crafty

Name: Mason Jar Pancake Mix
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 5
Ingredients: 4 cups of flour; 3/4 cup of nonfat dry milk; 1/3 cup of sugar; 2 tablespoons of baking powder; 1 tablespoon of baking soda

Mason Jar Pancake Mix

November 21, 2024 by Rachel Leave a Comment

The holidays are all about giving thoughtful, meaningful gifts, and what better way to spread some cheer than with a homemade DIY pancake mix! This simple yet charming gift is easy to prepare. It can be quickly turned into a beautiful, personalized present for friends, family, or neighbors. Perfect for whether you’re looking for a last-minute gift or something to add a personal touch to your holiday celebrations. This DIY pancake mix is sure to delight. Just package it up with a cute note and a few basic ingredients, and you’ve got a delicious, giftable treat that everyone will love! This Mason Jar Pancake Mix is the perfect DIY gift this holiday season.

Gift giving from the heart and with purpose

Homemade gifts hold a special kind of magic because they show thoughtfulness, effort, and a personal touch that store-bought items often can’t match. When you create something with your own hands, you’re not just giving a physical object, but also sharing a piece of yourself—whether it’s your time, creativity, or care. This makes homemade gifts especially meaningful during the holidays, when the focus is on connection and creating memories. Whether it’s a jar of homemade pancake mix, a knitted scarf, or a batch of cookies, these personalized gifts convey love in a way that’s unique and heartfelt, making them the perfect way to make the season even more special for friends and family.

Homemade gifts are especially meaningful during the holidays because they show thoughtfulness and care in a way that store-bought items simply can’t replicate. When you take the time to create something with your own hands, it’s not just about the gift itself, but the love and effort behind it. This is particularly important for kids. It teaches them the value of giving and the joy that comes from making something for others. By involving children in crafting their own gifts, you’re helping them develop a deeper sense of empathy, creativity, and pride.

Children get to experience the joy of giving from the heart. Thus understanding that the thought and effort behind the gift matter more than the price tag. Homemade gifts allow children to participate in the spirit of the season. They building lasting memories and traditions that they’ll carry with them for years to come. It’s these kinds of thoughtful, hands-on moments that truly make the holidays special and meaningful.

What you’ll need to create this perfect DIY Gift

This Mason Jar Pancake Mix is perfect for several reasons. First, it involves only a few ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and dry milk). Second, it can be made in large batches to give as several gifts. These can be bundled up in large Mason jars and given as Teacher gifts, office gifts, and so much more.

How to make Mason Jar Pancake Mix

Yield: 5 cups of mix

Mason Jar Pancake Mix

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

4 cups of flour
3/4 cup of nonfat dry milk
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of baking powder
1 tablespoon of baking soda

Instructions

INGREDIENTS

Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
Store in your favorite storage jar or gift it out in smaller jars!

Notes

To prepare mix for pancakes:

Mix 1 cup of mix with 3/4 cup of water to create batter.
1/4-1/2 cup of batter per pancake for desired size.

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Back-to-School Dry Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix Recipe {BONUS} Teacher Thank You Printable

September 20, 2021 by Rachel 4 Comments

I may be homeschooling my kids this year (for health reasons), but I am still very appreciative of our local school teachers. For those who don’t know, we live next door to our elementary school. Our family is very close to the staff, teachers, and administration. We still see them daily — just from afar! And, just because this year looks different, doesn’t mean I appreciate them any less. In fact, I am still bringing them back-to-school treats to kick off this new school year. And what better way than by making your very own Dry Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix?! Customize it from your children by using the included printable and you are good to go.

Why make a mix instead of cookies?

Baked goods as gifts are wonderful, right? But we don’t know what is going on in the recipients life. Maybe they just received a bunch of edible gifts at once. Why risk that the baked goods that you give may never get eaten.

By giving the gift of a dry mix, the recipient is able to have the ingredients prepped. All they need is the perfect afternoon to bake them. I personally can’t think of a better edible gift!

What you’ll need to assemble Dry Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

First and foremost, you’ll need some clear mason jars. I prefer using small, 8 ounce mason jars and have made the mix accordingly; but you can always pick up 16 ounce jars and just double the ingredients.

Here’s what you’ll need for each 8 ounces of mix:

1/2 cup of flour
1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips

How to make Dry Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

Yield: 8 ounces (4 cookies)

Dry Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Materials

1/2 cup of flour
1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips

To Prepare - Ingredients (to make cookies)

1/3 cup of butter at room temp
1 egg yolk
1/3 teaspoon of vanilla

Tools

8 ounce mason jar

Instructions

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

STEP 1 -

Add each ingredient into the jar one at a time, in order listed, to create a beautiful layer effect.

If you desire to mix before adding, you can.

HOW TO PREPARE COOKIES (ADD NOTE ON GIFT TAG):

STEP 1 -

To prepare, preheat oven to 350° F.

STEP 2 -

Add the butter, egg, and vanilla to a mixing bowl and mix until smooth. Reduce mixing speed to med and slowly add the jar of mixture. Mix until cookie batter is well-blended with wet ingredients.

STEP 3 -

Using a small cook scoop, plop uncooked batter on a sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

STEP 4 -

Cool and enjoy!

Customize and Deliver with this printable card

The best part about making these little treat containers for the teachers is delivering them. My kids love, love, LOVE to personalize their gifts. The absolute easiest way to make these is to duplicate the recipe by however many you need to handout.

Next, just print off this sheet of gift tags and have the kids personalize them. Here are some close ups of the gift cards:

Be sure to use this PDF copy to print!

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Copycat Marshmallow Peeps Recipe — Super Easy

March 18, 2021 by Rachel 11 Comments

Y’all, if I thought that St. Patrick’s Day snuck up on me, I was not prepared for Easter. This year Easter is so darn early! I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been obsessed with marshmallow peeps. But what about those of us who want to enjoy marshmallow peeps year-round? Well, this copycat marshmallow peeps recipe is exactly what you need!

Everything You’ll Need for Copycat Marshmallow Peeps Recipe

If you’ve never had homemade marshmallow, you are in for a treat! Honestly. Previously, I was a tad bit intimidated by the idea of making my own marshmallow. But it’s honestly not as difficult as I’d imagined. Just be sure you have a candy thermometer and a bunny cookie cutter.

Here’s everything else you’ll need:

1 box of unflavored gelatin
sugar
salt
powdered sugar (for dusting)
vanilla extract, optional but recommended
yellow decorating sugar
blue decorating sugar
pink decorating sugar
green decorating sugar

That’s it! These peeps are going to rock your world. They are delicious. You will never go back to those store bought peeps. These Copycat Marshmallow Peeps Recipe are the best thing ever.

The Full Recipe

Yield: 16 peeps

Marshmallow Peeps

Other: Candy thermometer.

Ingredients

Marshmallow Bricks

1 box (.25oz) of unflavored gelatin
2 cups of sugar
Pinch of salt
½ cup of Powdered sugar for dusting
1 teaspoon of vanilla, optional

Peeps

8 Marshmallow bricks
3 ounces of yellow decorating sugar
3 ounces of blue decorating sugar
3 ounces of pink decorating sugar
3 ounces green decorating sugar

Instructions

INGREDIENTS -

STEP 1 -

Combine the box of gelatin and 1/2 cup of water in stand mixer bowl. Let’s sit and solidify for about 5 minutes while melting sugar.

STEP 2 -

In a saucepan on high heat, combine sugar with 1/4 cup of water. Do not stir, stirring will make crystals form.

STEP 3 -

Melt the sugar until temperature reaches 240 degrees or the softball mark on a candy thermometer.

STEP 4 -

Once temperature is achieved, pour over gelatin while mixing on medium with whisk. After mixed together, set mixer on high and let mix for 10 minutes or until marshmallow fluff forms. For flavoring option, add vanilla at the point of whipping.

STEP 5 -

In 9 x 9 pan, grease with oil then dust with powdered sugar. Pour whipped marshmallow into pan and coat top of marshmallow with a dusting of powdered sugar.

STEP 6 -

Let marshmallow sit for a couple of hours before removing and serving.

STEP 7 -

Cut marshmallow bricks to measurements of cookie cutter.

STEP 8 -

Cut marshmallow brick in half to make marshmallow and inch thick.

STEP 9 -

Using the peeps bunny cookie cutter (or any cute cutter you desire), compress the cutter onto the marshmallow brick and remove excess marshmallow.

STEP 10 -

Apply colored decorating sugar to marshmallow after brushing outside of marshmallow with a little bit of water fully coating peep.

STEP 11 -

Let dry and serve.

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Christmas Tree Car Craft for kids with template

December 22, 2020 by Rachel 5 Comments

We’re only a few days out from Christmas and the kids and I are still cranking out holiday crafts and treats. I must admit that we are a family that has decided an artificial tree is the way to go. But I grew up with a real tree year after year. We never went to cut our own tree, but we did pick our trees up and tie them to the roof of the car. And, while my kids haven’t experienced that per se, they have seen enough Christmas movies to know that tying a tree down to the roof of your car is kind of a tradition. So we decided to make this super cute and super fun Christmas tree car craft for kids.

Here’s what you’ll need to make these

colored craft papers or cardstock
craft glue
a pencil
scissors
this template

How to make this Christmas Tree Car Craft

Christmas Tree Car Craft

Materials

Colored craft papers or card stock
craft glue
a pencil
scissors

Instructions

Step 1:

Select red, gray, white and blue colored craft papers for the car craft. Select green craft paper for the tree and brown to cut the strips. Using this template trace the car and the half-circle shapes on the red paper, the squares (windows) on blue paper, the big round shapes (wheels) on gray or black and the small round shapes on white paper.

Step 2:

Grab the 4 round paper cutouts. Stick the small ones in the center of the big ones. Use a black sharpie to trace outline of the small circles and draw small circles in the center of the small circles.

Step 3:

Stick the paper wheels on the half-circle paper cutouts, keeping the round edges on the outer sides.

Step 4:

Stick the 2 square cutouts on the car base pattern, on the top part.

Step 5:

Stick the paper wheels along the bottom side of the car base.

Step 6:

Stick both wheels on the bottom side of the car base, making sure to keep a good distance between both wheels.

Step 7:

Trace and cut out the tree pattern from a green colored craft paper. Stick 2 thin brown paper strips criss-cross wise on the tree and then stick the tree on the top side of the paper car.

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Paper Strip Christmas Tree Craft with template

December 9, 2020 by Rachel 9 Comments

I don’t know about you, but my kids are getting really tired of plain old coloring and painting. Something about this holiday season has my kids just itching for bigger and better crafts. This paper strip Christmas tree craft is equal parts fun and creative! Basically, the perfect combination for antsy kids.

It’s easy enough, thanks to the printable template, and requires very few supplies. You can even turn them into homemade Christmas cards for grandparents, aunts, and uncles. It’s the perfect little homemade surprise.

What you’ll need for this project

Paper Strip Christmas Tree Template
Cardstock – blue, green, brown
Paper – various shades of green and patterns
Glitter foam stars
Scissors
Glue stick

That’s it!

Using a template

Using this printable template makes this craft a cinch! You can save and print this at home or take it to a print center (and grab some cardstock while you’re there!).

How to make this special tree

Paper Strip Christmas Tree Craft

Materials

Paper Strip Christmas Tree Template
Cardstock - blue, green, brown
Paper - various shades of green and patterns
Glitter foam stars
Scissors
Glue stick

Notes

Begin by downloading the template.

You will need two squares the size provided. One in a blue shade, the other green.

From the blue cardstock, also carefully cut out the Christmas tree from inside the square.

Now, cut a bunch of thin strips from the different kinds of paper.

Position the strips in randomly across the green square. Make sure to use different shades of green and patterns, too. This is a great way to use up any scraps. Leave a bit of the green from underneath showing, too.

Then, apply glue around the blue cardstock with the cut out tree. And position over the strips.

Place a foam star on top.

Finally, use the rectangle from the template to cut a rectangle from the brown cardstock.

And glue in place for the trunk.

PIN FOR LATER - Fun Christmas Tree Paper Craft for Kids

Potato Stamp Christmas Ornament Craft

December 7, 2020 by Rachel 16 Comments

“It’s the most wonderful tiiiime of the year!” I knew that as soon as we put our Christmas tree up, my three kids would begin the neverending question of “is it Christmas yet?!” Our tree has been up less than a week and I was 100% without a doubt right. Every morning they wake up with the energy they will most certainly have on Christmas morning. They are eager to open their advent calendars and get started on the holiday activity of the day. But 25 days is a long time for a kid to wait for Christmas, right? Well I’m creating crafts just like this Potato Stamp Christmas Ornament Craft to help continue the cheer throughout the month!

Crafting Made Easy

As a mom of three wild children, I need no-nonsense crafts. I know for certain my kids would be content with just paint, a few brushes, and a blank sheet of paper. But I want to create some magic that they — and I — can hold on to for years to come. These Potato Stamp Christmas Ornament crafts can be used as cards to mail to relatives or to save as keepsakes. Bonus? They are oh so easy.

Who can do this craft?

This craft is appropriate for all ages, as long as there is adequate adult supervision. I will also note that for parents who prefer tidy and neat finished products, you may want to stick with children three and up. But, truthfully, as long as you’re aware that our little artists are just trying to express themselves, it’s a perfectly fine craft for even young children!

What You’ll Need

There are very few supplies needed for this Christmas craft. In fact, you will probably have most of these supplies on hand!

Potatoes (2-4 depending on how many helping hands you have!)
Brown cardstock
Acrylic paints – red, green, and blue
Markers – black and white
Assorted adornments (like stickers, gems, sequins, stars)
Scissors
Glue

How to make Potato Stamp Christmas Ornament Cards

Potato Stamp Christmas Ornament Card

Materials

Potatoes
Brown cardstock
Acrylic paint - red, green, blue
Markers - black, white
Adornments - stickers, gems, sequins, stars, etc.
Scissors
Glue

Instructions

Begin by folding a sheet of brown cardstock in half.

Now, cut your potatoes in half along the width. You will need one half of a potato per color. Also, spread your paint colors on a flat surface such as a paper plate.

Then, dip the potato in a paint color. Make sure the potato is completely covered with paint. Press the potato onto the brown cardstock.

Carefully lift the potato up to reveal the stamp underneath.

Do the same with the other colors. Let the paint dry completely.

Next, draw an ornament cap with the black marker. Draw a line going off the top of the card, as well.

Finally, decorate the baubles with your choice of fun adornments. We chose stickers, gems, sequins, and stars, but this is a great chance to get creative!

Also use the white marker to decorate the baubles further by adding lines and more detail.