Rustic Mason Jar Ornaments for Christmas (quick & Easy!)

Marc Erick
by Marc Erick
5 Materials
$3
1 Hour
Easy

Greetings! These rustic light-up Christmas ornaments are super easy to make! Every year I make an ornament to give to family and friends. It's actually become a tradition to exchange ornaments on Christmas for us! Every year I love unpacking the ornaments and all of the memories attached to each one!

This year, I made a beautiful ornament that is simple to make (And re-make if you need a lot of 'em!).

The materials you will need to recreate this ornament are:

A small mason jar and lid

White paint and paint brush

Red and green spray paint

Jute twine or string

An awl or rotary tool

Poster putty or rubber cement

White cardstock

Battery operated tealights


First, wash and dry all of your jars and lids, removing the labels (I had to use goo gone on a couple)

Paint the lids using the spray paint, I used red and green in satin finish. Originally I used gloss, but the satin looked so much better in my opinion 😊

Next, punch a small hole in the center of the lid, I placed the lid on a piece of foam board and used an awl to gently make the hole. You could also use a rotary tool. Be sure to make the hole on the top side of the lid so any jagged edges will be underneath.

Next, cut a piece of juet twine about 10 inches long. Fold in half, Make a knot at the cut ends, and string through the hole from the bottom side of the lid. The knot will keep the twine from going completely through, trim any excess twine. This is the hanger for your ornament.

Now, we'll paint the jar. You can find these small mason jars at any supercenter, most grocery stores or online , however, They have them at Dollar Tree as candles with regular lids (instead of the two piece lids proper mason jars have) , which is what I used. Of course I had the enjoyment of burning the candles first! 😊

Anyway, turn the jar upside down and paint the bottom. Then, paint up the side, just a half inch or so, leaving an uneven, 'jagged' edge. Defiantly use flat white paint for this, as it adds to the rustic look. Keep the jars upside down as they dry. The paint will pool a bit, adding an almost 3-d effect.

Once the jars have dried completely, use a bit of poster putty to attach the tealight to the inside center . Using the poster putty (or rubber cement) will secure the tealight but make it easy to change the battery or turn on and off. The tealights I used change colors too, but the single, flickering ones look great as well!

Now, it wouldn't be personal if we didn't include a personal message! I thought about printing round labels for the lid or the bottom of the jar, then thought I'd rather keep it all handmade. I simply used a red Sharpie and wrote the message 'you light up my life' on the bottom of the jar. I also included the year and names on a few of them. You could also use a paint pen or metallic marker!

I'm really pleased with how they turned out! 😊

They look fantastic when the tealights are on!

These ornaments are perfect for a last minute gift. They only took about an hour to make... admittedly I used a small fan to speed up the drying time!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season! And thank you for viewing! 🎄☃

Suggested materials:
  • Mason jars   (Dollar tree)
  • Battery operated tealights   (Dollar tree)
  • Jute twine   (ACMoore)
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