EASILY ENHANCE ANY OUTDOOR/INDOOR EXPERIENCE USING A MASON JAR CANNING LIGHT. THESE ARE SUPER EASY AND BRIGHT LIGHTS PLUS YOU CAN EVEN DECORATE THE LID USING YOUR CUTTING MACHINE SUCH AS A CRICUT. I’ve included 10 FREE Files for this project!
I LOVE this Mason Jar Canning Light project because of how easy and versatile it is! In addition, with all the advancements in lighting technology, we’re able to turn a light that was once a soft glow into a bright beautiful addition to any décor and with colors plus a remote controller! The wire hangers are completely optional but super simple to make, and I’ll show you each step in the process in an easy video.
Just imagine for a moment, how easily these can be placed around your yard and patio. Keep in mind you don’t have to choose blue jars, these clear jars work just as well and would let even more light out to shine!
I love how adding just a little bit (great vinyl scrap buster!) of vinyl to the lids adds such a nice touch! If you’ve ever wanted to engrave a canning jar lid, I have that project for you too.
HOW TO DISPLAY MASON JAR CANNING LIGHT
- Wrought Iron Ornament Stand
- Shepard’s Hook (so many choices!)
- Steel Patio Tables
- Lantern Hooks
One of my favorite ideas is to simply tuck the light into a potted plant, or use a small shepherds hook to hang the jar. Let’s not forget repurposing items for display in your yard. There are some amazing pieces you can find free or cheap that can look Ah-mazing with a little bit of outdoor spray paint.
Let me show you just how easy these are to make so you can enjoy them and even make some to give as gifts or sell.
HOW TO MAKE DIY MASON CANNING JAR LIGHTS
VIDEO TUTORIAL: MASON JAR LIGHT
MATERIALS TO MAKE THIS CANNING JAR PROJECT
View my Amazon Shopping List with the exact items I used to make this project!
- Wide Mouth Quart Size Canning Jars
- LED Lights
- Wire (optional for hangers)
- Double-Sided Strong Tape
- Premium Permanent Vinyl
- Transfer Tape
- Needle Nose Pliers
- Wire Loopers
- Iron Stand to hang light (optional)
- Batteries
- A Cutting machine to cut your Vinyl. I used the amazing Cricut Maker, but you could also use the Cricut Explore or the Cricut Joy for this project.
- Brass Braising (Welding Wire) if you want a different color wire alternative (bendable with pliers) but not as easy to bend as the Black Craft Wire mentioned above.
WHERE TO GET FREE FILES AND WIRE SIZING TEMPLATE
Step 1: Locate my FREE files or Design your own file for your Lid
Open a new project in Cricut Design Space
Click on “Upload” then “Upload Image”
Click Upload in the lower-right hand corner then Click on “Uploaded Image”
Now click on “Insert Image”
Ungroup and choose your file and turn off any layers you will not be using today. (see video for details if needed)
If using files with words, be sure to select the words and then click on “Attach” Once the file is prepared in Design Space you can click on “Make It” in the upper right-hand corner.
Click on “Continue” then select which Cricut machine you are using if needed.
Then select your materials. Today I used: the Premium Outdoor Vinyl setting
Adjust your pressure, if needed. I used the default pressure setting as my blade is not very old. All you need now is to ensure you load your “fine point blade”.
Step 2: Cut your vinyl
Place your Vinyl on your Green or Blue cutting mat and press the “Load” arrow button then when the Cricut “C” button flashes press that to cut your Vinyl pieces. Once done cutting, the “Load” button will flash to let you know your cut is complete. Press “Load” to unload your mats.
Turn your mat over to remove your vinyl without curling it if needed.
Cut a piece of transfer tape to fit the circle size shape and use it for both pieces (I re-use my transfer tape all the time).
Step 3: Apply Vinyl to Mason Canning Jar Light Lid
Use a lint-free cloth and lightly spray or rub rubbing alcohol onto the lid to remove any oils or debris from the canning lid where you will be adding your Vinyl. This ensures good secure adhesion of your vinyl to your lid.
Weed your vinyl pieces and place transfer tape onto the design. (It may help to watch the video if you need to see the process)
Once you have the design piece or pieces ready, press and burnish your vinyl onto the lid, then carefully remove the transfer tape.
For this design, I transferred the white lettering onto the red circle shape. I then used a piece of transfer tape to move the red circle and letters as one “element” to place onto the canning lid.
Step 4: Setting up the Light
Open the light by turning it like a jar (open to the left) to add your 3 “Triple AAA Batteries”. and place the light back together.
Test light off/on with your remote. Adjust batteries if needed.
Now we can add the tape strips to the back of the LED Light. Cut with scissors 2 pieces of clear tape per side. So 4 pieces total. You will have 2 pieces of tape on top of each other on each side of the line down the middle of the back side of the light. (please see the video if you need clarification)
Once you have your 2 layers of tape on each side of the bottom of the light, peel off the protective plastic and press firmly to the Inside of the Canning Jar Lid. This way when you put the lid on the canning jar the light will shine down into your Mason Canning Jar.
Now you are ready to place the canning jar lid on top of the mason jar and secure it with the Canning Jar Ring part.
Step 5: Test Light and Enjoy, Give or Share!
HOW TO MAKE THE WIRE HANGERS
I love the look of the wire hangers whether they are hanging or simply set on a table. In case you love them as much as I let me show you just how simple these are to make.
I will also provide a FREE Template located in my Resource Library that you can print to use for the wire sizing. The video also provides step by step at the end of the video above!
Here is a picture of the supplies I used below.
Step 1: Get your FREE Wire Sizing Template
Get FREE Wire Sizing Template here.
Cut two pieces of wire 9″ long.
Form loop on one side of wire until it resembles a number 9.
Then angle loop end straight as seen below.
Repeat steps to form second looped wire.
Take each looped wire and bend the loops up (see next 2 pics)
Bend the wire loop up approx. 1/4″ down from the loop as seen below. (on both wires)
Line up both wires with the loops on each side and place the front wire behind the loop on the right side.
Make sure both loops are lined up directly across from each other while holding both front and back wires with one hand, use your other hand to bring the wire you placed behind the loop and bend it forwards as you can see below.
Both wires will look like this now.
So now with both wires wrapped around on each side, we will focus on just one side at a time. The below pictures show how to bend one wire around to form a complete loop. Below are the front and back shot pictures to assist.
Repeat the process on the other side ensuring the wires are tight as possible then use a wire cutter to snip excess wire off.
Here is what your finished wire wrap should look like.
Now let’s make the handle! Be sure to have the template near you for this part too! It makes it much easier to visualize.
Cut one piece of wire 8 1/2″ long. Find the center point at 4 1/4″ and bend slightly in half. It’s really easy from here, just bend the wire to match the curving of the template.
If you don’t have a wire looper I found a Cricut Pen to be very close to the exact size so use it to form your loops if needed.
All that is left is to loosen each looped end to connect the handle to the wire hanger that is on the jar.
Be sure to watch the video if you need more clarification, it may even give you the ah-ha moment you may be missing 👌
Here is another picture showing the wires on the jars
See how easy these are to make? You will be so proud of yourself and these really do make lovely and useful gifts.
Wow, that is a lot of helpful information! It literally takes me long multiple hours to prepare a video and blog post of this nature. So much so that I may have forgotten to share a tip you may be wondering about.
Please always feel free to ask any questions or even leave a helpful tip I may have forgotten or did not think to include in this post! You can leave a comment or question below or on my YouTube channel.
Let’s all help each other and “create with love”.
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