These super cute jars can be used for just about anything, and I used mine to create a reading suggestion jar! It’s a jar in which you put the names of all your books. Once you’ve finished a book, you then draw the title of the next book you’re going to read out of the jar! It’s a fun way to choose what you’re going to read next, especially for indecisive people like me. This tutorial will show one of many ways in which you can personalize your own reading suggestion jar.
Materials:
- cardboard
- 2-4 sheets of printer paper
- colorful sharpies
- a smooth jar (lid optional)
- tape
- scissors
- ruler
Step 1: Make the Template
To make these look nice, your decorated paper goes inside the jar. To make it easy on yourself, it is best to make a template. Take your cardboard and roll it up so it fits inside the jar. Start by trimming it to the desired height, and then make it the right length. This takes some fiddling, and the size of the template will depend on your jar and how much overlap you want. Make sure to fit the cardboard into the corners if your jar is not circular.
Step 2: Measuring the Paper
After you have your template, it’s time to make it look nice. Tape the cardboard to your pieces of paper. If it is longer than one piece of paper (like mine), tape 2 together. Try and get them as close together as possible. Cut the paper around your cardboard template, and tape them back together. Repeat on the other side.
Step 3: Decorate!
This is the time to get creative. Decorate the jar however you want! For mine, I decorated it with different quotes and symbols from different fandoms. If you’re making it as a gift, you could decorate it with traits about the person you’re giving it to. Get creative!
Step 4: Assembling it
This is the easiest part so far. Tape your paper into the shape of your jar, and put it inside. Make the appropriate changes, and tape it more if you have to.
Poof! You now have an amazing jar that’s ready for you to fill it with book titles.