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This pretty jar of beans is really a secret kitchen safe.  This is a great way to recycle. . . this jar used to hold 15 oz. of cheese spread.  Pint or quart mason jars would work wonderfully well or use any old wide mouth jar that you have.  Who would ever guess that you've hidden a $20 bill for emergencies, the neighbor's key, diamond earrings, etc. in the bean jar!

Cut a tube (toilet paper or paper towel roll) about a half inch shorter than the height of your jar.   Put the end of the tube on a piece of lightweight cardboard like posterboard and cut a circle about 1/2" wider all the way around.  Cut 1/2 " slits around it so that you can glue it with a glue gun to the bottom of the tube as shown in the right of picture below. 

Note:  Tube on right is upside down so that it can be better seen.
The closed end will go bottom down into the other tube.

Make a second tube out of poster board about a 1/4" wider and 1/2" higher than the first tube. Cut 1/2" slits in it about 1/2" apart around the top as shown on left in picture above.  Your first tube should be able to slide in and out of this one.  

Spread a thin layer of beans on the bottom of jar and pour some white glue over it.  Insert your poster board tube into the beans with slitted edges up.  Set a pill bottle inside the tube so that no beans can go inside it.  Fill the jar outside the tube with beans and remove the pill bottle.  When beans get to within a half inch of the top, fan the slit edges of tube out and glue down on beans.  In the picture below, the tube was not long enough for the top edge to fan out over beans, so I just poured a little glue over the beans.  (Leave inner tube out while bottom beans are drying.)  You should be able to slide your innermost tube (the tp or pt roll) in and out of the fixed tube so that you can retrieve your valuables.  Optional:  You can glue a little ribbon "handle" across the tube if desired to make it easier to pull out.

This Kitchen Safe is safekeeping a key.

Put the lid on and decorate as you wish.  Here are the directions for the lid pictured at the top of this page.  Cut fabric into a circle about 1.5" to 2" wider than the lid.  Put a VERY thin layer of white glue across the top of the lid and center and press the fabric on it.  Tie a piece of ribbon or yarn around the jar to hold the fabric in place.  Using glue gun, put a tiny dab of glue toward the back of the jar on the fabric and under the ribbon.  This will hold the ribbon in place when untied so that it is easier to tie back in place after opening.

If giving as a gift, put this little poem in the tube before closing the jar and attach the second poem with ribbon.  Val graciously gave permission to use her little poem that goes perfectly with this.  If making several you can print here Shhhhh! poem 9-up and Stash It! poem 9-up.

Stash It! © 2001 by Val Ebberson ebbe@hartel.net A jar of beans it looks to be But look real close and you will see A kitchen safe with a place inside For little things you want to hide Like candy, notes or even cash. . . A nifty place to hide your stash!

More Ideas:  Fill the jar with any kind of beans and/or noodles for the kitchen, nuts and bolts for the garage, potpourri for the bedroom, cotton balls for the bathroom, marbles for the living room, beads for the craft room, etc.  Of course we'll have to come up with more poems!

Clip art credit:  http://www.gizmoz.com/site1/members/cliparts/zapa_cliparts/clipart_list_preview.asp (pig)
http://www.countryclipart.com/welcome.htm (jar)