These mason jar luminarias are a super easy five-minute craft for the holidays. And they make cute DIY hostess or teacher gifts.
I've been loving these Ball quilted mason jelly jars lately, so I decided to turn some into festive votive holders for Christmas. Or luminarias for the fancy folk.
There's just something about the quilting on the jars that make them extra fun and perfect for painting.
And they only take about five minutes to make. This time of year, if a craft can't be completed in one sitting or I can't eat it when it's done, it's just not happening at my house.
Now I got so into making these that I didn't take step by step photos, but they're easy and you're smart so I'm sure you can just follow the instructions and manage just fine.
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Mason Jar Christmas Luminarias
Supplies needed:
- Ball quilted mason jelly jars
- White paint (chalk paint works well, but isn't mandatory)
- Cheap paint brush
- Buffalo snow (comes in a bag at the craft store, no need to drive to Buffalo to get it)
- Fancy mason jar lid inserts (you can find the snowflake lids HERE)
- Battery operated tea lights
- Ribbon, washi tape or tinsel garland for embellishment
- Glue
Instructions:
Step 1 - Paint the outside of the quilted jar with the white paint. I used Americana Decor's Chalky Finish Paint in their Lace color.
Step 2 - When it's dry either use a piece of sand paper or a piece of wet paper towel to knock off the paint from the ridges. You want this to look rustic and non-perfect, so throw caution to the wind and just go for it.
Step 3 - Put a ½"-1" layer of snow in the bottom of the jar.
Step 4 - Add tea light. If you buy the tea lights with the remote controls, you win a prize for thinking ahead.
Step 5 - Screw your lid on.
Step 5.5 - Embellish the rim with ribbon, washi tape or tinsel garland. Oh, I just thought you could use baker's twine also!!!
The snowflake lids are super cute, but if you can't find them you can use the daisy ones used for drinking straws or the flower frog ones.
Please DO NOT put real tea lights in these. You may set the snow on fire and the metal lids will get really hot.
And next thing you know you'll pick up the jar and have a snowflake permanently branded onto your hand. Could be cute in December. Not a good look in June!
Other holiday projects you may enjoy:
DIY Simmering Potpourri Mason Jar Gift (with Free Printable gift tag)
How To Make Cloved Oranges For The Holidays
Retro Diroma Christmas Ornaments
Fairhope Supply Co.
We don't get snow where I live on the Alabama Gulf Coast, so these would be fun for me to make. My kids wouldn't know what to think!
Thanks.
Curtains in My Tree
Real cute and creative as all your ideas are
Robin Johnson
Cute, Cute, Cute. I love them. How fun they would be to light out and turn the lights off just to watch how pretty they are.
The Summer Kitchen Girls
Love this idea Pam....and thanks for the tip about the battery operated candles....oh my...it would be Indiana Jones all over again lol! Have a great day!!!
Karla & Karrie
Cozy Little House
I love your sense of humor. And I love this project. And you know, if you don't get a snowflake stamped to your hand, the jar might just blow up. I seem to have a fascination with things that implode lately. Maybe I need to go outside and scream. But then I'd terrify the apartment dwellers around me. Perhaps I can get someone to drive me out to the countryside, maybe to a cemetery where I won't bother anyone. And just let out a great big scream that is months in the making. Ever feel like that? I don't even know why. Maybe it's a post-menopausal woman thing. Oh, and you did nail it.
Brenda
Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces
Love these, Pam! The paint really highlights the jar design...and I love the look! I like the baker's twine idea, too! Pinning!
Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow
So pretty.
Junkchiccottage
Pam,
These are so pretty. You are so creative and love your sense of humor in your posts. Have a great rest of the week.
Kris
monkey
i'm 65 and have been thinking off getting a tattoo hmmmm snowflake nahhh sounds too painful haa ha love these thanks for sharing xx
ANNE
Adorable! I want those inserts!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Lita
These are so cute. Our grandmothers would never have known what we could do with their Mason jars!
I'd love it if you shared this at Holiday Best at Tumbleweed Contessa.
http://www.tumbleweedcontessa.com/blog/holidaybest/
Linda
TARYTERRE
I love these. Very festive. But tell me where in the world I would get tea lights with the remote controls? I have never seen those?
Shabby chic Sandy
Those are so pretty--I love them!!!
ThrifterSisters
A friend of ours gives us freshly canned things every summer and normally I give him back his jars. But this year he used these sweet quilted ones and I have been avoiding eye contact with him every time I see him 🙂 I can't give these back!
Fun craft and going right on my Christmas Craftiness board. You know, the one that I never seem to actually make things off of.
Erica
Musings from Kim K.
Must make!!!! I'm smitten with those snowflake lids too!!!
Laura @ Rather Square
Cute idea! I especially like the rubbed-off white paint effect.
Missy Somers
Love this!
gigi girl
So very cute! I have everything except the lid insert. I am going to call Joann's and see if they have any, f worst comes to worst, I will get out the hammer and nail and make my own snowflake design!
julie moyna
Brilliant and I'm in need of 12 gifts and they all love masons! Thank you!!!!!
Pastor Pam
I make something similar, but I use Epsom salts as my "snow." It is inexpensive and allows me to use real candles plus it shimmers like snow!
Pam
That's a great idea! It would probably have less static than this stuff too!