Journal Jar How-To

So I originally got the idea to make a Journal Jar from my friend Ashley, who made one for her grandmother. I honestly hadn't heard of the concept of making a jar for journaling, so I was pretty intrigued. A Journal Jar doesn't even have to be a jar, I suppose... It can be any sort of container or vessel that you use to hold questions and journal prompts that can be pulled out at random and used in a journal.

I thought this would be just the perfect gift for my grandmother! She will be able to use it to record her life story, and really anything additional she wants to add- photos, newspaper clippings, magazine articles... Whatever! It will also be such a treasure when she completes it.

I'd love to share the process of how I made the Journal Jar for my grandmother!



To begin, as with any project, I gathered all the supplies I would need. Scissors, Mod Podge, some scraps of paper, stamps, any random embellishments I thought I might use. Also, not pictured, I used a hot glue gun for securing the buttons to the jar. Oh, and most importantly, you will need to choose the container you would like to use. We have a plethora of old mason jars that I love, so I chose to use one for this project.


Then, I made a label for the jar. I chose a large-ish scrap of paper for the main piece. I then added the sort of imprinted waxy paper to the top using a glue stick. I played around with the design for the rest of the label, using some more paper scraps, stamping, and a few buttons. Be creative! There is no right or wrong method for this, really! =) You'll then need to attach your label to the jar. I used some Mod Podge and a paint brush for this.


To add a little more detail to the jar, I traced the inner part of the lid onto the same paper I used for the label and cut that part out.


I found this poem that is popular on a lot of the journal jars I have seen. It's just sort of an introduction to what the journaling process is all about. I punched a hole in the corner and attached it to the jar using some brown string.

Then, the most important part! You'll need to type up the questions and journal prompts with which you will fill your Journal Jar! I came up with a lot on my own, and did a search on Google to find more ideas. There are tons out there! You can just search for 'journal jar prompts', for example, or 'journal jar prompts for grandparents/parents/kids/etc...' The possibilities are endless! After you've typed them all up, you'll want to print them out. I just used standard printer paper for this and a good old pair of scissors. It took forever, but I just kept telling myself it was a labor of love! =) It might be a good idea to use a guillotine cutter or any other paper cutter you have to make the process a bit faster...




You'll also want to make or purchase a journal to go along with your Journal Jar! This was another fun part of the process, choosing a journal I thought would suit my grandmother well!

The prompts can either be pasted into the journal, or written in by hand. Whatever works for you or the person you are gifting this to!


Let me know if you decide to make a Journal Jar for yourself or for a gift! I would love to see what you do with this project!