Nothing says “Christmas” like glitter putting up the tree and setting up the nativity scene.
Well, that and the trifecta of epic Christmas albums (Mariah, Bieber, N’Sync. Duh.).
But seriously. The holidays are one of the only times where it’s socially acceptable to use glitter as an adult.
If you’re looking for a quick, easy, festive holiday DIY with glitter (who isn’t?), then pull out a few mason jars and make glittery candles.
It’s sort of like snowflakes, in a jar.
Just make a glue wash (glue + water) and brush the inside of the mason jars. I used regular ol’ Elmer’s glue, and adding the water helps it brush on easier.
Add glitter of your choice (I like silver) to the inside of the jars, and roll/spin the jar around until the glitter coats the sides.
Let dry, and….done. Simply add a tea light, and you’re good to go.
I brushed the glue almost all the way up to the top, but you could do it at various levels for the mismatched-yet-chic look.
These take about five minutes to make, and definitely give the house a festive look, even when they aren’t lit.
Seriously, iloveglitter.
cakerypapery 
I love these!!! Who can’t use a little sparkle anytime of year.
How much glue and water do you use
Hi Amy!
I added just enough water to the glue to make it brush able- you don’t need more than a few drops per teaspoon of glue.
Hi cakerypaper
I was wondering how long it takes for the glue.to dry? And also where you got those jars… also one more thing… can you add food coloring to the glue and wate to make it the color you want out is that a bad idea?
I’ve never tried the food coloring trick – but it might work? Else you could try colored glitter. I let the glue dry in mine for about an hour or so, and then it seemed to be okay.
I didn’t buy the jars, just had them lying around the house. But, you can buy mason jars at most grocery or craft stores, else you can check your local thrift store or Goodwill.
I didn’t use water, just a sponge applicater brush
Will the glue melt if the candle burns for too long? I know some types of glue will but I’ve never tried elmers.
I’ve never had this problem-but I only use tea lights. The candles don’t burn that hot.
Does the glue dry clear? I just tied it and it looks white from the outside…
Hey Emily!
When I use regular glue, it is not clear, more translucent than anything else. (Which I don’t mind? Because you can’t tell when the tea light is lit.)
If you want it to be clear, look for a glue-gel that says ‘dries clear’ on the label!
love it….. every day can be New Year’s Eve !!!
Agree! Everyone needs a little glitter in their life.
What a lovely wedding idea! I’ll be linking to it on our DIY Wedding Ideas pinboard. Check it out at pinterest.com/homedepot.
– Chante
That’s great! Thanks so much for the link over – looking forward to seeing it on the wedding board.
Is it safe to use a tea light? I want to do this for my wedding in July but my Mom said you can’t burn around glue and glitter?
Jen –
I use tea lights in mine. I’ve heard a few concerns around glue/glitter – but so far I haven’t had a problem. I think as long as the candle wick is low you will be ok.
Alternatively, you could buy the wick-less faux candles that glow, and achieve a similar effect.
-Rose
Glitter is flammable. I ‘d go with the battery candles for safety.
Could you brush the outside of the jar and roll it in the glitter? That way, the candle flame won’t come into contact with the glitter.
U can also use battery tea light if ur worried about it 🙂
What size mason jars are those? I am looking to do some as part of center pieces for my wedding. Also if you know of anywhere I can get a bulk of them for cheap let me know please! I found some on Amazon, but they are 16 oz size.
I love the idea though, super cute and sounds easy!!
Thanks!
Hi! I used a variety of sizes from the smaller pint jars to larger quart size ones. I had these leftover from various jam and canning projects-so not exactly sure on a cheap place to purchase. You might want to check out your local goodwill; they often have interesting glassware shapes that would work for this project.
Dollar Tree has lots of pretty shaped candle holders that would work too. I put sheer ribbon around my plain glass stuff to give it some color. You could do this with this project too. Can’t wait to do this!!
Check Walmart for the jars.
Great thought – I have also found mason jars at my local grocery store, and you can often find unique jars at thrift shops or Goodwill.
I bought a case of 12 mason jars from Target for $9.99. They are not very expensive.
When putting in the glitter, how do you go about doing that? I tried to put it in and all it did was clump on the sides….what can I do?
Hmm…not sure what to say on this one? I use small amounts of glitter and just enough glue so it sticks.
I love glitter but only during CHRISTMAS,& IM EXCITED ABOUT THIS HOLIDAY TO BE CREATIVE. Thank you.
Enjoy and thank you! It’s a great holiday craft!
I want to try this out with different colors of fine glitter to match my wedding colors!
Love this idea! Thanks sooo much!
Let me know how it goes! and good luck with the wedding planning!
I tried out a few different things. I used clear elmers glue and normal white elmers, both watered down. After drying, I couldnt really tell a difference but depending on how much you water it down, I would go with the clear just to be safe (or at least that’s what I liked better).
Also, I used silver and teal fine glitters. It gives a different look. I thought the silver looked a little cheap, maybe in a larger flake it would be good, or less of it looked better too. But solid, using ~1 tblspoon, was just OK. I may try again with a white fine glitter and used less of it.
I really liked how the teal looked though. Very pretty. They also looked a lot better when done like you did them, fading the amount towards the top or leaving some glass unglittered.
All of the 3 that I did looked pretty good with a tea light candle and I had no melting glue issues or anything after 3 hrs of burning.
Thanks again for the tutorial!
Teal! I love it! Like tiffany candles!
These are beautiful!
I tried to do them last night but the glitter was too thick, so the candle didnt shine through the way I was hoping, how much glitter did you use?
It’s hard to judge – maybe a tablespoon or just a bit more? I used sparingly and added more in until the candle was coated.
Good luck!
I absolutely LOVE this. It’s so adorable! I just tried making a few since I’m redecorating my room and I experienced the problem that a few other people mentioned having where the glitter clumps up in some spaces and makes it too opaque or uneven looking (I think it happens when you use finer glitter as opposed to one with larger flakes). A quick fix that I used for it, after cleaning the jars out to start fresh, was to simply add the glitter directly to the water/glue mixture, mix it up, and then paint it on the inside all together. That way you can control exactly how much, and where, your glitter goes. Thanks so much for this! So pretty!
Brilliant! Thanks!
Super cute! so doing these !
These are just gorgeous, will be using this for my high tea garden party 🙂 thanks for sharing !!
I’m glad you like them, hope the party goes well!
I am so excited to see this Mason jar and candle with glitter…you have inspired me , I can hardly wait to try it. Peggy
I hope you have fun with it! Enjoy!
You have inspired me…can hardly wait to try it. thank you.
Have fun and good luck!
Just wanted to say I’ll be doing this project…some day. I’m pinning it for future DIY. They are so pretty & Thank You for posting the tutorial. I’d also like to say I ♥ how you respond & answer all the questions or comments left on your post. I’m one of those people who reads every comments posted. It’s nice to get some feedback. A suggestion & I haven’t tested this out yet, but maybe paint the glue & glitter on the outside & cover it with mod podge? Would that work? Just an idea/suggestion for those who are concerned with the lit candle.
I haven’t tried the glitter on the outside, but I imagine it would work also. And mod podge is a great idea!
I just had a Pinterest party today and this was my craft contribution. We all made these and they came out great! We used several different types and colors of glitter and I didn’t see much difference between the finer and bigger sized glitter. I have also not seen any issues with using tea light candles in them and the glue melting. I do have to say those who did various colors in theirs came out the best, they were so pretty when lit! Thanks for the great idea!
I’ve taken the liberty to link to this page from my blog – hope it’s okay, It’s such a good idea for christmas….
I just saw your idea on another blog that was using your picture, with your trademark cut off, and no link to your blog to give you the credit. Luckily, Google image search allowed me to find Cakerypapery as the original source of the image. Can’t wait to try this. I plan on incorporating it into my Christmas hearth display. I love to light candles when the fire is burning and shut off the lights. I’m sure these will be a beautiful addition.
So fabulous! Saw you featured over at Design Dreams by Anne and fell in love with the sparkly simplicity of this!
“The holidays are one of the only times where it’s socially acceptable to use glitter as an adult.” LOL!
Will make a few of these for my backyard (Christmas holidays are spent mostly out on the deck here in Sydney)
StylingNotes.com.au
“The holidays are one of the only times where it’s socially acceptable to use glitter as an adult.” LOL!
I’m so going to make a fewe of these for my backyard!(here in Sydney most of the Christmas holidays are spent outside)
StylingNotes.com
I made these jar’s last summer and am in the process of making GOLD ones for centerpieces for my sister’s 50th Wedding Anniversary….YES you can add food coloring…I do these to mine, then put in the oven for 30 minutes at 200 degree’s….They turned out beautiful for 4th of July in Red and Blue…No glitter needed…
Hello! Sorry to bother you, but do these look pretty without the tea lights? I want to use it as a gift jar (for a perfume). Any ideas?
I think they look nice during the day and not lit up, but that’s just me!
I just spent all weekend making hundreds of these for my wedding! Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂 Also I saw you were featured on budgetbabe.com. Congrats!
hello loftyappetite! do you have pictures of your wedding with these jars on? would like to see the overall effect as i’m planning on the same for my wedding. 🙂
thanks!
I am thinking of making these for neighbor gifts for Christmas.
Great idea, I hope it goes well!
i was wondering… wouldn’t this be flammable? I would’ve thought on the outside, but inside im a little worried? Great idea though if it isn’t! 🙂
I use tea lights, and haven’t had an issue. I think it depends on the type of glue you use – but I’m not a fire marshall, so don’t quote me!
I have also seen a version of this with spray starch instead of glue.
wouldn’t the heat from the candle melt the glue?
I haven’t had this issue, but I use small tea light candles.
I did this for my New Year’s Eve party a couple days ago and I used the glossy modge podge. I painted the inside with one layer of MP and rolled glitter and then once it dried I did another layer of MP. I was able to burn tea lights the whole night in them with no problems.
Thanks for the idea!! Everyone loved them!
Sounds awesome! Modge podge is a miracle worker!
So I love the idea. I was just wondering. If I were to put something besides a candle in there. Say foo a gift, does the glitter brush off over time. Or does it stick?
I’ve never had a problem with it brushing off – but when I made these I wasn’t envisioning them being “long-lasting”!
Okay, thanks for the reply. I started making them, and I can’t stop they are so cute and pretty. I tinted the glue with food coloring and it turned out really cool!!
Hello! Not sure if this question was asked or answered just yet, but what kind of silver glitter did you use? Any specific brand or kind? Thank you!
Hey I was hoping to use a votive size candles and holders instead of a tea light so I don’t have to keep lighting new candles throughout my wedding reception. Does anyone have experience with doing it like that? Curious how much hotter they get and if a small container is bad
I made these last night and they were a HUGE hit. I got all the supplies from Michaels. They have clear elmers glue so I didn’t need to add water… They had silver glitter in a shaker( not the fine one like sand) and hey had mason jars and the sponges on a stick which I used to spread the glue. They had the bright white led lights I dropped in and they had blue ones in michaels. Thank you so much for sharing this. They were awesome! I don’t know how to post a pic but they were super cute!
Glad this worked out, it sounds awesome!
Hi there, I was wondering, is there a way to remove the glitter/glue from the inside after you’re done with whatever purpose? I want to make these for my future sister-in-law’s bridal shower, but we need the decoration of the mason jars to be non-permanent. If this was able to be washed of or removed somehow, it would be perfect!
If you use a washable glue, like ModPodge, you can wash it off later! Just make sure you don’t spill any wax.
I guess an alternative, so you don’t have to worry about the glue, is to simply use an electronic tea light. You can usually find cheap-o’s (perfect for just a single season!) at Dollar Tree.
What I was wondering was, can you give these as Christmas gifts, like, maybe in a set of three, tied together with raffia?
I am going to try these and attach a battery tea light inside the lid and hang from ceiling for my sons rehearsal dinner!!!! Can’t wait to how these turn out. Their colors are navy blue and gold.
Just seen these Mason Jar Glitter Lights. I think I will make some to go with the different holidays. Red for Valentines Day. Green for St. Patrick’s Day and so on.
Clearly I got to this party a little late, but I’d like to offer a few tips. I am damn credible because I finally figured this all out on my 7th damn jar and the first thing I did was find this DIY again so I could spread the damn word. Damn. I am so pumped right now.
Tips:
– Use small jars for first tries. I used a big mason jar and while I don’t hate it, I don’t love it. Trust me, practice on at least one first.
– Use a foam brush or sponge and coat the jar in a very THIN layer. You don’t want to pour in the glue and roll it around. I suppose you could use a paint brush so as long as there isn’t a lot of glue and the layer is thin. This was the major problem I had, whether the glue was brushed on or rolled around, no matter how thin I thought the layer was, after adding the glitter and letting it dry it always ended in bare spots and clumps at the bottom because there was too much glue. I added more and more glitter, and yes it looks fine unlit from the outside, but once you drop in a (battery operated) candle it illuminates every bare spot and you can see where the glitter clumped. I’m going for the “Where did you buy this” vibe, not the “I can tell you didn’t buy this” vibe.
– Worried about streaky glitter? You can use a sponge to – as uniformly as possible – paint on the glue, but if the layer is thin enough, and ideally it is, the glue will dry clear and the glitter won’t streak. And I have to reiterate, a THIN layer. Like if a single drop of glue dropped on your jar and you wiped it away with a little bit of residue left behind, I’m talking just a notch or two more than that residue. Paint like your glue is running out (also a life mantra).
– If you’re thinking, “I can go back later and just fill in the holes with more glitter if there are bare spots, no big deal”, ooooh ho ho ho, I remember being young and optimistic like you. Don’t. From the outside it looks uniform, but the previous clumps are still there and the discoloration when the light shines through will still be the same.
– If you use Mod Podge and you don’t like the way it turned out, don’t worry, you didn’t waste a jar. Fill it with warm water and it washes out.
– You can use the same Mod Podge to seal the glitter. After you’ve allowed significant time for glitter and glue to dry, paint another coat over the glitter. It will go on white, but will dry clear. Now the glitter won’t flake off willy nilly if you decide to use the jar as storage instead. Still wouldn’t store any food in them.
I hope this saves someone jars and sanity.
Will the glue melt from the flame?? How flammable is this love this for a wedding
I have not had issues with the glue melting, but I use very small candles.
Glad you like it! Every one needs a bit more glitter in their life!
I work at a baby pantry/pregnancy center and we are doing these on Tuesday for our annual Make It/Take It craft day! I can’t wait to see how they turn out, thanks for the great idea!
Sweet! I hope you ladies have a fun time!