How to recycle a jar lid into a Christmas ornament...

The finished jar lid ornament.

       Jar lids are certainly the kinds of recycled supplies that just about anybody can afford to use to decorate a Christmas tree with. The key is to find or have supplies that will make them stand out, give them a bit of old-world charm.
       If children are choosing to make crafts like these, adults should watch them diligently while they handle items like hot glue guns. It is best that they not use glue guns altogether. White school glue will work just as well but they must have some patience to let each application of white glue dry as they go.

Supply List:

• clean, unused jar lid
• scrap for gluing to the inside
• white school glue
• twine
• hot glue and hot glue gun
• one cotton ball
• tiny toadstools (my sample has cotton batting ones)
• faux fir tree branch
• transparent glitter
• masking tape
  
• Mod Podge
  

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Clean the lid, removing every trace of food and any stickers that may be stuck to the outside of the surface.
2. Place the jar's lid on top of a picture and trace around it with a pencil.
3. Cut out the circle making it just slightly smaller so it will fit snugly inside the jar's lid.
4. Apply an even coat of white glue to the inside of the lid and press the cut card on top of this, pressing firmly until the picture adheres completely.
5. Mod Podge the card and set it aside to dry.
6. Cover the outer ring with masking tape prior to using the hot glue gun. Do not touch the surfaces of the metal tip directly to the metal lid, for this will heat up and could burn you seriously. The masking tape will keep the metal cooler, just long enough for the quick application. 
   
7. Take your glue gun and twine and carefully apply the string to the surface of the outer ring. Cover this completely with the twine and also glue on a hanger for the tree made from the same material.
8. Repeat steps: 2 through 5 for the backside of the lid.
9. I cut a tiny piece of faux fir tree branch for the boy to hold in his arms and attached it with hot glue.
10. Also attach the cotton for snow to the bottom half of the lid's rim using white school glue and let this dry completely. I did this with white glue because I wanted the metal surface on the interior of the lid to show.
11. Then I squeezed and puddled a generous amount of glue to the crevices of the interior lid to hold the tiny white and red cotton toadstools. Let this glue harden and dry over night for a strong hold.
12. Paste on a dusting of transparent glitter and hang the ornament.