Halloween Painted Jar Luminaries

This isn’t the first time I’ve made luminaries for Halloween. Several years ago I made these painted Ghost Luminaries which are posted on FamilyCorner, these decoupaged Pumpkin Luminaries and this Candy Corn luminary which are both posted on Disney’s Kaboose. Today I made some colorful luminaries inspired by the ones I saw on this cute blog called Not So Idle Hands. While Emily uses the decoupage method with strips of tissue paper, I opted for what I believe to be an easier, faster and less expensive method… paint.

Aside from the new luminaries I made (which I describe below), I also spruced up my others after unpacking my Halloween boxes. You see, hubby had the heat up so high today, and sometimes I swear I’m experiencing early menopause, that I just had to get out of the house. So I hit the garage. Hence unpacking Halloween boxes and doing this project.

To spruce up the Pumpkin Luminaries, which are decoupaged orange material, I used a damp rag to wipe them down, then I painted the yellow facial features black. Not sure what I was thinking when I did them yellow originally! Then I sprayed them with glaze.

You can see that the white ghost luminaries have been around for quite a few years. They are nicked and scratched, and I have lost several over the years to breakage, but these are still holding up. Each year I wipe them down and add another coat of glaze.

Over the summer I bought a couple of boxes of canning jars with the intention of canning. Well that didn’t happen. So I opened a box, went inside and grabbed my acrylic craft paint, paintbrushes, and a dish of water and went to work.

One layer of acrylic craft paint was enough for these, but you can add another if you like.

Just be careful if you do, glass is picky about being painted and will peel if you don’t allow the first layer to dry completely. Anyway, one layer gives you a nice rustic look, which I prefer, and you don’t have to wait forever. ;)

You can make stencils out of cardboard cereal boxes like Emily did, she was even nice enough to post this pattern for her faces. I like to freehand my stuff, so that’s what I did.

On a few I used a Sharpie marker to draw on the face, then I simply painted the facial features with black paint.

See that red guy on the right with the triangle eyes and the square mouth? He didn’t make it. :( When I came back to see how they were doing a few hours after I sprayed them, he had somehow fallen off the edge and broke.

I painted the jar rims with black paint. Then let them all dry for about half an hour. Spray with glaze, I use two coats. Let dry for several hours.

After they’ve dried for several hours, you can have some fun displaying them. I use tea lights, I light them with a wooden skewer. I find it easiest to take a votive candle outside with me, light the skewer off the candle, then light the tea light inside the jar.

Warning – lots of pictures! I couldn’t decide on my faves :)

More you might like from me:

Recycled Bread Tag Monsters
Juice Box Monsters
Monster Treat Bags
Jack O’Lantern TV
Halloween Hand Print Ghoul Banner
Monster Brownies


Me

177 Responses to Halloween Painted Jar Luminaries

  1. Emily says:

    These turned out sooooo cute! Great job with the paint (way faster :) Thanks for the link-up!

  2. Felicia says:

    This is my new favorite blog!! You are amazing!

  3. The Party Animal says:

    These ROCK – thanks for the share

  4. Amanda says:

    Thanks ladies!

  5. Terri says:

    Wow—so very cute!! Don't you just love that Krylon spray?

  6. Amanda says:

    Thanks Terri, yes love that spray :)

  7. Jen says:

    Wow, I love these, I want to make some!

  8. Amanda says:

    Thanks Jen! Would love to hear about it if you do :)

  9. Chica and Jo says:

    These are too cute! Will have to find the time to make them for my daughter's Halloween party!

  10. pinkpatrice says:

    I love this idea! I am definitely going to do this for Halloween this year! :)

  11. Amanda says:

    Thank you Chica and Patrice! We are loving these little guys, glad you liked them\!

  12. ZeidmanZoo says:

    Awesome idea!!! I had no idea acrylic paint would work so well! Thanks for sharing!

  13. Amanda says:

    Thanks ZeidmanZoo! Yes acrylic paint works great. I've painted on jars for a long time, and the trick to remember is not to add a second coat until the first coat has dried COMPLETELY, otherwise you run the risk of peeling off the first coat. However, with these luminaries there's only one coat required, so that's not an issue :)

  14. The Crafty Dollar says:

    Those are so cute! Definitely need some of these for Halloween night.

  15. ZeidmanZoo says:

    Thanks so much for your reply! I have a clean pasta sauce jar in the recycling that I'm hoping to paint before the week is through! :)

  16. Ollie says:

    Cool! just need to get some glaze…

  17. Painter Mommy says:

    Oh my goodness, you craft ideas are awesome! I just subscribed to your blog.

    And thanks so much for stopping by my Painter Mommy blog and commenting. I love your idea about framing the kid's artwork. I will be doing that too.

    Have a great day!

    DAWN

  18. miznyc says:

    Those are soooo cute! I found you through craftgawker. :D

  19. Amanda says:

    Zeidman and Crafty Dollar – Thanks! hope you get to make them :)

    Ollie thanks!

    Painter Mommy – thanks for the compliments! You had some great ideas too :)

    mizntc – great! Thanks for coming by. I was looking at your beads, those spider earrings are awesome!

  20. Kristen says:

    These are wonderful! I love them. What type of paint did you use though? Acrylic? Tempera?

  21. Tonya says:

    I tried this yesterday and failed miserably. Can you tell me what kind or colors of paint you used? Mine aren't nearly transparent enough for light to shine through, and they look pitiful. And, do you know what I can remove my paint from the jars with? I didn't glaze then yet, and want to remove what I have on there and try, try again before this weekend. Your idea is great, but I am a craft noob and just did it stupidly! Thanks!

  22. Amanda says:

    Hi Kristen – I used acrylic craft paint such as Delta Ceramcoat or Apple Barrel :)

    Tonya – I'm sorry they didn't work! You can go ahead and wash them with a scrubby pad under warm water with some dish soap, that should get the paint off since you haven't put a glaze on yet. Are you sure though that the light won't shine through? Did you try one in a dark room with a tea light? I would do that before starting all over :)

  23. Pom Pom says:

    Delightful! You give such wonderful instructions! Happy! Happy!

  24. Amanda says:

    Thanks Pom Pom!

  25. Regina says:

    I love these!! THey totally rock! THanks for the instructions.

  26. Amanda says:

    Thanks Regina, and thanks for coming by!

  27. Karen says:

    Just made 2 with my 4 year old! Love them!!!

  28. Tonya says:

    Okay, so I took the paint back off of my jars, and I'm going to see which Apple Barrel colors are the most translucent so that I can start again today! Yay!

  29. Akela Joy says:

    These are just gorgeous! I made some out of 2 litre cold drink bottles – (http://www.craftsforcretivehands.blogspot.com) but yours look great! Love your blog.

  30. Jolene says:

    Made these tonight with my 2 and 4 yr olds… we painted the insides of the jars, though, and the faces on the outside… less mess with little guys to paint inside…

  31. alexandra s.m. says:

    My 6 year old and I are in the process of making some . Thank You!!

  32. Amanda says:

    Karen – How awesome, thanks for stopping by!

    Tonya – Good luck, hope they come out for you this time ;)

    Akela – Thanks! Your drink bottle luminaries are cute!

    Jolene – so glad you and the kids had fun! Since you painted them on the inside make sure you only use tea lights and not votive candles. The larger votives may leave black marks on your paint from the flames.

    alexandra – fabulous! Hope you are having fun! :)

  33. BululuStudio says:

    This project is super cute and another way to reused. Excellent thank you for sharing it.

  34. painted maypole says:

    found you on the crafty crow – loved this simple and very cute craft. Posted a pic and a link to this post here: http://paintedmaypole.blogspot.com/2009/10/happy-halloween.html

  35. ZeidmanZoo says:

    We made some great ones on the fly with your inspiration! My kids made jack-o-lanterns out of various size glass jars, and ghosts out of baby food glass jars! I can't wait to adapt this idea to other holidays, and add more to the Halloween ones we now have! You can see the pictures on our blog: http://zeidmanzoo.blogspot.com/

  36. Creative Craft Ideas says:

    LOVe this idea too. It is cute (and easy) that you painted the jars—I have seen it done with glued on tissue paper but this would be much easier! ah, next year here i come =)

    Anne

  37. Megan says:

    These are way better then luminaries. I wouldn't worry as much with kids and costumes. Too cute, LOVE 'EM!

  38. Deeba PAB says:

    Woot woot…these are so cute! Precious Amanda, just too precious! Well done!

  39. Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says:

    Amanda! You are so talented! And creative! These are just precious. Great job.

  40. Brittany says:

    these are so cute! i will have to start collecting jars!

  41. Sheila Irish says:

    LOVE these! Now I have to get me some canning jars….Freecycle here I come….LOL

  42. Morgan Louise says:

    I'm making these for sure this year! Love your blog! :)

  43. Elle says:

    I looooove these!!! And so simple, too! Yours are Halloweeny good!

  44. Barbara @ Modern Comfort Food says:

    I'm a year late, but these wonderfully creative luminaries are such a great idea. The short road our house is on is so dark that children often don't come our way on Halloween. I think I'll make these to light the way!

  45. Judy says:

    I am so impressed just by the sheer number of jars you have, let alone how cute they are. I made similar jars with fabric and Mod Podge and had so much fun! It's a great way to reuse those jars!

  46. Amanda says:

    Thanks everyone! Thanks for sharing Judy, those are very cute :)

  47. Karen Harrington says:

    Seriously cute! THANKS for sharing!

  48. Amanda says:

    Thank you Karen :) I hope everyone feels the same way as you. Sharing it on Craft Gossip was a little nerve wracking for me. I don't want anyone to think I would use that as a tool to further my own blog!

  49. Julie says:

    Found you from Craft Gossip. Love both blogs. You're so talented. Thanks for this. The glaze looks awesome!!

  50. Amanda says:

    Thanks so much Julie!

  51. Pam says:

    Can't wait to try this fun project; thanks for sharing!!!

  52. Ecolicious says:

    These are great! I just added them to my jar recycling lens http://www.squidoo.com/lensmaster/new_workshop/reuseglassjars

  53. Amanda says:

    Thanks Pam!

  54. Amanda says:

    Thanks Ecolicious! I couldn't find anything at that link, but thanks anyway! :)

  55. divaskychick says:

    Well it's a good thing you posted on Craft Gossip. I am obsessed with all those posts and somehow didn't even know you had a separate blog!!!

  56. Anonymous says:

    For the young toddlers, I just saved my milk cartons and let them draw on faces. I then went and got those fake candles and put them in the bottom. You can also use a strand of light.
    cleigharm@hotmail.com

  57. Alison says:

    I have always wondered if acrylic paint would work well on these. I tried spray paint before and it didn't work out so well. :) And I am so jealous you could do the faces by hand! impressive!

  58. Anonymous says:

    Please don't worry if you should post or not…. this was a great idea!!!!

  59. KasiaJ says:

    I love them! I did something similar just the other day! You can check them out if you want:
    http://kasiascrafts.blogspot.com/2010/09/jack-o-lantern-string-lights.html

  60. creativejewishmom/sara says:

    love these Amanda, thanks so much for sharing on Craft Schooling Sunday!

  61. brookie says:

    How smart and cute! Love this.

  62. Cassie @ Primitive & Proper says:

    glad you shared your own project! these are so adorable!

  63. Heidi@TheCraftMonkey says:

    I LOVE these!!! I'm so going to make these!! Thanks for sharing!

  64. Pat says:

    Stopping by from Between Naps on the Porch. What a CUTE idea!

  65. gena says:

    Wow that's just adorable !!!! I'm going to try them myself this week !
    thanks for sharing,
    gena
    http://www.thehouseonlavenderhill.blogspot.com

  66. Tracy's Trinkets and Treasures says:

    Really really cute. I didn't know clear glaze could do this to paint. I really like it. It is on my list.

  67. Anonymous says:

    I've done something similar with my neighborhood kids in recent years and let me remind all of you that plastic peanut butter and mayo jars are usable and especially good if you're letting smaller kids make their own "pumpkins" (and you can use the little battery lit candles from the $ store to lite them)…then you can screw the tops back on after lighting. Waiting for my grandbabies to grow so we can 'play' with things like this together.

  68. Glenda says:

    your blog is awesome, I am following you so I can keep up with the great stuff on your blog.,can I borrow your idea for my nieces to make, we in Australia dont have a big Halloween but I still would love to make these for them.,love glenda

  69. Patti says:

    These are cute…I made some last year and put strands of xmas lights in them!

  70. Shannon @ Quarry Orchard says:

    These are so cute!
    I just can't part with my canning jars though! :)

  71. Erin says:

    I love them!!! And they are easy too!

  72. Chic Cookies says:

    OK, I need to make these this year…

  73. Christina says:

    Awesome!

  74. Q @ JAQS says:

    OK THAT IS AWESOME. I will be making this for our house this year :). Thank you for sharing this awesome idea!

  75. katieb says:

    This was GREAT I loved this idea! I live on the second floor of an apartment and I have giant squirrles that love to run across my patio. I don't think having pumpkins this year will be an option, as I fear that they will eat them and never leave me alone.But now I'm SUPER EXCITED for halloween this year! This was great for my raining day sunday craft project! I also like a few other ideas you have and will be using them with my little cousin! :)

    GREAT BLOG!! Thank you for the great fun and easy craft ideas! :)

  76. Liz @ LivingMySweetLife says:

    OMG! LOVE!
    How did you know I had a box full of jars that I had NO IDEA what to do with????
    You're amazing, I stopped by from today's creative blogs linky party and now I am poking around your site. It's awesome~!

  77. Kimber says:

    I love these. Could you tell me where you bought canning jars that are smooth like that? I know the ball canning jars have raised glass lettering on them. Thanks.

  78. Amanda says:

    Than you EVERYONE for all of your kind comments!! :) :)

    Kimber – yes Ball jars do have raised letters, but only on one side. :) The ones that I used also have the raised letters.

  79. Corinna says:

    Saw these on Skip to my Lou. They are SUPER cute! I love your ghost ones also. And I have a ton of canning jars so I'm totally inspired by your post today! :)

    Corinna

  80. Veronica says:

    Love this! I too have lots of canning jars and can't wait to make these with my boys. Did you use the pint or the quart jars?

  81. Amanda says:

    Thank you so much Corinna! :)

    Veronica – thanks! I believe these were pint sized jars. They are still packed away (I'm bad, haven't pulled out my Halloween stuff yet!) but I know that the quart jars are what I used for my pickles, and they aren't as big as those :)

  82. Alicia says:

    I popped over from Under the Table and Dreaming, these are so cool. I want to try them right now =)

  83. Colleen @ MuralMaker&More says:

    You know, painting on glass is usually my absolute least favorite surface. But I have to try these. They are just so dang cute, I can't believe it! Thanks for all the tips, too. Great tutorial.

    Would love for you to stop by Sunday and link them up to Passion for Paint.

  84. Katie @ Not Just Decorating says:

    These are simply adorable! I am going to have to try to make some of them! Thanks for the great idea!

  85. malia says:

    amanda these are awesome! love for you to link up tomorrow to a crafty soiree at http://www.yesterdayontuesday.com

  86. Carri says:

    These are so fabulous! I'm going to try these with my Girl Scout troop. I wonder if the larger Baby Food jars would work?

  87. Amanda says:

    Thank you again everyone! :)

    Carri – as long as the mouth of the jar is wide enough to get a tea light candle inside they should work fine!

  88. Carmie, the Single Nester says:

    How fun! Scary too!

  89. Tonya says:

    I made 5 of these last night but cut out leaf stencles and glued them on with a glue stick (glues washed right off) and just did a fall theme….AWSOME IDEA! They turned out great. Thanks so much for the "how to"!

  90. Amanda says:

    Thanks Carmie!

    Tonya how fun! So glad they were easy and you were able to make them, they sound great!

  91. John, Anna & Rebecca says:

    How adorable!!!! I have a whole bunch of glass jars too. I wasn't sure what to do with them. Great idea and I think I'll even let me three yearold help me with them. I can't decide what I like more, the ghosts or goblins.

    Anna
    http://wastedbandwidth.org

  92. Amanda says:

    Thanks Anna~ hope you make them, they are fun!

  93. Anonymous says:

    even though i have a teenager and i usually hate crafts + stuff like that, i am sooo excited to do these now! halloween is my favorite holiday and this seems like a lot of fun to do one day to really make my house look great:) thanks for posting too such clear instructions + good pictures!

  94. Amanda says:

    Thanks! Couldn't have a better compliment than that :)

  95. Melissa says:

    These are so cool! And a craft that can span the ages! What kid doesn't like painting!

  96. Amanda says:

    Thanks Melissa! So right you are. Kids love to paint as do adults. So this is great for all ages :)

  97. Anonymous says:

    These are so cute! I'm making some today, only I'm using old baby food jars so I have different sizes. Thanks for the idea!

  98. Amanda says:

    Anon – baby food jars will work fine as long as the mouth is wide enough for a tea light. Those will be awesome! :)

  99. Anonymous says:

    What a cute idea! Did you get the idea from i.heart.rachel on Cafemom? She has a lot of her tutorials there including this one, same pictures and instructions and all.

  100. Amanda says:

    This is not i.heart.rachels tutorial, it's mine. Thank you VERY much for bringing this to my attention!

  101. Anonymous says:

    She has your Bread Tag Monsters too. She admits in the bread tag post that the post about the luminaries was deleted because she didn't have links and claims that Cafemom won't let her have links up. People can have links there, just not in their signature or links to their own blog or website as advertising. I have seen her make links to her own stuff there though.

  102. Amanda says:

    Thank you very much for telling me. And on that one she's blatantly taking credit! Someone asked her what she was going to do with them and she sai she was going to make magnets, as if she really made them! UGHHH!

  103. Krystal says:

    This is so cute and a great idea! I featured this on my blog if you want to check it out and grab a button.
    sassysanctuary.blogspot.com

  104. booturtle says:

    Love this. I don't have jars but when I saw my local thrift store had squatty round floral vases for a dollar apiece your pumpkins came to mind. I picked up a few vases and plan to pain them this weekend. I'll be posting on my blog with a giant tip of the hat and link back to you. Congrats on the ivillage mention too.

  105. Jess @ Frugal with a Flourish says:

    I love these! Just featured you in my "10 Ways to Use Mason Jars in your Home" :)

  106. Amanda says:

    Thanks for the features ladies!

  107. erisgrrrl says:

    We did this today using recycled jars that I've refused to throw away. We let our son paint several of them and it's adorable! I think we might add a jar or 2 each year so we can kind of chronicle his abilities over time! :D

    Thanks for such a great idea!

  108. Amanda says:

    erisgrrrl – How fun! Thanks for the kind comment, would love to see a photo of your jars. If you are on Facebook, you can post them on the Crafts by Amanda fan page! http://www.facebook.com/CraftsbyAmanda

  109. booturtle says:

    I finally finished my painted pumpkins and put them up on my blog with credit for inspiration from you. Thanks again for sharing.

  110. booturtle says:

    Thought I already commented. But wanted to chime back in that I finally made my pumpkin luminaries inspired by you and put pictures up on my blog. Thanks so much for the idea!

  111. Anonymous says:

    I absolutely love your blog and get inspired to try out all your crafts.I tried making them myself last week and they turned out so well!
    Thanks for sharing,
    Shweta

  112. Amanda says:

    Thanks so much Shweta, so glad they turned out! Happy Halloween!

  113. carol wolfgang says:

    Wow Amanda. This is actually very interesting to me. I made a few of these a couple years back.I actually thought of these idea cuz i seen them done with milk jugs. I like painting on jars. So of course today when i came acrossed your site i seen the epsom salt luminaries and im so going out to buy the stuff to make them. I save all kinds of jars, pickles, jelly mayo's anything. i save them. But yeah that is so cool that i made pumpkin luminaries like u did. I personally like yours better, but it was my first time doing them so im quiet happy. i also was wondering on the flat glass marbles how big are those. they look larger then normal size marbles. i cant find bigger ones anywhere though. I am wanting to make those to. And they dont have to be just for valentines. U can do anything u want with them. Thats for sharing your. I think u have alot of talent and interestign things to make. ideas on the page

  114. Amanda says:

    Thanks Carol! How awesome that you already made these! As for the marbles, yes you are spot on, those are a bit bigger than the average ones. I honestly can't remember if I found them at Michael's or a thrift store. If you do a google search for "large flat glass marbles" there are some there too ;) Thanks!

  115. Recovering Noah says:

    Thank you for stopping by my blog. I love love love this idea! Now I know what to do with all those salsa jars I have laying around. I'm so glad Halloween is just a few months away… I'd hate to have to wait any longer to try this idea. I'm loving your blog! Leslie =)

  116. Audrey says:

    I love this post and I'm so excited to try it out. I've also shared this with my readers!

    http://lonelypaper-designs.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-to-jack-olantern-luminaries.html

  117. pageturnershollow says:

    Loved your post! I mentioned it as my inspiration for a Halloween project in my blog!
    http://pageturnershollow.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/halloween-silhouette-lanterns/

    Keep up the good work!

  118. Jennifer says:

    These are adorable! I found your site on Pinterest.com and decided that since I am one of the homeroom parents for my daughters 1st grade class…we are SO doing these for her Halloween party. I thought I better see how messy it would be first and made some this week with my daughter–LOVE THEM! I am going to write a blog later today and will link it to your page to give you credit. I just have one–and probably a really dumb one–question…Do you spray the clear coat inside or outside of the jar or both. OH, I also used the sharpie on the outside of the jars and didn’t have to use the black paint over it. Thanks for the cutest craft idea out there!!
    Jennifer

    • Amanda Formaro says:

      Hi Jennifer, thanks for the compliments! You only need to spray the outside of the jars, it’s just to keep the paint from peeling off and to give them a nice glossy finish. Can’t wait to see your version!

  119. Rachel says:

    So cute! Just found you on pinterest! Love this and Im deff going to try it this Halloween!

  120. Found these on Pinterest and making them tonight with the fam! I love your blog. So cute. :)

  121. Pingback: 15 Cool DIY Halloween Lanterns And Luminaries | Shelterness

  122. Pingback: Painted Luminaries - Mommy Blog Awards | The Top Mom Blog Posts On The Web

  123. becky says:

    do you paint the inside of the jar or the outside?

  124. Wendy says:

    I’d love to do this for a craft in my child’s class…do you think I could use a blow dryer to speed up the process?

  125. Pingback: CanadianParents.com Blogs

  126. Pingback: Halloween Monster Yard Lights | Crafts by Amanda

  127. Pingback: One Dozen Quick and Easy Halloween Crafts & Treats | Cupcakes and Crinoline

  128. Ashleyakamomto1tot says:

    I made these today! my daughter myself and my husband all of us really enjoyed it! i bought the battery powered tealights but i used large mason jars they almost needed 2 of them to get it lit well , i did use 2 coats of paint so it made it a little thicker for the light to show through…. BUT also i found out hello mason jars have that centerpiece under the lid u can keep off and still look like a lid is on it and it wont snuff out real tea light candles :) they turned out AWSOME i wi sh i could post pics thanks so much for sharing this idea! im a NON crafty mom but i made 12 of these to line the walk way and i will use them for many years! :)

    • Amanda Formaro says:

      How awesome Ashley!! Thanks for letting me know, it always makes me smile when one of my projects can inspire someone else :)

  129. Kari says:

    Congratulations!
    Your post has been nominated for a Mommy Blog Award. Mommy Blog Awards were created to highlight relevant and creative content that is worth sharing with family, friends and those in search of inspiration. Rather than following entire blogs and stories, our goal is to provide answers to current questions and snippets that can be easily shared. So, take a moment to visit your post, forward the link to your friends, vote, and hopefully find something worth sharing at mommyblogawards.com.

  130. Angie says:

    So glad to have found this…I gotta make some…SOOO creative!! =)

  131. Pingback: Recycled Bread Tag Monsters | Crafts by Amanda

  132. Pingback: Halloween Countdown – Day 24 – Halloween Painted Jar Luminaries « Griffin's Honey …A Frugal Mom

  133. Pingback: 5 Fun Ideas for Halloween Decorations | Lindsay Blogs

  134. Pingback: Halloweens cooooming….. « coffeeandcupcake.co.uk

  135. Christina Aldrich says:

    Hi- I saw this link to your blog and luminaries on Pinterest (my new FAVORITE thing to do instead of cleaning!!!). Yesterday I bought everything I need to make these, except for the mason jars. The store was out but said they would be getting more in today or tomorrow. My 4 year old is home sick from pre-school today so I’ll be scouring my house for any empty jars that aren’t nailed down LOL. Can’t wait until the end of the week :-) Wish me luck!

    • Amanda Formaro says:

      That’s exactly what I was going to suggest! i always have a stash of empty jars of all sizes in the cabinet in the basement :)

  136. LK says:

    I found these on parents.com and thought they would be fun for my 4 year old son and me to try. I used a foam brush because I thought a paint brush would be too streaky, but the foam brush did not put the paint on thick enough. I let it dry overnight and then tried to put on a second coat. It didn’t work. When you try to put a second coat of paint on it just takes the first layer off. I washed the paint off and will give it another try with a brush and a thicker single layer of paint this time. They are so cute that I want it to work.

  137. Chris says:

    what kind of jars are you using? All the canning jars I’ve seen have some kind of markings or words bubbled into them. I’m sure they will show through as a shadow.

  138. Pingback: Frugal Halloween Luminaries

  139. Tammy says:

    These are precious! I shared them with my readers today at Aimee Asher. I hope that is ok! Thanks for the wonderful idea!

  140. LS says:

    Thanks for the cool idea! Just made these last night and finished up today. My paint looks much more streaky than yours and when the candles are in it really shows. I’ve never painted on glass before so maybe it’s a serious learning curve, The clear coat is pretty cool and makes the appearance a bit better. We drew the faces with just sharpie as another reader suggested and it was a real pain in the bum until hubby found a large, lone, odd sharpie and he rocked out the rest of the ghosts with that. We put some tap led lights in & the kids are running around holding the Boo Story light :D.

    • Amanda Formaro says:

      Yeah painting on glass can create streaks. I tend to go over the paint several times, smoothing it as I go. BUT I actually think the streaks are cool too, adds character! :) So glad you had fun!

  141. Pingback: Jar Jack-o-lanterns Halloween Luminary Craft | Hounds In The Kitchen

  142. Margie Chao says:

    Hi, I love your painted Halloween jars! My kids can’t wait to make them. I had a quick question….I have lots of tempera paint. Would that work instead of acrylic paints? I’m thinking with the clear glaze the tempera would be okay. Any thoughts on using tempera instead of acrylic paints?

    Thanks!

    • Amanda Formaro says:

      Hi Margie! I have never actually tried tempura paint on glass. You can always try it on one and see how it works. If you do, would love it if you would come back and leave a comment on how it worked!

      • Margie Chao says:

        The tempera paints worked great! I wanted an easier paint to work with since I’ve got little kids doing the project and I didn’t want the hassle of using acrylics. Acrylic paint did go on more smoothly on glass, so I can see why you chose acrylics. The tempura paints were more streaky going on, but after being sprayed with the clear coating, they came out more transparent, which was kind of cool! Thanks again for your project idea. I will continue to do this every year with my children!!!

        • Amanda Formaro says:

          I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know about that, it’ll be great info if someone else asks. So glad you guys had fun! :)

          • Margie Chao says:

            Hi Amanda,
            I wanted to share this in case others wanted to use tempera paints too…unless you apply like three coats of the lacquer spray the tempera paints will run if wet. I found this out the hard way this morning when the sprinklers went off near my porch steps! LOL :)

  143. Pingback: Déco & DIY pour Halloween

  144. Pingback: I love halloween! « live life. addicted.

  145. Pingback: Décoration halloween

  146. Jen says:

    Really Cute!!

  147. Sarah says:

    Hiya! I just tried these with my patients where I work, they loved them!! The only problem I am running into is that we used lights from the dollar store and we we place them in the jars the only color that shows is that of the light. So every jar looks orange! I am going to take a few home and try an actual flame candle and see how that goes! Thanks for the fantastic idea!!

  148. Pingback: Best DIY and Crafty Halloween Table Decor for 2011 | The Aimless Curator

  149. Stacey says:

    I absolutely love these! they’re genius. Halloween is my favourite holiday and you’ve helped me decide that I’m going to make a special space in my attic for halloween items so I can make something new each year.. this is definitely going to be in there! Brilliant, so thanks :) xx

  150. Shana says:

    found this post from a google search and i’m soooooo excited to make these; will let you know how it goes! thanks for the great pictures and all the detailed instructions

  151. joyce hemker says:

    I’m going to try this with the plactic kool-aid containers

  152. So happy I found you on Pinterest! My husband also painted some jars which turned out great! He actually scratched out faces on the back side so that you get a neat silhouette on the wall. http://handmakemyday.com/2011/10/19/easy-halloween-luminaries-he-made-painted-jars/

  153. Pingback: Halloween crafts from around the web | Peach State Moms Blog

  154. Pingback: Halloween Edition | luckychickadee

  155. christina says:

    Thanks for sharing these- I love them! I gave them a try and you can see the pics here: http://fromonemommatoanother.blogspot.com/2011/10/halloween-lanterns.html

  156. Pingback: Inspirações para a festa de halloween | Camis in Wonderland

  157. Pingback: The One Where We Make Halloween Decorations! « Adventures in Home Owning

  158. Pingback: Halloween Mood Lighting | Talk Crafty To Me

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>