Tag Archives: food in jars

cupcake in a jar

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I may have said this before, but my girls and I are really sensitive to artificial ingredients in food. So I often bring along substitute cake or cupcakes to birthday parties, so we don’t have to pay for it for the next 48 hours. Well, tomorrow is one of those days. So then I thought, “Hey! The current cupcake-in-a-mason-jar craze is perfect for this!!”

I decided upon this cupcake recipe, because it only makes 6. We really don’t need 2 dozen cupcakes sitting around, when we really only need a couple. I didn’t try the frosting recipe, because I already had some left over in the fridge. As utterly delicious as the cupcakes turned out, though, I’ll bet the frosting is good too!

Here’s my 6 little cakes, baked right in the half-pint jars. When they were cool, I turned them out and cut them in half. I put the bottom half back in the jar, squeezed in some frosting, and put the top half in. Then I piped the frosting on top all pretty, and added some pink sprinkles. (I didn’t think about how much grease and crumbs would stick to the side after baking, so if you need them to be really really pretty you’ll want to wash the jars, as in the next photo.)IMG_2881

And here we are! One cupcake ready for traveling, soon as it has a lid. Isn’t it cute?IMG_2884

And for future reference: One half-pint regular mouth jar will fit in a pint single bag along with a Capri Sun and a fork. Just be sure to put the Capri Sun in first.IMG_2893I keep intending to make the 8yo a half-pint 2-jar bag – that would have been perfect for this! She could have brought a drink in a jar too. I really need to do that when I have a minute.

Hey, she knows how to sew now! I’ll just get her to make her own! 😉

 

what a year

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Jars to Go BagsWow.  One year ago, the Food in Jars post went live.  I had sold a handful of bags and patterns at that point, but I had no idea what was in store.  Suddenly my little mason jar bag idea was placed before the eyes of people who GOT IT.  Every bag I had in stock sold.  Every bag I could eke out for the next two months sold immediately.  I sewed, ate a little, slept a little, emailed patterns, then sewed some more, and that was life during that season.  It was the most joyfully stressful time I’ve ever experienced as a seller.  I was so afraid that customers would grow impatient with me – after all, it was just me and a sewing machine, and I can only make so many bags in a day.  But the response was overwhelmingly positive.  Most of them had been carrying mason jars all haphazard for years, so I guess they didn’t mind waiting just a little longer.

I was just looking back at the shop stats from that week.  The numbers are just unbelievable.  I owe dear Marisa a great debt.

Over the next few months, I’d get requests.  Some found their way into the shop and patterns – the 4-jar bag, the single bag, quarts, half-pints.  That’s my favorite part of all this, working with people to make exactly what they need.  There’s at least a couple more surprises on the way.  And thankfully, I don’t have to email patterns anymore – instant downloads!

It’s been a fantastic year, but I reckon that’s enough reminiscing.  Onward!