Homemade Applesauce Mason Jar Gift Packaging

We went to the apple orchard last weekend for the first time this fall, ahhhh one of my most favorite activities :-) It was the perfect weekend outing, the weather was cool and crisp and the apples were plentiful which is exciting in itself as last year the apple crops here were a total fail due to an earlier than normal heat wave and then a horrible frost that killed off so many of the buds. 

Of course we taste tested all the varieties to find our favorites...Jonagold, Snow, Honeycrisp, Lustre Elstar, and Mutsu were definite winners in our book, so we picked and picked and picked some more. And then, as we carried our bushel of apples back to the barn we stopped by the big wagon of windfall apples. They were calling to me, really.

Did you know that windfall apples make the best applesauce? Yup, they do! They are usually all the apples in the orchard that have dropped to the ground but are otherwise in good condition. That randomness means you are getting a nice mix of sweet, tart, acidic, sharp flavors as well as a variety of white, yellow, soft, crisp, and buttery flesh. So basically, the makings of the perfect applesauce!  And since I was itching to make my Crockpot Applesauce (recipe here) as the kids eat a container full of applesauce almost every day in their packed school lunches, the windfall apples (at half the price of pick-your-own) were a calling my name...another bushel of apples it was!

I feel like I have been making a crockpot full of applesauce everyday this week. Our house smells so good! And if you have ever had homemade applesauce you know it is one of the best things in the world to eat. I thought it might be nice to package up some of that apple-y goodness and share it with others.  Why not share the love, right?

I ladled some into pint-sized regular-mouth mason jars, the perfect size for sharing, and decorated them all cute cause the only thing better than getting a little gift is getting a cute little gift, am I right?! 

I used my 2.5" circle punch to make a label for the top of the mason jars out of kraft paper.

Then I grabbed some felt and cut out little apples by hand and glued them on the center of the label with a regular Elmer's glue stick. I hand-stamped "Applesauce" underneath.

I added a doily, wrapped the jars in twine, and clipped on a tag decorated with washi tape for each of the recipients :-)

Easy peasy, apple squeezy! 

Such a fun and simple way to dress up some homemade goodies.

Thanks for stopping by today!

XOXO,

Breakfast in Bed: Housewarming/Hostess Gift Idea

My littlest sister and her husband spent the beginning of this summer driving across the country to start a graduate program out east (stopping in Chicago for a few days along the way, yay!) They moved all their belongings from Washington state all the way to New York without having a clue as to where they'd actually be living.  A few weeks ago I talked to them and they had finally found a place to live, hooray!  Isn't that always so stressful.  So I put together a little package to welcome them to their new home, cause after moving in and starting school in less than a week's time it is nice to have some happy mail arrive on your doorstep.

I thought it would be fun to send them a little "Breakfast in Bed" package so they could spend at least one morning relaxing and not stressing about school, work, or unpacking...sounds nice, right? Here is what I included in case you may want to do the same for someone you know :-)

I made a batch of our favorite dry waffle mix because who doesn't love a good waffle mix for breakfast! This recipe is seriously amazing and makes the crispest waffles I've ever made...I'll share the recipe with you later, promise!

I placed the mix in a mason jar with some twine, a paper doily, and a simple kraft tag I made using a paper punch. On the backside of the tag I wrote the ingredients needed to make the waffles, just add in and stir...so simple!

We love, love, love using unsweetened coconut flakes at our house. I thought this would be a fun waffle add-in to include....they are soooo good toasted and added in to pancakes or waffle batter...or just to eat plain, yum!

I used a clear food-safe bag, tied it with twine, and placed it in a cute little berry basket I found on Etsy.

I filled food-safe glassine bags with mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallow bits for more fun batter add-ins. Just tape the bags closed with some Washi Tape and they are ready for giving!

I filled two Kraft paper bags with some gourmet tea bags and a packet of Italian Roast coffee...those are definitely breakfast must-haves in my opinion!

Then I clipped each bag with a paper doily, a little tag, and a mini clothespin.

I also added a few packets of Starbuck's Peppermint Hot Cocoa cause it's always nice to have options, right!

I bought some fun muffin mixes and just wrapped them in a paper doily and twine to make them look fancier then they really are, ha! I also added a few cute paper muffin liners I found over at Pick Your Plum...love that website!

And, since this is Housewarming gift, I included a few Chalkboard Dipped Wooden Spoons using this tutorial.

 And a Rustic Chalkboard Easter Egg made using a wood slice from this tutorial here.

Then I packaged everything up in tissue paper and sent it on it's way.

PS. I wrapped the chalkboard egg in tissue paper too...just figured that wouldn't make for an exciting photograph!

Thanks for stopping by today!

XOXO,