put blue m&m's (think it was called a cowgirl cookie recipe).  The soup in a jar we also thought would be nice for the 'older' tables.  We purchased a groupon for Kind Snacks a while back and never really bothered to use it, but now we're just going to buy bags of trail mix and fill as much as we can with those.  Taffy really worked out well for us as well.  Our jars were filled to the brim for under a dollar per jar!  Jelly, honey & salsa were things we considered, but we're too 'dangerous' for our OOT guest (85% of my family is flying in), so I don't want to risk something wet breaking on them / in their suitcase.</div><div>
    </div><div>Thanks for the links ... am browsing through them now!

    </div>
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