How to Reuse Mason Jars to Make Halloween Luminaries

Ready to add some spooktacular fun to your front porch? We brewed up a tutorial to show you how to reuse our mason jar citronella candles (or any other mason jars you've got sitting around the house!) to turn them into luminaries for Halloween! Start by checking out our tutorial on removing leftover wax from our candle vessels, and then follow along with the tutorial in the video below! To save you from pausing and rewinding for each step, we've also provided some step-by-step instructions below.

Supplies:

• Cleaned out mason jar
• Tissue paper in your color of choice based on your spooky luminary character
• Black construction paper
• Scissors
• Mod Podge
• Foam brushes

Step 1: 

Draw and cut out your shapes for the face on your black construction paper. If you're following along with the skeleton luminary in the tutorial, this includes two ovals for the eyes, a small upside down heart for the nose, a u-shaped line  several small rectangles for the mouth. 

Step 2:

Tear up your tissue paper into smaller pieces. They don't need to be tiny, just small enough that they're easier to layer onto the mason jar - around 2 inches by 2 inches should be good!

Step 3:

Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to one side of the mason jar and start laying pieces of tissue paper over it. Layer the pieces over top of each other until all of the Mod Podge is covered, feel free to tear the tissue paper into smaller pieces to fit any gaps. Repeat on each side of the mason jar, including the bottom until the entire jar is wrapped with tissue paper. **Tip: If you're using a darker color of tissue paper, try not to add too many layers. The more layers of tissue paper that you add, the more opaque the jar will be when you're finished, which won't allow the light inside to shine through as brightly!

Step 4:

Add another thin layer of the Mod Podge over top of the tissue paper and let it dry. Once dry, look for any spots that you missed or light spots if you're using a white tissue paper and repeat steps 3 and 4 on these spots.

Step 5:

Now it's time to put the construction paper face pieces on! Just apply a thin layer of Mod Podge where you want each of the pieces to go and stick them on. Once all of your pieces are in place, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge over them and let it dry.

Step 6:

Light your luminaries! If you're adding these to your front porch or patio area where you're going to be hanging out, add some of our tea light citronella candles for a warm glow and to add to your barrier of protection. If you're just using them as some spooky decor on your front porch, we recommend using electric tea lights instead since you should never leave a candle sitting unattended!

One final tip, if you're doing this craft with kiddos who won't sit still long enough to complete the full project, you can shorten the process if you're reusing one of our mason jar citronella candles (all sizes work for this project, the minis make adorable baby luminaries!) since they're already tinted. The smokey-brown color has an orangish tint that makes a great pumpkin, and the wine-bottle green color is perfect for ghouls and frankensteins!

Happy crafting! If you reuse some of our mason jar citronella candles to make your own Halloween luminaries, make sure you share a photo and tag us on Instagram (@patioessentials)!