Do you find yourself wondering what to do with any of those mason jars you have lying around the house? Take one (or several!) and transform it into a DIY lantern! A few simple supplies and mere minutes are all you need to turn a plain mason jar into a gorgeous fairy lantern.
Want to add a little light to your home decor indoors or out? A mason jar fairy light lantern just might be just the chic touch you’re looking for.
You can use this technique to create a light-up centerpiece or a small side table for some soft ambient lighting. It won’t be bright enough to read by, but it will provide a beautiful soft glow to the room.
Supplies Needed For This Mason Jar Fairy Lantern
As you’ll see below, the supply list for this project is short. You may likely even have a lot of these items at home already!
- Pint-size mason jar
- Milk glass paint (in the color of your choice)
- Paintbrush
- Battery operated lights of your choice
- Flowers of your choice
Video: Mason Jar Fairy Lights Lantern
I’ll walk you through the steps one by one below. However, if you are a visual person and want to get an overview of this project, check out this video I made showing each step of the DIY lantern project.
DIY Lantern Step-by-Step Instructions
If you can’t watch or missed a step or two in the fairy lantern video, just follow along with these instructions!
It takes almost the same amount of time to make one of these as it does to do multiple ones. Whip up one, or make a dozen while you have your supplies out since it takes hardly any time at all to make this cute DIY lantern project.
You’ll see just how simple this DIY is below!
Step One: Clean the Mason Jar
Clean your mason jar very well before starting this project. I like to give it a wash with soap and water, then go back and clean it a second time. Rubbing alcohol is great for this!
Allow it to dry completely before continuing. If you are in a hurry to start crafting, a hair dryer on low heat can help with this.
Step Two: Paint the Jar with Milk Glass
Paint all sides with the milk glass paint in the color of your choice. Set aside again to dry completely.
Step Three: Add the Fairy Lights
Once it’s dry, you can add in your battery operated fairy lights to the inside of the painted mason jar.
Step Four: Top with Flowers
Finally, top off your mason jar with some faux flowers to complete the look.
This DIY lantern project really is as simple as 1…2…3…4!
Once the project is complete, simply turn on the fairly lights whenever you want a bit of ambient light. The paint is opaque so the lights shine right through without being overwhelming or too bright.
Tips For Making This Mason Jar Fairy Lights Project
One coat of paint is all you need. You can add a second coat if you prefer that look, but be aware that the lights won’t shine through quite as much.
Use opaque glass paint for a see-through jar that still has a touch of color. Here, I went with white but you can mix things up with any color that you desire.
Use your favorite flowers. Don’t love the sunflowers? Be sure to pick your favorite flowers for this project. Or even better – change out the flowers when you change your seasonal decor!
Grab supplies at the dollar store. I’m all about saving money while crafting! If you haven’t been there in awhile, you may be plesantly surprised by what you can find at the dollar store. You can pick up your mason jars, flowers, and some battery operated lights there. Then, just add on the paint.
Make this DIY lantern for special occasions or gifts too! Sure it will look amazing in your own home, but this mason jar lantern is so easy to make and so pretty to look at that you’ll want to share it with friends and family. This project would also make great wedding centerpieces.
I love the soft glow that emanates from the mason jar under the sunflowers. Adding a bouquet of your favorite flowers will really show them off under the glow of the lights.
Grab your supplies and whip up as many as you would like. Why not make one for every room in your home?
Not only is this project cute and practical – it’s a really inexpensive craft idea to make!
Will you make a fairy lantern out of a mason jar? Why stop with one? If you are anything like me, you probably have a few (dozen!) mason jars around your house. This is a great way to put them to use. Happy crafting!
Supplies
- Pint size mason jar
- Milk glass paint in the color of your choice
- Paintbrush
- Battery operated lights of your choice
- Flowers of your choice
Instructions
- Use rubbing alcohol to thoroughly clean your mason jar before beginning this project. Allow the jar to dry completely.
- Paint your jar on all sides with the milk glass paint. Allow the paint to dry completely.
- Once the milk glass paint is fully dried, add your battery operated fairy lights to the inside of the jar.
- Finally, top off your mason jar with a bouquet of your favorite faux flowers to complete the look
So fun and easy Angie! I love how your fairy lantern turned out. Isn’t it so fun to paint glass?
The small lights are perfect.
pinned!
gail
Very pretty and such a soft glow…Thank you for sharing at Party In Your PJs!
Very pretty! I love the soft glow of the fairy lights! Thank you for sharing at Celebrate It!
So fun and easy! These would look great in my daughter’s room. Thanks for sharing!
That is so pretty! I just love the soft muted glow. Pinned.