Patriotic Jars (and Pretzel Treats!)

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Holidays can be busy – even the warm weather holidays when we’re supposed to be enjoying the lazy days of summer.  So if I’m going to do homemade crafting around any holiday, I like to keep things simple and easy.

For the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, I made a couple little decorative patriotic jars for that fit the bill perfectly.  They were quick, simple, and inexpensive too.  I used my very frugal homemade mod podge, some inexpensive napkins, and the rest of the supplies came from the dollar store, or I already had them on hand.

Make these red, white, and blue jars with simple supplies. You may be able to find most of your supplies at the dollar store!

To make these jars, I mod podged a napkin to the back of the jar, so that the decorative pattern would show through.  The napkins needed to be cut down just a bit to a size that covered just the back half of the jar.  The two little jars I used came from the dollar store, but you could use mason jars or recycled food jars too.

Once the napkin had been mod podged onto the jar and dried, I put on the finishing touches.  I filled the bottom of each jar with a little Epsom salt (from the dollar store) and put a little battery operated “candle” in each one (also found at the dollar store).  I then wound some decorative bakers twine that I had in my stash around the top.  And that’s it!  Pretty simple and easy.

Make these red, white, and blue jars with simple supplies. You may be able to find most of your supplies at the dollar store!
And then I made another batch of one of my favorite treats that can be customized in the colors for any holiday – Pretzel M&M treats!  I most often make them around the Christmas holiday in red and green colors, but I’ve also made them in red and pink for Valentine’s Day, and now I’ve made them in red, white, and blue for the 4th of July too.  These treats are soooo simple and easy to make.  You’ll actually spend the most time unwrapping the Hershey Hugs candies,  They also bake for only a few minutes at a very low 170 degrees so it won’t heat up your house much in the summer either.

Make these tasty Pretzel M&M Treats in red, white, and blue - perfect for a patriotic holiday like the 4th of July

To make these treats you’ll need round pretzels.  (If you can’t find the round shape, the square “waffle” type pretzels will work too).  You’ll also need a bag of Hershey’s Hugs candies and M&M candies.

Begin by putting some waxed paper on a cookie sheet.  Then lay out your pretzels on the waxed paper, and put a Hershey Hug in the middle of each one (or on top of the pretzel if using the waffle shape).  Bake in a 170 degree oven for 4 minutes.  Remove from the oven and quickly press an M&M in the middle of each one.

Cool for a few minutes and then put in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to cool and harden the rest of the way.

Make these tasty Pretzel M&M Treats in red, white, and blue - perfect for a patriotic holiday like the 4th of July

I suppose if these treats would sit out in the sun too long, they might start to get melty, but they usually disappear so fast, it’s not much of a problem.

Happy 4th of July!

Make these tasty Pretzel M&M Treats in red, white, and blue - perfect for a patriotic holiday like the 4th of July

 

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2 Comments

  1. Bev,
    Read your e-mail everyday. Put lots of your ideas in a separate file. Just wanted to write and let you know how much you have helped me. Have tried so many of them. Thank you for all your hard work to make it easier for all of us.
    Sincerely,
    Donna Jean

    1. So glad you are enjoying the blog Donna and glad to hear you have found useful ideas here too! I always appreciate hearing some positive feedback. 🙂