Ever wish your pretty little pumpkin wouldn’t end up as squirrel food?  Crafts by Amanda has shown us a fun new way to create a Halloween masterpiece with her Halloween Painted Jar Luminaries!

A cute project that is said to be a hit with the kiddos?  We’re in!

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Please click here to visit Crafts by Amanda and see the instructions that we followed!

Reviewer #1 - Maren

Mission: Okay, let’s just get it all out on the table.  I have a major love/hate relationship with Holidays.  The love part… decorating!  I get so excited about making my home feel festive and cute!  I also love the warm glow of a glass votive or luminaire, so I was really excited to try these little lanterns out.

Details:

• I got together with some of the other Crafty Ladies to do this project!  We split up a case of Kerr 1 Pint Mason Jars… and some beers!
• Martha Stewart Satin Paint in Carrot
• Martha Stewart Satin Paint in Marmalade
• My favorite Nylon Paint Brushes

After my first attempt at this project, I had to start over.  I then used the following products:

• First, since I washed my first round of paint off, I cleaned the jars with rubbing alcohol.  I remembered this handy tip from our review of Enamel Painted Vases… both of them.
• I used Painter’s Tape to keep the treaded part of the jars from getting painted.
• After I determined that my OCD couldn’t handle painting these lovelies with a brush, I tried out the fancy Martha Stewart Spray Paint Kit in a Gloss Finish.  This product was super cool, but also super pricey.  I think I would just get spray paint next time… although the finish was really light and pretty on the glass.  I even layered my two shades of orange for a little depth.  I got excited.
• I drew the faces on with a Sharpie.
• I used my fave pearl paint to make a little shadow effect on the faces -  Delta Ceramcoat Acrylic in Pearl
• Delta Ceramcoat Acrylic Paint in Black
• I sealed the paint with one coat of Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Multi-Purpose Clear Gloss Spray Paint

To finish my festive little darlings, I dropped in a few LED Flameless Tea Light Candles and screwed the lids back on!

Tips & Tricks Learned:

If you are anal retentive, just admit it (I hear that’s the first step) and use spray paint.  I did really love this look in the end, but if you are doing this project with kids, that would sort of take the fun out of it for them.

Be careful with your jar before spraying with the clear gloss, as the paint can easily scratch off.

Pros:

Fricking love these things.  They are so cute!

A super plus – acrylic paint washes easily off of glass, so if you screw up you can just wash it off and start over.

Cons:

None, unless you think you have the ability to paint without brushstrokes.

Conclusion:

Despite my initial frustration with the brush stroke situation, I really liked this project!  I am already excited to put these out next Fall at our new house.  I also really like that you can put an LED Tea Light inside and forget about them!

My mind is already thinking of other cute jars to paint such as snowmen for Winter (would be super fun for kids on a too-cold day) or even American Flags for the 4th!

 

Reviewer #2 - Amanda

Mission: Make a great Halloween craft with my kiddos.

Details:

• Ball Wide-Mouth Mason Jars
• Martha Stewart Acrylic Satin Paint in Arrowhead
• Martha Stewart Acrylic Satin Paint in Beetle Black
• Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover Aerosol Paint, Semi Gloss Clear; 3 Items/Order

Tips & Tricks Learned:

Don’t fret! The paint really does look best when it is sort of rugged and imperfect. My kids did a great job at achieving this. Only one coat was needed.

Also, I didn’t have them do the faces (the Type-A in me couldn’t let the entire project go) so I waited a solid day before painting on the faces. I didn’t draw the outline first though. Just threw caution to the wind and freehanded it.

Pros:

Simple. Truly easy to create and a really fun project to do with kids.

Cons:

Don’t expect perfection when working with kids and remember these are glass. VERY breakable.

Conclusion:

I plan to make some myself that are a little more detailed! This could be a great project for every season and with a flameless candle in them they are ideal for use around kids or pets.

Reviewer #3 - Sheri

Mission: A fun Halloween project to enjoy with the kids. Enjoy being the key word. Some are just easier to do together than others. It is also a great opportunity to use up some of the mason jars that we discovered in our basement when we moved in.

Details:

• A simple project really. We painted the exterior of the jars with acrylic paint, and they dried surprisingly quickly. Maybe not quick enough for a five year old, but not to the point where I was completely annoyed.
• We then drew faces on the luminaries with a Sharpie.
• A quick spray of Krylon Clear Spray and they were done. Time to wait till dark to light them!

Tips & Tricks Learned:

A little tip…use a sponge brush. Works so much better than a regular paint brush. I got a bag full of them for only $1.50. I just tossed them after the project.

Pros:

Super easy and the kids can each do their own. No arguing!

Cons:

None!

Conclusion:

The whole family enjoyed doing this project together. We planned it all out together. We wanted a pumpkin, a ghost, a witch, and a bat. We truly had a ton of fun.  There was no arguing about who’s cracking the eggs, or who gets to lick the last bit of batter. We each had our own jar and did our own thing. It was super easy and our neighbors love them! The kids were thrilled! Another great thing, we can pack them away and use them again next year. We also talked about making reindeer and snowmen in winter.

 

Reviewer #4 – Sarah

Mission:  To deface my beloved Mason jars…in a fun way of course!

Details:

• A few of us Crafty Collaborative ladies did this craft together as well – it’s always more fun in groups!
• I have a TON of Mason jars in my house – I always keep them around, they are great drinking glasses. Did I mention that I love whiskey and it goes great in Mason jars?!?!?Anyway, the jars I have on hand are pretty standard Mason jars with lots of ornate design on them. Since we were to be painting these, mine weren’t really of use as there was not a flat surface on any of them. All we needed were some “clean” Mason jars, and luckily Kristy was on her way over so she quick grabbed those up for us!
• I used the Martha Stewart Satin Acrylic All-In-One Paint for this project, as well as my handy dandy Martha Stewart Paint Brushes. I am a sucker for great packaging…it will get me to buy a product over another any day.
• Because I always like to put a spin on things, I opted to do my jars as more of a fall feel vs. the jack-o-lanterns. I painted my jars in a reddish-orange tone and a yellow and then painted them with freehand leaf patterns. This is NOT my best quality…freehand painting that is. My leaves look like crap, but it was all in good fun.

Tips & Tricks Learned:

If you desire a very clean paint job, you may want to try cleaning the Mason jars before you start painting them. I opted for the more “rustic” look so did one coat of paint on each of my jars and honestly didn’t even think about cleaning them prior.

Have long matches (the kind you use to light fires in your fireplace) on hand to light your tea light candles once your jars are dried and ready to adorn your home. I tried using regular matches first and almost burnt my hand!

Pros:

Cheap, easy and could be a great kid project – though I opted to do these on my own.

Cons:

If you like perfection in your projects, this project just might drive you crazy!!

Conclusion:

Cute way to add some décor – but I don’t foresee myself doing this one again. It was easy and fun, but not my favorite end result.

 

Reviewer #5 - Kristy

Mission: I couldn’t pass up more décor for Halloween! Loved the ghost and pumpkin ones!

Details:

Fun group project!  I love it that I live close to a couple of the Crafty gals so we can have a girl’s night with booze and crafts…perfect combo!

• We bought a Kerr 1 Pint Mason Jars and were able to share…3 each!
• We used an assortment of different shades of orange for our pumpkin jars and just wish I had made a few white ones for ghosts.
• I did two with one coat of paint and one with two coats!
• Instead of a spray glaze, I went to Home Depot and picked up Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Multi-Purpose Clear Gloss Spray Paint.  It worked well and I bet I will find more uses for this spray!
• Boooo…my artistry skills failed me, one didn’t come out quite right and I had to do a huge mouth to cover my mistake. I bet you can tell which one!
• I bought LED Flameless Tea Light Candles.

Tips & Tricks Learned:

I recommend only one coat of paint to have a more translucent jar for the light to shine.  If you decide to do two coats…let dry overnight before adding the second coat of paint.

I used a sponge brush for one jar and then I used Maren’s awesome paint brushes which I think turned out the best!  The brush gave the jar a more even application of paint! Loved those brushes!!

Don’t travel with them before spraying with gloss or glaze as these scratch too easy. They need that protective coat!

Pros:

Easy and there so many ways to change up this project with various pumpkin or ghost expressions! Just be creative!

Cons:

Scratch easily before the clear coating so be careful!  Also very streaky and I want it to look perfect!

Conclusion:

Perfect way to dress up your house for the holiday!  Line the pathway to your front door to light the way for your little trick-or-treaters!

Happy Halloween!

 

The darling Halloween Painted Jar Luminaries and their photo by Crafts by Amanda