[inspire me] jam jar

I love freezer jam and often forget how fast and easy it is to make. Last Christmas a friend of mine gave me several jars of raspberry freezer jam. The jars were all different shapes and sizes and set on a white square platter. She had spray painted the lids of all the jars so they would coordinate. Not only did they look nice on the platter, but they looked nice in my freezer. Not that it really matters how they look in my freezer, but it's the little things that make me happy.

A few days ago, strawberries were on sale so I made a batch of jam. I used a new set of jars with standard lids. I contemplated spray painting them because I don't love the printed image on the lid, but it was freezing/snowing outside and spray painting inside the house is never a good idea (trust me...I've tried it several times - you, your kids and especially your husband won't be happy.) Since spray painted lids were out of the question and I wanted the jars to look cute so I could give a few away, I decided to add a letterpressed insert on top of the lid. It was really easy, and I love how they turned out. I definitely think it makes the jam look more appetizing!

I letterpressed the image on L Letterpress paper using the red L Letterpress ink and die cut the image using the circle nesting die included in the combo kit.

Die-cutting Tip: When I'm die cutting an image I've already letterpressed, I like to reverse the way I traditionally place the die and paper on the Epic tool. It will leave a mark on your cutting platform which doesn't affect the functionality of the platform.  For some of you messing up the nice smooth appearance of your platform will be unacceptable, which I totally understand. If I didn't like how easy it is to position the die to ensure I'm cutting exactly where I want, I'd prefer an unmarred platform too. If it doesn't bother you, try it. Instead of the traditional placement method (platform, die with cutting side up, paper, then cutting mat), place the paper on the platform then position the die cutting side down on top of the paper. Place the cutting mat on top and roll through the Epic 6.