Craft and Photography by Gabbie Behrman
Painted mason jars are the perfect festive solution for simple holiday décor. This easy craft is a great way to hold onto your favorite season, or to share in the holiday cheer of the coming weeks.
While we chose to decorate with leaf stencils, other designs such as snowflakes would work just as well.
Supplies:
- 5 wide-mouth mason jars
- 5 different colors of acrylic paint
- Paint brushes or sponges
- Glossy polyurethane varnish
- Adhesive vinyl
- Different leaf (or snowflake) stencils
- Twine or rope
- Tea lights
- Small pebbles
- Scissors
- Pencils
Directions:
- Start out by tracing the stencils onto the adhesive vinyl. You can trace as many or as few as you like. Then cut them out.
- Once all of the leaves (or snowflakes) are cut out, peel off the protective backing of the vinyl and stick them onto the middle of the mason jar. Make sure to place them on the nameless side of the jar to ensure a smooth application.
- Now for the painting! Dip your paint brush into the paint and create smooth, vertical strokes all around the jar. The first few coats will be patchy, but this will be fixed once more paint is applied.
- Once you have all of your jars painted with the first coat, wait 45 minutes to an hour for it to dry.
- Repeat steps 3-4 until you have reached your desired paint consistency. This will usually be between 3 to 5 coats, depending on how dark or light the paint is.
- Let the jars sit overnight to completely dry.
- The next day, slowly peel off the designs, and apply 2 coats of a glossy polythurane varnish. Wait one hour for this to completely dry.
- Grab two cups of pebbles and put them into the bottom of the jars, then place the tealights on top.
- Measure out enough twine to wrap around the lid of the jar, and tie it into a bow.
- Light the candles and enjoy your festive lights!
