Mason Jar Lighting
Apart from pickled preserves, knick-knack containers, and being used as drinking glasses, mason jars can give your lighting the country chic feel you’ve been looking for. From quick and simple centerpieces to more labor-intensive but ornate pendant lights, we’ve got a few ideas on where and how to use mason jars with some of your favorite decorative light bulbs.
As Pendant Lighting Covers
This idea involves a bit of handyman know-how. By drilling a socket-sized hole in the bottom of the jar, you can have an easy and crafty DIY lamp shade for your currently-bare pendant lights. The hanging glass jar pendants lend a quirky and comfy style to your kitchen island or patio table. For a simpler DIY (minus a diamond core drill bit), you can create a socket hole in the metal cap, add some threaded nuts for reinforcement, and screw it onto the jar. Just be sure to check that your preferred light bulbs can handle being enclosed in your new glass globe.
As Centerpieces
Need a quick centerpiece for your next dinner party or backyard barbecue? Grab a few sets of battery-powered Christmas lights for your mason jars and add some rustic charm as well as illumination to your nighttime soiree. For a little more style, you could spray paint with stencils or glue flat glass pebbles, paper cutouts, or lace doilies to the outside of your jars. Top your snappy centerpieces with real or artificial flowers to complete your décor.
In Crafts for the Kids
Summer vacation is just around the corner. With the next school day months away, you’re going to need some activities to provide hours of entertainment. Get your kids to glue gift tissue paper on the outside of your mason jar. Then stencil and cut out your favorite fairy silhouette, pasting it to the inside of the jar. Add a battery-operated LED candle and screw on the lid. Now you have the ideal lantern for a night of mischief and fantasy-filled storytelling.
Another idea requires your children to poke holes in a tube of blue or black construction paper. The paper tube should fit inside the jar, a little smaller than the neck of your jar. Once you add an LED tea light or some other form of battery-powered light, you can enjoy your personal constellation. Our final idea requires you to carefully cut the end off of a thin glow stick and put in it a mason jar. Screw the lid on tightly and let your kids go to town, shaking the jar so that it becomes thoroughly covered in the phosphorescent liquid. Turn the lights out or wait until nightfall to head outside and see the mesmerizing effect.
DIY Tip #2: Glow sticks have a glass vial inside of them, containing a reactive chemical, hence the “cracking” sound when you break them. Cut your glow sticks over your intended jar to contain any small glass pieces that may slip out. If you don’t want to use glow sticks for safety reasons, you can try dismantling a highlighter or using glow-in-the-dark paint.
As Outdoor Night Lights
Make your pathway a little more pastoral by using sets of mason jars to light the way. Fill each jar with your favorite mini lights or candle. A mason jar solar lamp won’t need batteries or an outlet. Buy some solar light stakes from your local dollar store and sticky foam tape. This idea works best when you have the preserve type mason jar lids, with a flat top held in place by an open screw cap ring. Remove the stake piece from the solar panel and lamp component, then wrap the foam tape once around the solar light. The tape should take up any empty space in your screw cap ring, allowing the solar panel to catch the sun from the top of your jar. Screw the ring on tightly with the lamp inside the jar. Enjoy your well-lit walkway when the sun goes down.
Do you have crafty lighting DIYs, suggestions for more mason jar uses, or advice about how to tire out your rambunctious garden gnomes? Leave your comments in the area below. You can find more lighting tips and bright ideas on our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Pinterest. Contact our 1000Bulbs.com staff to find the best lighting option for your next project or the best lighting option to fix your latest project.
