Brighten your Independence Day with these 4th of July mason jar lanterns! These patriotic red, white, and blue mason jars are SO EASY to make and you only need a few simple supplies.
Apply red, white, and blue acrylic paint to glass jars to create these super cute and patriotic candle holders! Then place them in a row to form an American flag. It’s such a fun summer craft for both kids and adults!
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DIY Mason Jar Lanterns for the 4th of July
Add a festive glow to your celebrations with these 4th of July mason jar lanterns! You can make this easy craft in 30 minutes or less.
Check Out The Video Tutorial:
Instructions:
Make a star patterned mason jar lantern:
Make striped mason jar lanterns:
Enjoy your flag themed mason jar lanterns:
Helpful Tips:
- If you don’t have star stickers you can also use self-adhesive foam stars, or cut your own star out of adhesive vinyl.
- These mason jar lanterns can be used as decorations all summer long! Set them out for Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, or any events in-between.
How can I use these 4th of July mason jar lanterns?
Use these patriotic mason jars to light up your party by placing a flameless tealight candle inside. You can also add a string of LED fairy lights, or even light a real votive or tealight candle.
If you don’t want to use these red, white, and blue mason jars as a lantern you can also use them as containers for cutlery and straws. They would look so cute sitting on a buffet table at a barbecue!
What’s the best paint for these 4th of July mason jars?
We used craft acrylic paint to create our mason jar lanterns. We needed to add 2 coats, and it worked well enough, but the paint can peel off fairly easily if you’re not careful when removing the stickers.
If you want to make a lantern that can be re-used next summer you can use chalk paint. It sticks really well to glass without peeling. Or you can also buy special glass paint or use spray paint for these decorated mason jars.
How else can I add the paint to these mason jar lanterns?
You can definitely use a regular paintbrush if you like – we just found that the brushstrokes were really visible through the mason jar when we put the flameless candles inside. To try to hide the brush strokes you can also use a foam brush (sponge brush) or an actual sponge to apply the paint on the jars.
We enjoyed using a cotton ball to dab paint onto the mason jars. It created a textured look without leaving brush strokes or streaks of paint on the jars. Plus there’s no paint brush to wash at the end!
Enjoy making these 4th of July mason jar lanterns inspired by the American flag! These festive and patriotic mason jars are such a fun summer decoration, perfect for decorating your Independence Day BBQ or picnic.
Here’s even more 4th of July party ideas:
Red, White, and Blue Layered Drink
4th of July Cupcakes
Easy Fireworks Cupcakes
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
