A few weeks ago I turned mason jars into lanterns. If you’re going to paint these and frost them like I am, save the lantern part for very last. You’ll need to cook these on low heat. Heat plus metal = hot. If you’ve already made the lanterns be careful and keep them out of reach of little paws/hands/curiousness while they cool. Or, just turn the oven of and let them cool in there once you’re done.
That being said this all started at the flea market a few weekends ago. There’s something about vintage blue mason jars that are charming and sweet and….expensive? Holy smokes. Mr. A and I went to the flea market a few weekends ago. We found all sorts of cool things – none of which we bought. Mr. A found some really rusty old lathe tools. At the same vendor I found some vintage blue mason jars. They were beautiful. They were original. They were $11 dollars, PER JAR?
I came home and scoured the internet. That had to be highway flea market robbery. No luck. I came across blog after blog on different ways of making them but nothing appealed to me more than Creative Little Daisy. A perfect excuse to use that 40% off coupon at AC Moore to try Mod Podge.
Directions:
UPDATE: After writing this yesterday I kept thinking about it, and decided I needed to do a few more jars, and update you with a completed project, correctly. This really does work beautifully. So, I’ve changed things below to show you what does work, and what doesn’t.
1.) Put something protective down like a piece of cardboard or layers of newspaper. You’ll be dumping these over to drain – use something thick or else you will stain your surface. Get your mason jars (preferably without the lantern part already attached like super smart me) and pour about an 1/4 to 1/2 of a cup of Luster Mod Podge into one of them. This did about 4 pint jars for me.
2.) In a container you don’t care about staining, put in about two teaspoons of water. Add food coloring and mix well until dissolved. Pour into Mod Podge and mix well. While my first batch was blue, my second batch dried much more green than I imagined and I adored it.
3.) Swirl until completely coated and then pour into your next jar. Repeat on all jars. Once completed and drained well, turn over so you don’t end up with a puddle in the bottom. This is why you want a thick piece of protection beneath them.
4.) Once fully drained, place jars in the cold oven and heat to the lowest setting. This will reduce chance of breakage. Bake for about 20 minutes to set the MP mixture. As long as your MP mixture was thick enough, you should turn out with a nice evenly coated jar that is gorgeous. If you’re cautious, let them dry about 50% and then place in the oven. As Mod Podge is also used for glue, make sure to turn them right side up to dry or they will stick to your draining surface.
My “green” batch turned out great. I decided to let this batch dry without putting in the oven first. Now that they are 90% dry I will bake them to set the mixture. It’s unnecessary to wait this long though. I wish you could really see how emerald green these are in person.
If you don’t get it the first time, try try again.
Happy Crafting,
Heather
P.S.) Don’t use these for preserving, drinking, or any sort of any kind of any food. Decoration only.
My name is Heather and there are few things I enjoy more than cooking, crafting, flea markets, making soap and the 5th generation farming family we live amongst. I'm a tomboy, a girly girl and a laugh at inappropriate jokes kind of broad. Together with my husband, and our two labrador retrievers, we're renovating our home, growing our souls in the garden, cooking up love in the kitchen and enjoying our little piece of countryside here in Maine.
34 Comments
These are gorgeous!!! I am making a batch right now for my wedding decor
Have fun! They are a blast to make and use as decor!
-Heath
I see your green one looks like it turned out great! what all was you technique and measurements for that batch? Also, is the first picture where the jars are upside down part of your green batch… they look very solid in that picture whereas your final product at the bottom looks very opaque.
Thanks! Looks great!!!
Hi Bailey. Thanks! I didn’t have an exact measurement for that batch. It really depends on how many jars you will be doing. I’d say a few tablespoons should do a jar, maybe more. I found that thinning the mod podge out just slightly did the trick, you don’t want it watery. It should coat a spoon but still drip off (like honey, maybe a little thicker). I purely eyeballed the color and got different results each time, which is what I was going for. However if you have a mixture you like I would keep track of how many drops you use, etc. Make sure to mix it all up before you pour into a jar (gently, don’t whip).
As far as technique goes, I just pour it in the jar and gently roll the mod-podge mixture around until it’s fully coated (don’t shake! No air bubbles). and then pour any excess back into your original container to use on another jar (or pour directly into another jar). I drained mine as well as I could, and then placed them upside down on cardboard – frequently moving them so they wouldn’t stick (modpodge is like glue). It’s your choice whether to bake immediately or let air dry for 24 hours or so before you cure them in the oven. The mod-podge is opaque, but dries clear which is the difference you’re seeing.
I combined this tutorial with a diy mason jar solar light tutorial. Aaamazing results, but I’m scared to spray the colored glass with frosted glass spray paint….think I willl leave them clear.
Don’t be scared! It’s super duper easy, just remember to keep your hand moving and hold it back about 6″ or so (and do it outside). I loved how they came out frosted. It looks awesome. I actually have a few solar lights too as I intended to do the same thing but never got around to it!
xo
Heather
So I’ve tried this a couple times now and I ways get the same results of the MP bubbling and crackling. I turned the heat on the oven down and it started to work but then alas it still happened.
Do you only put it in the oven for 20 minutes, then take it out to finish drying? Or should it dry completely in the oven?
Thanks!
Hi Melissa. I am so sorry – I thought I had responded to this! Don’t be discouraged, there are a few steps which can super easily introduce bubbles. I figured it out the hard way myself. Here’s what I figured out to reduce/eliminate bubbles:
1.) Stir the ModPodge & color super super super gently and slowly. No shaking of any kind.
2.) When you pour the mixture into the glass, pour it slowly down the side of the glass (like you would pour a beer) not straight into the glass (like you would pour water). This will create bubbles.
3.) To coat the jar gently turn it.
4.) It should go in the oven at the absolute lowest temperature your oven can go. Too high of a heat can cause bubbling even if you do everything else perfect.
Finally, I put mine in the oven for the 20 minutes but then turned it off and let them sit in there overnight without disturbing them. Just don’t forget to take them out before you turn the oven on again, to say, make chocolate chip cookies. You will end up with a black smoking jar. Not that I would know anything about that.
xo,
Heather
What did you use to add the color_drops of paint, or food coloring?
I used food coloring since it dries clear. Paint might work, but it might get streaky or be too opaque, I’m not sure. I hope that helps!
xo,
Heather
I have never used Mod Podge before (but see it used often on DIY blogs), so I do not know what it’s out-of-the-can color is, but is it possible to make cobalt blue instead of pale blue with food coloring?
Hi, Ashley. ModPodge is white like Elmers glue right out of the container. If you used enough blue food coloring I would think you could get to a bright blue color, but I’m not certain as it will dry translucent. You might have to do a few test jars and keep track of your modpodge:food coloring:water ratio for each separate jar. I hope that helps.
xo,
Heather
Pingback: Go Eco with Vintage Decor! 35 Ways to Use 9 Items | Eco Green Living 24/7
Hi Heather,
Loved your tutorial on staining the mason jars. I tried it and it didn’t come out too bad, a little lighter on the color, but I think I can adjust the amount of food coloring. My question is though when I put them in the oven, should i put them in with the opening faced down or faced up? Does it make a difference? I put mine faced down but it seems like it might have overheated?
Keith
Hi Keith! More food coloring will help the color. I used gel food coloring, so I’m thinking different kinds can give different depths.
As far as the oven, I drained mine very well over newspaper first until it barely dripped and then placed in the oven on the lowest setting possible face up (so they couldn’t drip.) My oven goes to 175, but if yours doesn’t I’d say it might help to heat it up on your lowest all the way, put in the jars for a couple minutes and then without opening, shut the oven off and let them sit until cool. It might work better.
Hope that helps!
-heather
Heather, I wanted to thank you so much for your reply and advice! I tried it and it came out perfect! No streaks or dried globs on the jar. The color came out the tint that I wanted and was evenly distributed! Keep up the good work! I’m a big fan of your site!
Keith
You’re welcome, Keith!
-Heather
Hi girls, just had to comment, I have done this project several different ways as well, but I always paint mine on the outside with a feather brush. I have completed this project with mod podge and foodcoloring and there is a difference in the colors of fc you use. for me, while doing the mason jars to look like the old style ones i use the florescent colors and to achive the cobolt blue I use the regular food coloring. You can have fun as well with glass paint folk art paint makes some that works well, I just painted and baked after dry. they have both translucent and solids, I’ve used both and love them! some great jars to use are the ones you buy with alfrado sauce in them for a smaller and different look! I am using my old style mason jars as a light fixture in my kitchen. love me some old glass!!! have a blessed day!
Thanks for the insight into other ways of doing it Shay! Also, the mason jar light fixture sounds pretty neat.
xo,
Heather
Great tutorial! Does the baking lock in the color permanently? If I bake it on the inside of the jar, can I use it for flowers/water? Thanks in advance!
First off, can I tell you I love your name?! I know you can’t drink out of the jars when they are done (because it’s still modpodge inside), and I haven’t tried using the water in them. We put candles in ours so there was no issue. My instinct is that the color would still leach and it would soften the modpodge but I could be totally wrong. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
xo,
Heather
Aww thanks! I’ll definitely test it out. I own a vintage prop rental business in Atlanta and am going to need to provide LOTS of these painted glassware for tablescape floral containers for a wedding.
That’s awesome, Mao! Check out yard sales for the jars. I know up here it seems like people are always selling them by the box, and you can often find some pretty cool older looking ones too. Flea markets & craigs list are also other awesome places to find the jars bulk—and for cheap! BTW – Your website is amazing!
xo,
Heather
Pingback: DIYF: Mason Jar Love
Hi,
My sister and I are going to DIY this tonight and i was wondering what kind of ModPodge did you use?
We bought the glossy is that okay ?
Hi Angela,
I tried it with both matte and glossy and actually preferred how the glossy looked!
Good luck.
-Heath
I was also wondering how long should we let them dry before putting them in the oven?
if we only dry them for about a half hour and then bake for 20 min is that okay ?
Hi Angela, my best run was letting them air-dry at least a few hours before finishing in the oven, but not all of the ones I put directly in (after letting them drip properly first) got streaky. I think looking back a thicker formula helped it hold better, as my first one was a little thinner. It’s kind of playing around a little to see what works best for you. I used gel food coloring, but I imagine liquid or powder might have slightly different times.
I hope that helps a little at least.
-Heath
We were also wondering how long to dry the jar?
I’f we dry for a half hour and than bake for 20 will that be okay ?
Hi Kat, see my response to Angela. As far as baking, I baked until it was almost clear and then shut the oven off without opening it, to let it finish. Just remember to take the jars out before you use the oven again. Not that I would know anything about this…*whistles innocently*. I have not put the oven on 400 to preheat and perhaps turned jars black. Never.
Okay, maybe once.
-Heath
I want to try this using bottles instead of jars, think this will work the same?
I would think so!
xo,
Heather