DIY Project: Homemade Vanilla Favors

February 20th. 2009 by Abby Larson | Filed Under | 59 comments

My favorite DIY guru in the whole world, Kathleen of Twig and Thistle, is sharing THE cutest DIY project that I have ever seen. It honestly, just might be my new favorite…DIY Homemade Vanilla Extract and Labels!

homemade vanilla favors

From Kathleen…”This is a great project if you’ve got some time and want to give your guests something homemade. It takes about 2 months for the Vanilla to mature but it’s a simple project and a gift that will last for years!

homemade vanilla favors

Materials Needed
Small Glass Jars
#4 Size Corks
Mini Gingham Ribbon
Sticker Paper
Scissors
X-acto Knife
Homemade Vanilla

Instructions
Step 1: Download the Homemade Vanilla Extract recipe here and follow the directions on how to make it.

Step 2: Download Vanilla Labels here and print onto white sticker paper. Trim out each label. To get nice circles, take your time and use an x-acto knife and self-healing cutting mat – your fingers and table with thank you!

Step 3: Cut ribbon to 8″ long and wrap around the neck of the bottle crossing in the center. Secure ribbon with a small piece of tape and then apply Vanilla label to the center of the bottle. Finish it off by snipping the ends of ribbon to a point.

Step 4: Once Vanilla is prepared and ready, fill the jars with vanilla using a funnel and cap with a cork. Vilolá! a delightful homemade favor for your guests!

Links to Products
Small Glass Jars: Call Packaging Specialties to order: 206.762.0540 ($6.00 each)
#4 Size Corks at Home Depot
Mini Gingham Ribbon at Michael’s
Sticker Paper from Avery

* * *

Kathleen is our oh-so-fabulous DIY editor that also runs the wonderful blog Twig & Thistle…filled with delicious finds, perfect DIY projects and tidbits that will make you swoon. Make sure you check it out, as it’s one of the blogs that will quickly become a favorite!

 

59 Comments about “DIY Project: Homemade Vanilla Favors”

  1. Jenn says:

    I stumbled upon this blog a few weeks ago and have been addicted since!

    This is a really nice project - so simple and yummy! I love vanilla, but just had to point out - there is a grammar error in the labels (no apostrophe needed in "gets"). I hope twig and thistle can fix their labels, but in the meantime, I would have to make my own...

    Can't wait for more eye candy today though!

  2. Jenn says:

    Awesome! You guys are quick!

  3. Sherita says:

    Loving this!!

  4. Kilee says:

    lol!! You are quick. I don't know how you do it, but we love your eye for detail and daily inspiration. Keep it up!

  5. Laurel G says:

    this is great!

  6. michelle says:

    wowzas, fun times.

  7. tracey says:

    these are lovely! wouldn't it be a lot easier to use a craft punch to cut the circles instead of an x-acto knife?

  8. I don't have a 1.5" craft punch but that's a great idea! Good thinking!

  9. Lilah Paper says:

    I love this! I made the DIY apple pies (featured earlier) for my hubby on Valentine's Day and boy did he love it! Thanks for the great projects :)

  10. jan says:

    The brownies bag and DIY pie were so cute.......I am looking forward to your Easter ideas!

  11. Stacy says:

    Very nice. I make my own vanilla & mine needs a label right now while I wait for it to be ready. I find this quite pricey for wedding favors but maybe I'm not of the same class? Definitely great for gifts though.

  12. Nathalie says:

    Hey guys, I found bottles for less than a dollar a piece that I think would work for this and come with a cork! Here is the link http://www.save-on-crafts.com/corktop.html

  13. Alexa says:

    You should use dark bottles for storing vanilla extract. There are some really cheap ones here: http://www.specialtybottle.com/

  14. geek+nerd says:

    I love how you've packaged the bottles. The brown and white gingham really takes the cake for me.

  15. Michelle says:

    love this idea, just posted a link to it on my blog!

  16. Ray says:

    Hello

    I help run a site related to construction and remodeling. It is basically all about flooring and building to help providing quality service and supplies to individuals.

    Anyway, I am writing you because I came across your site and am impressed with all of the helpful information. Your site has the potential of reaching out to a wide range of people! I would like to request to have our site posted on your site, by way of paid contextual link advertisement. Let me know how much it would cost me to have my link placed on your main page, or other related internal pages.

    We look to find some potential partners quickly and are ready to make a quick payment. Please contact me at your earliest convenience so we can further discuss this interesting business opportunity.

    Ray

  17. Jessica says:

    Do you get rid of the beans when you funneled the alcohol into the bottles for the present?

  18. Annie says:

    I Love this idea and am going mass quantity - 300 4 oz jars for our wedding favors. Thank you for this fabulous idea! It's also extremely cost effective. ;)

  19. Chiquetta says:

    Do you have a blank template for the labels? I'm doing honey jars for my wedding and would love to use the label minus the word vanilla and replace it with the worrd honey.

  20. Heather Getson says:

    HI, Just wondering where I can obtain the vanilla beans so
    I may try this recipe> Thanks for your help.

  21. cindy says:

    I'd love to know how big the stickers should be for the template. I know nothing about the size! Thank you!!

  22. Maria says:

    I would love to use your label template and change the wording. Is this possible .

  23. Susan says:

    What a simple and elegant presentation for bottles of vanilla--a great idea to give away as gifts.

  24. BL says:

    I made these as favors for a shower and posted them on my blog! This is my favorite DIY project of all time. It's something that people will actually use, and it's so cute.

  25. Jason says:

    I'm not finding the jars. I looked online, but it's not there. I guess I could call the specialty packaging services number mentioned in the article, but I don't want to pay $6/jar. Anyone?

  26. myegy says:

    27. Wow, superb weblog layout! How long have you ever been running a blog for? you made running a blog look easy. The full look of your website is fantastic, let alone the content!

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  28. Beth says:

    Try the bottle from here ....they are only $0.50. It's the Jude bottle.
    http://www.sunburstbottle.com/glass-bottles/corked
    Thx for the tutorial, I'm going to make these for Christmas gifts :)
    Beth

  29. Ngozi says:

    Thanks! I hate to be a scrooge, but I'm making the vanilla just for myself! I use a ton of it and have been paying full price for tiny bottles, now I can use as much as I want without breaking the bank!

  30. Dana says:

    Great ideas! A couple of comments about the vanilla. I, too, made multiple jars last year, but upon visiting my local brewing store to get jar toppers (the tight colored foil you see on wine bottles), the gentleman informed me that using corks was not sanitary since regular corks are not food grade.
    Wine uses special corks and they are made specifically to keep out air. Also, the bottles must be sterilized and the local brewing stores have a mixture you can make up and rinse each bottle with. It will kill any bacteria. This is VERY important! The corks look cute, no doubt, but it will be safer to use a screw top. Most jars can be had for around $1.00. Get those cute foil caps which adhere after immersion in boiling water and you'll have a very professional looking product.

    Also, someone asked about discarding the beans. You can leave them in the jar and more vodka or bourbon can be added. I use 6 beans to 8 ounces of vodka for a nicely infused extract. My leftover beans, I put down in the large bottle of vodka and it's been soaking all year...a half gallon of extract! All the best!

  31. M says:

    Hi - I must be blind... where is the actual recipe?

  32. M says:

    Found it! YEA! I'm not blind anymore!

  33. Damaris says:

    I love this design! Is it possible to make it work for Avery labels 22807? I have two little ones at home and I know that I won't end up cutting these on a solid sheet of label paper. Thank you!

  34. Melissa S says:

    I have a question. I am at the end of my 60 days and I am ready to give these as gifts. I couldn't seem to find if I take out the vanilla bean and strain it or do you keep the bean in forever? Thanks Love this idea BTW!! Merry Christmas!

  35. Rebecca says:

    I'm totally making this for gifts....next year :) I found a good source for vanilla beans on Amazon - "Premium Bourbon-Madagascar Vanilla Beans - 1/2 lb. - Approx. 54 beans". This will be just enough beans for two 1.75 liter bottles of vodka. I'm going to pour the vodka into 1/2 gallon glass jars, toss in the vanilla beans, and count down the days until it's ready. Can't wait to get started!

23 Links to “DIY Project: Homemade Vanilla Favors”

  1. [...] instructions and templates for making these lovely bottles of homemade vanilla extract from Twig & Thistle. These would be [...]

  2. [...] {instructions} and {templates} for making homemade vanilla. « Raclette [...]

  3. [...] I happened to come across this idea and absolutely love it! Homemade vanilla extract (and a packaging idea as well). Fabulous no? So I bought a bunch of vanilla beans from Beanilla and am buying the [...]

  4. [...] the two absolutely fabulous DIY projects that we featured this morning (the unbelievably great homemade vanilla favors that Kathleen, our DIY guru crafted and the absolutely gorgeous centerpieces that Natasha of [...]

  5. [...] has just been a Do-It-Yourself kind of day! Starting with the fabulous Vanilla Favors that Kathleen of Twig & Thistle put together for us, followed by the incredibly chic [...]

  6. [...] picked wild flowers that cover the mountains during the summer months. When I stumbled upon the DIY idea for homemade vanilla extract favors (which just so happened to be featured on SMP), I knew I’d found the perfect favors to compliment [...]

  7. [...] This will be my Christmas gifts to friends and family this year.  :)  You can buy cute little glass bottles with corks online.  Check out these printable labels! [...]

  8. [...] may be more my speed. Check out the link, she posted where you can buy what she used. Her lovely instructions are [...]

  9. [...] label designed by EatDrinkChic that originated here. Another great vanilla label can be found here. And here’s a great resource for blank vintage labels you can customize! Above all, have fun [...]

  10. [...] so simple and so much cheaper than the store bought stuff!  The labels were a free download from Style Me Pretty.  The bottles are from Save On Crafts.  I dipped the corks in beeswax to seal them shut until [...]

  11. [...] Vanilla extract How awesome is this? Wedding sites have the best DIY projects [...]

  12. [...] decided to make my own vanilla for Christmas gifts this year – instead of the mounds of baked goods (which I love, don’t get [...]

  13. [...] Printable Homemade Vanilla Extract Labels from Style Me Pretty [...]

  14. [...] be started because it has to sit in the dark for two months. Apparently vanilla is very reclusive. Here is a link to the tutorial. I kind of want to put all of my spices in cute bottles like [...]

  15. [...] I didn’t want to have the exact same note so I looked through my collection of templates and fell in love all over again with this Twig & Thistle sticker template. [...]

  16. [...] stylemepretty.com via Rachel on [...]

  17. [...] Salt for topping my salted caramels and chocolate chip cookies. Now, I just need to make some pretty labels and gift number one for the foodies on my Christmas list will be complete! Up next…gathering [...]

  18. [...] Homemade vanilla, craft paper crowns, stylish branch hooks, perfect bean blends with labels, paint chip business card holder, hand painted mugs and easy to make coffee flavorings. [...]

  19. [...] week I found a pre-made label online and put it on my bottles.  I wish I had the time to make them all fancy like the website, [...]

  20. [...] for it until it matures, and voila! If you decide to make this for a later gift date, then check here for a great packaging idea, complete with [...]

  21. [...] Delicious Vanilla Extract! Featured on Style Me Pretty. [...]

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