If you have been on Pinterest, most likely you’ve seen variations of the following DIY. A main problem is that it doesn’t actually have a link up to show you step by step on how to construct this awesome (and kid friendly) DIY. And, trust me, it’s not as easy as painting a glass or candlestick with elmers glue.
I first took on this project about a month ago when I sauntered into my local Christmas Tree Store and found an entire section of Mason Jars. Obviously I bought about ten, at about 80 cents a pop (which is the cheapest I’ve seen in the Massachusetts area). I had Elmers glue, food coloring, and a couple random paintbrushes so I thought “Hey! This won’t be so hard…”
I wasn’t half wrong, either. I was mostly right, only there’s a slight science on how to do this. First off, you’ll need the following supplies:
- Elmers Glue
- Food dye (I bought mine for $1 at the dollar store)
- Paint brush (NOT a foam brush, trust me)
- Paper plate or newspaper
- Mason jar
- No-flame candle for lighting (not shown)
The (1) first step is to get your color glue going. First, drop about a dime size amount of glue onto the plate (I did more than that, but I also did a couple candlesticks that I, unfortunately, did not get pictures of). (2)/(3) Then you want to to 2-3 drops of the food dye of your choice. Since I was going for purple, I did 2 drops of blue and 3 drops of red.
(4)Mix these together to form the color you want. Obviously, the purple is dark, but if you use the end of your paintbrush, you’ll be able to see the color if you wipe it on a paper towel.
Your next step is to simply paint paint paint! This is a great craft for kids, because there are no lines & it’s Elmers glue, so you know it’s going to wash off. If you have a smooth surface to paint on, that’s great, but the mason jars I found are actually engraved so you have to work the tiniest bit harder to get into those grooves. You can choose to paint the bottom or the rim, but it’s up to you. I choose to paint the rim because I usually don’t top it off with the lid when I have the candle in there.
Warning: If you glob on the Elmers, be prepared for drips & for it to take a lot longer to dry. Some is okay, because when lit it will give a different glow (the yellow one below is a drip one, for instance, the blue isn’t). Again, all up to you.
Let sit & dry, drop a LED/flameless tea candle in there and let it glow! (ps; should take an hour to dry)
Oh and for the price tag?
Mason Jar: 80 cents
Food dye: $1.00/package
LED Candle: $1.99/eight package (Christmas Tree Store)
Paintbrush: $4.29 for an ‘artists’ package (Michaels)
Total: $8.08
thepostgrad 