Fairy In A Jar Drawing

Turn mason jars into a set of fairy lanterns with frolicking silhouettes of enchanted creatures!

Update! You can watch a video of me making lanterns here.

Fairy Mason Jar Lanterns: DIY tutorial on how to make beautiful fairyland luminaries from old Mason jars. A printable design is included!

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Two years ago, I made a set of Halloween and Christmas lanterns, and have since had readers asking questions and offering their own suggestions on how else they can be made. In response, I decided to write another tutorial with a new approach to making the lanterns. Using my old designs didn't seem interesting, so I created a new set of silhouettes – joyful fairies dancing around the light! I thought I may just add this set to the room of my daughter Faye who is already a happy possessor of a fairy tree house.

Previously, I have used mason jars, spray paint and paint markers, but this time the list of materials is even simpler:

printable design
mason jars
spray paint
black paper
white glue

Instead of painting the designs, I suggest cutting!

Fairy Mason Jar Lanterns: DIY tutorial on how to make beautiful fairyland luminaries from old Mason jars. A printable design is included!

1 — Prepare the jars by washing them thoroughly, as any oily residue will interfere with paint adhesion.

2 — Spray paint the outsides of the jars. For this project I used Rust-Oleum Meadow Green paint. I thought that green would suit the fairyland. Check my other lanterns to consider blue or purple! Rust-Oileum paints give good even coverage. It is great for most projects, but for this project it means that you need to be careful to leave the jars translucent by spraying a very thin, even layer. Once they are dry, drop a candle inside one of the jars and see how the light comes through. If you think that one layer of paint is not enough, add another. If the light isn't coming through, you may need to try with a different jar. Let the paint dry thoroughly, according to the instructions on the can, before proceeding to the next step.

3 — Now, there are FOUR ways of putting the design onto the jars:

DRAW: This is what I did with my previous lanterns. You can read about it here.
OR PAINT: Find the recipe for cheap homemade glass paint and watch the video here.
OR CUT AND GLUE: This is what I did here. After you print the designs or draw them, cut them out with scissors and a craft knife for details. If you happen to have a silhouette cutting machine, use it (Crircut tutorial and Silhouette Cameo tutorial)! Glue the designs onto the sprayed jars with clear glue, like Elmer's. Last, I attached the silhouette with the fairies dancing in the air using a little piece of double-sided tape. You can watch a video tutorial here.
ORPRINT ON VINYL: Print the designs on vinyl and then adhere them to the outside of the jars.

4 — Insert the candles inside and enjoy! LED candles may be preferable if the lanterns are going to be around children or pets. Fairy Mason Jar Lanterns: DIY tutorial on how to make beautiful fairyland luminaries from old Mason jars. A printable design is included!

Download the printable design here!

Would you like to have the instructions when you are working on this craft? Print this card below!

Instructions

Wash the jars.
Spray paint the outsides of the jars. Leave the jars translucent by spraying a very thin, even layer
Next, there are FOUR ways of putting the design onto the jars. DRAW: Use the glass markers.PAINT: Find the recipe for cheap homemade glass paint and watch the video here.CUT AND GLUE: This is what I did for these particular lanterns. After you print the designs, cut them out with scissors and a craft knife for details. If you happen to have a silhouette cutting machine, use it! Glue the designs onto the sprayed jars with clear glue, like Elmer's. PRINT ON VINYL: Print the designs on vinyl and then adhere them to the outside of the jars.

If you make the lanterns, please share your photos with us! We love seeing them. You can post them on our Facebook page, email me or tag us on Facebook or Instagram – @adventureinabox.