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How to Make Mason Jar Lanterns

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It is my favorite time of the month.  Yes it is the International Bloggers Club Challenge where I join with some of my fellow bloggin friends for crafting goodness! This month we’re making projects with household items. In my case I have chosen jars and will show you how easy it is to make beach-themed mason jar lanters!​

top view of lantern jars and driftwood, #easycraft #repurposedjars #tealightlanterns #fastcraft #DIYlanternlights #wireproject How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

For those of you who are here for the first time, the International Bloggers Club Challenge is a monthly one that I join with my blogger friends who live all over the world.  We meet up each month to compare notes and see how we do things in our corner of the world.  Last month we did projects with tin cans and the month before we created outdoor projects.

DIY Mason Jar Lanterns

Here in Greece almost everything comes in jars.  I have lots left over from the tons of honey I buy and from marmalade and jams. I mostly use them for storage but I wanted to do something a little different for this month’s challenge. ​​Since we spend so much time outdoors, these beach-inspired mason jar lanters seemed to be the perfect accent for our patio.

marmalade jar, How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

Materials Needed for this Glass Jar Lantern Idea:

required materials, jars, wire pliers How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

How to Make Mason Jar Lanterns

With the pliers, take one end of the wire and make a loop.  This should be about half an inch. ​

Making a hook, How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

It should look like a small hook.  Kindly ignore my paint splattered hands.  I had been doing a little painting beforehand and in my excitement to finish this project… well, a little paint wasn’t gonna stop me. ​

Wire hook, How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

 Form a circle with the wire and passed it through the hook.  The hook should then  be closed up with the pliers. 

passing end of wire through hook, How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

The wire circle will then be snuggly placed on the outer rim of the jar like this. 

circular wire around outer rim of jar, How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

​Once you have pulled the wire so that the wire circle is tightly fitted on the outer rim, take your pliers and pull the free end of the wire in the opposite direction. You can then form another circle around the outer rim. 

pulling wire in the other direction for for second circle. How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

From above we can see the second circle of the wire going in the opposite direction from the first.​

second circle around outer rim, How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

​Once you have completed the second circle, pass the free end of the wire through the loop.  Pull it upwards to create a handle that will come back down on the other side of the jar rim. 

pulling wire through loop to make handle, How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

​The free wire end will be looped downwards and secured on the opposite end of the jar rim.  Make a final hook to secure it onto the wires and you are done. 

securing handle on the other side of rim, How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

​And these are my two lanterns. I did not worry so much about the wire looking perfect.  Because as you all know by now “Perfection is Overrated!”​

2 jar lanterns, How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

The final step was to add a layer of pebbles and then top off my new mason jar lantern with a tea light candle.

pebbles and tea lights inside jar, How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

These easy mason jar candles can be hung…​

hanging tea light lantern jars, #easycraft #repurposedjars #tealightlanterns #fastcraft #DIYlanternlights #wireproject How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

… or they can be placed on a surface. The choice is yours!

I had also made another lantern with tea lights which had quite a different look. 

I think these soft pebbles look great next to the driftwood. Another option for the beachy mason jar lanterns would be to use sand for the bottom layer. 

2 tea light lantern jars, #easycraft #repurposedjars #tealightlanterns #fastcraft #DIYlanternlights #wireproject How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

I painted my tea lights in a color to coordinate with the stones.  It is a simple and pretty detail that literally takes 5 seconds to do but it gives a nice overall look.

painted tea light inside lantern jar, #easycraft #repurposedjars #tealightlanterns #fastcraft #DIYlanternlights #wireproject How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

Head over here to see where I have placed these mason jar lanterns on my balcony.  And why my fingers were colored blue.​

2 lantern jars with tea lights and pebbles inside, #easycraft #repurposedjars #tealightlanterns #fastcraft #DIYlanternlights #wireproject How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

I hope you have enjoyed this simple how-to of repurposing mason jars into tea light lanterns. They make a great addition to any outdoor space. Do you repurpose old jars?

Picture
making tealight lanterns with repurposed jars and wire. #easycraft #repurposedjars #tealightlanterns #fastcraft #DIYlanternlights #wireproject How to make Simple Lanterns with Repurposed Jars, www.theboondocksblog.com

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Gail @Purple Hues and Me

Monday 26th of June 2017

What a cute way to make lanterns and repurpose those glass jars, too! You come up with the best repurposing ideas, Mary!

mARY

Monday 26th of June 2017

Thank you Gail. I love taking ordinary things and instead of having to recycle them I get to use them again. Less for the landfill too!

Pili

Monday 26th of June 2017

As you said you can never have too many lanterns, especially now in summer when we spend a lot of time outdoors. I tried it once and it ended up a bit wobbly so I will try again using your picture tutorial, it can't fail this time. I like how the painted tea lights look with the pebbles

Mary

Monday 26th of June 2017

The reason I used the pebbles on the bottom was to be able to steady the tea lights. Because if you put them in all by themselves they will slide around. Ha!

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