Updated 2019
With Thanksgiving approaching, we adapted Sherry’s daily gratitude-journal habit into a simple family craft: a “Thanks Jar.” Instead of tucking our gratitude into private journals, we put it on display throughout November. It’s an easy, meaningful way to focus on appreciation—and it can become a fun family tradition.
Craft Supplies To Create Your Own “Thanks Jar”
We found an apothecary jar at a thrift store for under a dollar, but any clear glass vessel will work—an old jam jar, drinking glass, or vase will do. Here’s what you need:
- Small glass jar
- Glass etching cream
- Small paintbrush
- Craft knife (X-Acto)
- Printer and paper
- Painter’s tape
- Colorful cardstock cut small enough to fit in the jar
You can skip the etching and simply write “Thanks” on a tag or sticker if you prefer. We’d been meaning to try glass etching since spotting other DIY examples and decided this was the perfect project.
Step 1: Design & Print Your Stencil
We chose the word “thanks” in a clean block font (Helvetica) and printed it at a size that fit our jar. Use any word-processing program or even a simple text editor. Keep the design bold and simple so it’s easy to cut into a stencil.
Step 2: Tape Your Stencil Over Painter’s Tape
To make a reusable, sticky stencil, tape a wide strip of painter’s tape to a cutting board. Position your printed word on top and secure it so the paper won’t shift while you cut. Transferring the design this way helps the tape adhere smoothly to the glass later.
Step 3: Cut Out Your Stencil
Use an X-Acto or craft knife to carefully cut out each letter through the paper and tape. Press firmly so the cut goes all the way through the tape. We didn’t preserve the center of the “a,” but you can keep inner shapes intact if you prefer.
Step 4: Apply Your Tape Stencil To Your Glass
Peel the painter’s tape from the cutting board slowly so it doesn’t stick to itself, then smooth it onto the jar where you want the etching to appear. Add extra strips of tape around the stencil edges to seal them firmly—this helps prevent etching cream from seeping under the tape.
The letter shapes may not be perfectly crisp in every spot, but a well-adhered stencil will give very good results. Reinforce any edges you’re worried about with extra tape before applying the cream.
Step 5: Brush On Your Glass Etch Cream
Wearing gloves and working over a protected surface, use a small paintbrush to apply etching cream into the cut-out letter areas. Follow the etching cream’s safety instructions. The painter’s tape helps keep the cream off the rest of the jar.
Step 6: Wait
Timing depends on the product and your stencil material. Because painter’s tape isn’t as durable as vinyl, we watched the stencil through the glass. After roughly 90 seconds the tape edges began to look less sharp, which indicates the cream is reacting. Leaving the cream on longer produces a deeper etch, but be cautious with tape-based stencils.
Step 6: Rinse Off Cream & Remove Stencil
Rinse the etching cream off in the sink and remove the tape. We had a tiny bit of bleeding between two letters, but overall the etched word came out beautifully. Clean the jar thoroughly before filling it with notes.
Step 7: Start Filling Your Jar With Gratitude
Cut small cards from fall-colored scrapbooking paper and write one thing you’re thankful for each day. We planned to add two notes per day for a full month so by November 30th we’d have a generous pile of gratitude. To keep it fun, we agreed not to peek at each other’s notes until the end of the month.
“Thanks Jar” Update
We documented our first year of using the jar and loved seeing the collection of notes. Reading them at month’s end made the tradition feel special and helped us remember small, meaningful moments from the year.
BONUS: Save Your “Thanks Jar” Notes
At month’s end, punch holes in the cards and store them on a ribbon or binder ring. Keeping past years’ notes lets you revisit what you were grateful for previously and build a growing keepsake. It’s an easy, low-effort way to preserve memories without maintaining a daily diary.
This could become a long-lasting family ritual—adding notes year after year so the collection grows. Even small kids can contribute a drawing or a few words when they’re ready.
Update: Our Continued Thanksgiving Tradition
We kept this tradition for several years and wrote about it again along with a few related Thanksgiving crafts and ideas, including a printable for mailing gratitude notes and a chalkboard gratitude display. Over time the jar became one of several simple, meaningful ways we celebrate the season.
- A free Thanksgiving printable to mail messages of gratitude to friends and family
- A Thanksgiving gratitude chalkboard display
- Our daughter’s first year writing Thanks Jar messages
Do you have Thanksgiving traditions you love? Glass-etching wins and fails to share? Or a fondness for printed scrapbooking paper? We enjoyed turning a small craft into a hopeful yearly ritual and encourage you to try a “Thanks Jar” of your own.
Update: You can explore favorite holiday decor finds and inexpensive ideas to make the season special.