Homecoming in a Jar

As school starts up once again, we are reminded of the Friday nights that we long for. The Friday night spent with friends, laughing together, and making memories. The Friday night football games, where your team loses week after week, but you still love the game and supporting your team.

One week in high school in particular these things come to life. Of course, that is the week of homecoming. The crazy dress-up days, the competition between the grades, and the dance are all things that we look forward to each year. The pep rally and the football game itself are what everybody thinks of when they think of homecoming.

For me, homecoming is not about football. It’s all about spending more time off the courts with my tennis family. Sure, I do like football, but football is not my everything. The thing that I look forward to most about homecoming is the crazy memories I make with my amazing friends.

For this project, I thought about how I could incorporate the meaning of homecoming, football, and what homecoming means to me...spending extra time with my tennis family. With the help of a pinterest user, I came up with the perfect solution to my problem. Meet Homecoming in a Jar.

Supplies:

Mason Jar

Brown paint

White paint

Black paint

Popsicle sticks

Photograph from homecoming

Hot glue gun

Laminator and sheets (optional)

Black and red ribbon

Tinsile

This project does require you to have a few things going on at once, so let’s being. We will begin by taking our mason jar and removing the cover from it. We then will paint the outside of the mason jar using our brown paint. Once the jar is covered in an even layer of paint, set it off to the side in order for it to completely dry.

While the brown paint is drying, you can take seven popsicle sticks and paint them black. These will make the field goal and it will be responsible for holding the picture. Make sure that they are covered in an even layer of paint as well. Place them off to the side, and let them dry completely.

The next thing you can do, while the paint is drying, is the photograph. Take your photo, and carefully laminate it, according to the directions on your laminator. Carefully cut off the excess laminate. Leave about ½ of an inch on each side of the photo in order to ensure that the lamination will not split apart. Leave this off to the side until the popsicle sticks dry. This process is not necessary but it will protect the photograph better with the lamination.

As you’re waiting for all of your paint to dry, you can work on making the bow. You will need two colors of ribbon. One color ribbon should be wider than the other one. For this example, the red is wider than the black. Take the two colors and cut them about 2½ feet long. Tie them together, forming a knot in the middle. Then tie them together as if you are tying a shoe. Even out the extra on each side of the bow and cut a “V” shape on each end. Set it off to the side.

Once the jar is completely dry, you will take some white paint and paint white lines, to make it look like the strings of the football. Once they are done, let it dry.

While you are waiting for the paint to dry, hot glue your popsicle sticks together to make a field goal.

Glue the laminated photo into it, so it looks almost like a picture frame. Once the jar is dry, stick the field goal into the jar. Add a little bit of tinsel, and there you have it, homecoming in a jar.