If you loved my original Epsom salt luminaries, you’ll love this simple patriotic craft. These patriotic luminaries are dressed in red, white, and blue and ready for your Fourth of July BBQ or Memorial Day gathering. They work as utensil holders by day and luminaries by night!
Patriotic Luminaries
Clean up your grill, its BBQ season my friends! With the Fourth of July fastly approaching, you’ll want these fun and easy patriotic luminaries for holding straws, utensils, and napkins during the day, and by night they’ll light up your backyard! Epsom salts are a great way to add texture to a surface to create a fun look that is out of the ordinary. These jars are super simple, using only four supplies.
What you’ll need to make Patriotic Luminaries
- Mason jars
- White craft glue
- Epsom salt
- Spray paint in gloss red, gloss white, and gloss blue
I like using Epsom salts because they are so inexpensive and readily available.
All you need are jars, white craft glue, Epsom salt, and spray paint. That’s it! Just use the glue bottle to draw a star on the front of the jar, then press the wet glue star into Epsom salt. The salt will stick, now just let it dry, overnight is best.
Then spray paint. Done!
The white one looks different because it’s semigloss and the red and blue are gloss. Whoops! The store I went to was out of gloss and I guess I didn’t realize how stark the difference would be!
At any rate, this is a fun and easy project with impressive results. I wrote an article about using Epsom salts in your craft projects here if you’d like to take a look!
More Fourth of July and Memorial Day crafts you’d love!
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- Fourth of July Luminaries
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- Patriotic Parade Stick
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- Magazine Mosaic Flag
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- Recycled Patriotic Utensil Holders
You’ll likely have leftover epsom salt if you bought a new bag of them, you can use some to make these gorgeous Epsom Salt Luminaries or these Orange Bath Salts which make the perfect homemade gift idea!
Patriotic Luminaries
Supplies
- Mason jars
- White craft glue
- Epsom salt
- Spray paint in gloss red gloss white, and gloss blue
Instructions
- Use the craft glue to draw a star on the front of the jar, then press the wet glue star into Epsom salt. The salt will stick, now just let it dry, overnight is best.
- Then spray paint and you’re done!
This post was originally published on this blog on June 22, 2012.
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Rita Karam says
Very cute! Thanks for sharing!
I love it your good idea & smart advice to recycle anythings to turned out great & beautiful ! /:)
Samantha says
Hi! What a great idea! I’d like to see different color stars on each jar (i.e., red star on white jar). How would I do that? Thank you!
Amanda Formaro says
If you are comfortable with using a paintbrush I would probably recommend a short bristled one. I would dip in paint then dab off excess and carefully dab the paint on to the star :) Have fun!
C says
I would like to do this craft with a classroom. Would it work to have the kids paint the jars after the stars are dry? Perhaps sponge paint? I cannot have them spray paint, so I am trying to find a different way to be able to do this cool project.
Thanks!
Amanda Formaro says
I’m so sorry I am late answering your question. Sponging the paint on would probably work. Be aware that some of the salt might come loose, but shouldn’t be too bad!
Jocelyn @ Hip Mama's Place says
Hi Amanda, creative idea for epsom salts! I have featured this craft idea here:
http://www.hipmamasplace.com/2013/06/4th-of-july-craft-for-kids-star-jars.html
Thank you for sharing!
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you for the feature Jocelyn!
trisha says
amanda- when making the 4th of July jars with the stars…do you spray paint the inside of the jar as well?
Amanda says
Hi Trisha! No, just the outside of the jar :)
Peggy says
I love this so much, I’ve featured you here http://diycraftyprojects.com/2012/06/50-happy-4th-of-july-craft-ideas-diycraftyprojects-com.html . Please stop by when you get a chance & grab a “I’ve been featured” button from the side bar. You can put it in this post, side bar or both. Thanks so much :)
Lindy@ItsyBitsyPaper says
Very cute! Love painting glass and yours really turned out great. I hope you’ll add these to my Patriotic Project Parade.
http://www.itsybitsypaperblog.com/2012/06/patriotic-project-parade-linky-party.html
Whitney at It's Gravy, Baby! says
So neat! Thanks for sharing!
Johnnie says
Cute! I added this project to my mason jar round-up.
xoxo
Melissa @ No. 2 Pencil says
Super cute! I’m pinning and tweeting:0)
Amanda says
Thank you Melissa!
jet says
awesome the result with epsom salt en the paint , love your crafty idea’s ! Thanks for sharen them:_D
Have a nice lazy sunday afertoon.XD
chandi gurley says
Hi there Amanda. I have been following your blog for a short while and love it. I stayed around a little longer to catch up on some things I have missed and just now saw your “follow me” widgit to the right. Can you tell me where you got the code for that or how I can add one like it? I love it. I am new to blogger and just write about my family, small crafts we do, and cooking. Thank you for the help. Love the blog and I may try the mason jars for the 4th. VERY CUTE!
Amanda says
Hi Chandi :) It’s actually not a widget, at least not one you can download or grab rom somewhere. I just uploaded the images to my site and wrote the HTML coding needed to display them within a table. Sorry about that!
Judy says
Thats a really neat idea, but I think I will try painting the jars and then after the paints drys makes the stars then you would have white stars.
Amanda says
Hi Judy! That’s a fun idea, but please keep in mind that by placing the epsom salts on top of the painted jars, instead of painting over the salt, that will expose the salt to the air. In turn, the salts will eventually dry out from evaporation and can flake off. So it’s a less permanent project that way :) You can see my article about crafting with epsom salts here http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/crafting-with-epsom-salts/
Faye says
Love all your suggestions………Faye