Pot O' Gold Rainbow Salt Art

Spread cheer and good luck to those around you, and hand out some rainbows-in-a-jar. You can easily make your own sand art with baby food jars, table salt and food coloring. Top the jars with a pot o’ gold lid and these colorful good luck charms will bring smiles this St. Patrick’s Day.

While the food processing part should be handled by a grown-up, kids can layer the colors however they like.

To make Rainbow Salt Jars:

You will need:*

Table salt
Food coloring
Food processor
Baby food jars, cleaned and dry
Gold metallic craft paint
Paint brush
Funnel

*You will need a good amount of salt, almost an entire 26 ounce container, depending on how many jars you would like to fill. For food coloring, Americolor Soft Gel Pastes are used here (Red Red, Orange, Egg Yellow, Electric Green, Sky Blue and Electric Purple). Find the gold craft paint and paint brush in the craft store. TIP: To remove the labels from the baby food jars, let the jars soak in hot, soapy water.

To make the gold lid, place baby jar lids on a protected surface. Paint the lids (just the top and sides, not the inside) with the gold metallic paint. You may need two or three coats of paint. Let the lids dry completely.

To make each color of “sand,” pour ¼ to ½ cup of salt into the food processor. I started with ¼ cup of salt for each of the six colors, which filled two baby jars. You may start with ½ cup of salt for each color if you have more jars to fill. Add one drop of coloring. Process the salt and food coloring to mix well, adding a drop or two more of color until desired shade is reached, and empty into a bowl to set aside.

Wipe the processor clean with a dry paper towel and repeat with the rest of your colors.

To make the rainbow jar, use a funnel to pour a layer of colored salt at the bottom of the jar. Repeat with each layer to fill the jar.

Fill salt to the tippy top of the jar, to the point of overflowing. Close the lid tightly on the jar.

Meaghan Mountford, author of Sugarlicious: 50 Cute and Clever Treats for Every Occasion, has been creating crafty sweets for 15 years. She is especially fond of decorating cookies, marshmallows and putting sweets on sticks. See more on her blog, the decorated cookie.