Hot Cocoa Printable Labels

Around this time of year, I start gathering the supplies to put together easy, perfect-for-anyone gifts. These gifts, which can be given to a hostess, co-worker, neighbors, and teachers, have to be quick to assemble, but also have to have that “special” handmade look. Avery provided me with a big ‘ol stack of various printable labels to get me going on my holiday organization, and you should have seen how giddy I was as I sorted through them, trying to decide which to use (or which to hoard) first! Today I’m sharing two variations for Hot Cocoa Printable Labels.

I’ve layered the makings for hot cocoa in mason jars for many years and it’s always a hit! This year, I used 12-ounce mason jars for individual hot cocoa servings. When the jar is opened (and marshmallows removed), you can add 1 cup of boiling water right into the jar and have a rich, warm treat ready to drink! I set out a group of jars and added each layer of ingredients, assembly line style–the jars were ready in no time. On their own, the layered hot cocoa mix is pretty, but adding a custom label to the top of the jar and a nice ribbon gives the gift that extra special touch.

I used Avery Design & Print Online to create these labels. The design interface has an abundance of backgrounds (like this awesome houndstooth), font styles, color customization, and image customization options. You can choose from their many images/backgrounds/etc. or even upload your own images and add them right into the design. For these labels, I purchased the hot cocoa image online, saved it to my computer, and had it uploaded to my label template all in a matter of minutes. And THEN…you just hit print right from the online screen. Pop your sheet of labels into the printer and out come the finished labels.

I absolutely love the glossy finish on these 2″ labels and they are the perfect fit for the tops of these regular mason jar lids.

Alternately, you may want to wrap up a housewares gift set for someone and include hot cocoa mix or simply package it differently than in the jars. I created some Hot Cocoa Mix tags that can be added to a mug handle or to the outside of a package. I also designed these tags using the Avery Design & Print Online–I started with a pre-set design and customized the text and graphic to make it my own.

These printable tags include the little plastic strings to hook the tag right on. Love that–don’t be surprised if you see these tags pop up again and again. I have visions of little dresses all lined up and labeled with custom tags–seriously, the tags alone are going to inspire sewing projects ’cause I’m in love with organization like that.

I like that the tags have a little more space where instructions or ingredients can be included along with a holiday greeting. You can download either of my two label sheets below:

Hot Cocoa in a Jar Labels – for use with Avery 2″ Print-to-the-Edge Round Labels 22807

Hot Cocoa Mix Gift Tags – for use with Avery Printable Tags with Strings 22802

Once you download the PDF label files, simply print onto the corresponding label sheet – be sure to uncheck the “Fit to Page” box in your printer pop-up box.

If you’d like to design your own labels and tags, please don’t be intimidated. It usually takes me for.ever. to do anything graphic design-like, but I designed both of these label sheets without any prior experience in less than 30 minutes (which included searching online and purchasing the additional graphics that I wanted for the project). It is completely do-able!

And now for the hot cocoa ingredients list. For each 12-oz. mason jar, I layered:

1/4 cup nonfat, dry milk

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

dash of salt

mini-chocolate chips

mini-marshmallows

The milk, cocoa powder, salt, and sugar will mix with 1 cup of boiling water to make a standard hot cocoa. Other toppings such as the marshmallows and chocolate chips will greatly increase the richness of the drink. Amounts can be adjusted for your personal preference or other toppings like crushed peppermints, caramels, or toffee bits can be substituted. And while the hot cocoa can be mixed directly in the mason jar, please do so with caution as the glass jar does not provide insulation between the boiling water and your delicate hands!

Before you go…

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When are labels typically useful for you?

 

 

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