How to Make Mason Jar Luminaries

1. 1

   Step 1: Seal the Ribbon with Mod Podge

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   Cut your ribbon into 24-inch lengths, one per jar. Lay a length flat on scrap paper and brush Mod Podge across the whole face of it with a paintbrush. Flip it over and do the back the same way. Keep moving, because a ribbon left sitting glues itself to the paper.

   Clip each length to the edge of a coat hanger and hang it up to air dry. The Mod Podge stiffens the ribbon a little and seals the weave, which is what stops the bow going limp and faded after a week outdoors. Cheap dollar-store ribbon holds up fine once it has been coated.

   Tip:

   If a length does stick to the paper, peel it while the glue is still tacky. Once it dries down you will tear the ribbon getting it off.

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   Used in this stepchristmas ribbon assortmentmod podge glossfoam brush set

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2. 2

   Step 2: Cut and Weed the Vinyl Snowflakes

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   Cut three to four snowflakes per jar from adhesive vinyl on your cutting machine. Pull the waste vinyl away from around the outside of each snowflake, using a weeding hook to lift a corner and peel. Then go back and pick out the small pieces trapped between the arms.

   The center bits are the fiddly part. Hook them out one at a time rather than dragging across them, or you will lift a whole point off the carrier sheet as well. Work over the mat so anything you drop lands somewhere you can find it.

   Tip:

   Pick a design with chunky arms for your first jar. A lace-fine snowflake looks good on screen and falls apart at the weeding stage.

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   Used in this steporacal 651 permanent adhesive vinylcricut weeding tool kitcricut explore air 2

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3. 3

   Step 3: Transfer the Snowflake onto the Mason Jar

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   Lay a piece of transfer tape over the weeded snowflake and burnish the back of the carrier hard with a scraper. Peel the carrier away and the vinyl should lift onto the tape. Anywhere it does not, press that spot back down and go over it again.

   Position the tape on a clean dry jar, roughly halfway up the side, and burnish once more through the tape. Peel the tape back slowly at a low angle. Vinyl does not grip glass eagerly, so hold any point that starts to lift until it takes.

   Tip:

   Wipe the jar down with rubbing alcohol before the vinyl goes on. Glass straight out of the cupboard carries a film you cannot see, and vinyl slides on it.

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   Used in this steptransfer tape for vinylcricut scraper and burnisher toolmason jars

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4. 4

   Step 4: Brush Mod Podge Over the Whole Jar

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   Stand the jar on a paper plate and brush Mod Podge over the outside in a thin, even layer. Start at the top rim and work down to the base, going straight over the snowflake as you reach it. Cover the sides evenly so the glitter lands evenly.

   Thin is the word that matters. A heavy coat buries the snowflake and turns the jar into a white blob. A thin one still lets the vinyl read through the frosting once the candle is lit. Leave the neck bare if a ribbon is going to cover it anyway.

   Tip:

   Work fast. The glitter has to go on while this coat is still wet, so do one jar at a time rather than lining up five and coating them all.

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   Used in this stepmod podge glossfoam brush set

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5. 5

   Step 5: Shake Extra-Fine Glitter Over the Wet Mod Podge

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   Hold the jar over the paper plate and shake extra-fine glitter across the wet glue, turning the jar as you go. Aim for even coverage rather than a thick crust. Bare patches show up badly once the candle is in, so keep turning until the whole surface has taken some.

   Tip the loose glitter off the plate back into its container when you are done. Set the jar somewhere flat and leave it until the Mod Podge is dry the whole way through, not only dry to the touch.

   Tip:

   Extra-fine glitter is the one to buy here. Chunky craft glitter sits proud of the glue, catches on the ribbon and sheds all over the porch.

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   Used in this stepfine craft glitter set

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6. 6

   Step 6: Hot-Glue the Ribbon Around the Jar Neck

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   Take a dried ribbon length and fold it in half to put a light crease at the middle. Run a dab of hot glue onto the neck of the dry jar and press the crease of the ribbon into it. Hold it there for a couple of seconds while the glue sets.

   Carry the ribbon around the jar, adding a small dab of glue at roughly the quarter points, and keep the printed side facing out the whole way round. A high-temp gun grabs quicker. A low-temp one gives you a second to reposition before it sets.

   Tip:

   Hot glue strings badly on ribbon. Let the strands cool and lift them off with a fingernail rather than wiping, which smears them into the weave.

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   Used in this stephot glue gun with glue sticksred grosgrain ribbon

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7. 7

   Step 7: Tie the Bow and Trim the Ribbon Tails

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   Bring the two ends up to the front and tie a bow. Watch how the ribbon rolls as it comes around and twist it where you need to, so the printed side stays facing out on both loops and both tails. Pull the knot tight against the glass.

   Straighten the loops, then put one small dab of glue behind the knot to lock it. Thin ribbon usually holds on its own. Stiffer coated ribbon wants the glue. Cut each tail at an angle so it finishes in a point rather than a blunt end.

   Tip:

   Tie the bow at the folded crease so you have the same length of ribbon on both sides. Ending up with one long tail and one stub is the usual way this goes wrong.

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8. 8

   Step 8: Add Sand and a Battery Tealight

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   Pour about an inch of white play sand into the jar. It weighs the jar down so wind does not tip it over outside, and it gives the candle a flat seat instead of letting it slide around on the curved base of the jar.

   Switch on a battery tealight or an LED luminary candle and set it down into the sand. Nudge it to the middle so the light sits directly behind the snowflake. Press it down a little and the sand holds it upright.

   Tip:

   Battery or LED only. Never an open flame in this jar. The outside is Mod Podge, glitter and hot-glued ribbon, and all three of them burn. Candles sold with a remote let you switch a whole row on from the doorway.

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   Used in this stepbattery tealight led candlesplay sand

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Keep going

How to Make a Christmas Garland

8 steps · about 5 minutes

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• E6000

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