This summer I’m determined to make the most of my yard and patio, and I know many of you are feeling the same!  A great way to make outdoor spaces more inviting is with accessories, like outdoor pillows, pretty planters (try these DIY Modern Planters!), and ambient lighting.  Speaking of which, this DIY glass jar lantern craft is the perfect way to add color and style to your outdoor space-day or night!

The colorful gems on these lanterns make them adorable decorations during the day.  When you light them up at night, their colors dance and bring a whole new feel to your patio or deck!

Supplies Needed to Make Glass Jar Lanterns

This post is sponsored by DAP Products, Inc.  The project and opinions are all my own.  Also, this post contains affiliate links.  To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

• RapidFuse Ultra Clear All Purpose Adhesive
• Glass jars in varying sizes
• Clear glass gems or clear glass cabochons
• Colorful bingo chips
• Twine
• Twine-wrapped wire or jute-wrapped wire
• Scissors
• Craft clamps
• Battery-operated candles OR battery-operated fairy lights

Glass Jar Lantern Craft: How-To

Before jumping in and creating these cute and colorful lanterns, make sure the glass jars you’re using are clean and dry-both inside and out.  I wiped the outsides of my jars with rubbing alcohol just to be safe.  Soap and water will work well, too!

Step One: Secure the Glass Jar

Once that is taken care of, it’s time to get down to crafty business.  Set a glass jar on a level surface.  To keep it from rolling away while you’re working, place objects underneath it on both sides.  I used little wood blocks to keep my jars from rolling around.

Step Two: Glue Bingo Chips to the Lantern with RapidFuse Ultra Clear

Working one section at a time, glue colorful bingo chips to the jar with RapidFuse Ultra Clear All Purpose Adhesive.  This glue is a MUST HAVE for this project because it forms a crystal clear bond between the bingo chips (and glass gems to come later), and the glass jar.  This is essential for creating a flawless and clean look, and for letting these lanterns shine at night!

Only use a tiny amount of glue on the back of each bingo chip.  Trust me: a little goes a long way!  You can apply the glue directly from the RapidFuse Ultra Clear bottle, or you can use a small paintbrush to dab on a tiny bit of glue.

Step Three: Attach Clear Gems or Cabochons with RapidFuse Ultra Clear

Next, in that same section where you just glued on bingo chips, use RapidFuse Ultra Clear to attach clear glass cabochons to the jar.

These clear glass gems are great for filling in empty spots on the lantern, and they help bounce the light around at night. 

The RapidFuse Ultra Clear is perfect for attaching these clear glass gems because it won’t yellow as it ages.  Can you imagine how gross that would look if you had yellow glue spots all over your lanterns?  No thanks.  (*Making a mental note: use RapidFuse Ultra Clear for all crafts with glass gems going forward.)

Once the RapidFuse Ultra Clear has set up (usually in less than 30 minutes), rotate the glass jar and repeat steps 2-3 on the next section.  Do this until the entire jar is covered with bingo chips and glass gems.

Step Four: Create the Lantern Handle

After the RapidFuse Ultra Clear has set and cured, it’s time to create handles for these DIY lanterns.  Start by wrapping twine around the top of the glass jar and securing it in place with a liberal amount of RapidFuse Ultra Clear and a craft clamp.

Once dry, remove the clamp.  Then, cut three pieces of twine-wrapped wire and braid them.  Attach them to the twine on the jar with Rapid-Fuse Ultra Clear and craft clamps. 

Unlike hot glue or other adhesives, the RapidFuse Ultra Clear will dry totally clear and not leave glue clumps all over.

To finish off the look, wrap twine around the ends of the handle.  Again, secure this twine with RapidFuse Ultra Clear and craft clamps.

Step Five: Clean Up Excess RapidFuse Ultra Clear, if Necessary

Your DIY lanterns are almost ready, but before they make their debut on your fabulous summer patio, check to see if you got excess glue anywhere that you’d like to clean up.  I had a couple of glass gems slide away (due to excessive glue application and/or turning the jar too soon) and leave a glue trail, but it was not a problem.

RapidFuse Ultra Clear that has cured is easy to remove with acetone nail polish remover! Just dip a cotton swab into the acetone nail polish remover, put it on the excess glue and let it sit, and then gently scrape off the RapidFuse Ultra Clear with a utility knife or the end of scissors.

Colorful DIY Glass Jar Lanterns

Pop in battery-operated candles or battery-operated fairy lights, and these DIY jar lanterns are ready to dress up your outdoor space!

Check out how gorgeous they are filled with fairy lights.  The colors dance and add magic to summer nights!

And, you don’t have to worry about using these lanterns outdoors.  RapidFuse Ultra Clear All Purpose Adhesive is an interior and exterior adhesive that’s water-resistant once cured, so you can use these outside safely. 

Make a bunch of them and they’ll be the star of your outdoor space.

DIY Glass Jar Lantern Craft

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Active Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $10

This DIY Glass Jar Lantern Craft will be the star of your patio! Embellish glass jars with colorful and clear gems to create colorful lanterns that shine during the day and also at night.

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Materials

• RapidFuse Ultra Clear All Purpose Adhesive
• Glass jar
• Clear glass gems
• Colorful bingo chips
• Twine
• Twine-wrapped wire
• Battery-operated fairy lights

Tools

• Scissors
• Craft clamps

Instructions

1. Clean the glass jar to remove any dirt or residue.
2. Stabilize the glass jar on a level surface to keep it from rolling away.
3. Glue colorful transparent bingo chips to the glass jar with RapidFuse Ultra Clear All Purpose Adhesive.
4. Glue clear gems to the glass jar with Rapid Fuse Ultra Clear All Purpose Adhesive.
5. Wrap twine around the top of the jar and secure in place with RapidFuse Ultra Clear All Purpose Adhesive.
6. Braid together three pieces of twine-wrapped wire to create a handle. Glue it to the sides of the glass jar with RapidFuse Ultra Clear, and use craft clamps to secure the bond and hold the handles in place.
7. Once the glue has dried, wrap another layer of twine around the base of the handles to cover the seam. Secure to the jar with RapidFuse Ultra Clear.
8. Fill the glass jar lantern with fairy lights or battery-operated candles.

Notes

When gluing the glass gems and bingo chips to the glass jar, only use a very small amount of RapidFuse Ultra Clear. Too much adhesive will cause the gems and chips to slide down the side of the jar.

Remove excess cured RapidFuse Ultra Clear with acetone nail polish remover.

There’s something charming about aged terracotta flower pots.  Layers of color and hairline cracks evoke memories of seasons past spent digging in the dirt and watching the fruits of your labor bloom.  When you don’t have old pots lying around, sponge painting terracotta pots is a really easy way to get that authentically vintage look.

The good news about this method of making new terracotta pots look old is that the imperfections are part of the beauty.  Because of this, even a novice painter or crafter can paint these pots and get a convincingly aged finish!

This post contains affiliate links.  To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

What kind of paint do you use on terracotta pots?

To paint a terracotta pot to look old, you should use matte paint.

Glossy paint or satin paint will be too shiny and will not give an authentically-aged look.  Think about the old pots that you have seen before: is the dirt shiny?  Is the moss shiny?  No way!

Because a matte finish is best, chalk paint works great when painting terracotta pots to look old.  Matte acrylic craft paints also work well.

Do you need to seal painted terracotta pots?

The answer to whether you need to seal painted terracotta pots is “it depends.”  Helpful, huh?

Because I’m teaching you how to sponge paint terracotta pots to look old, I do not think you need to seal the painted pots.  Any changes to the painted finish will add to the aged look and character of the flower pots.  

Should you decide to seal the painted aged pot, use a matte sealer like a spray polycrylic to keep that matte look going strong!

If you’re painting flower pots in a different style and want to maintain the precise look you’ve achieved, then you should probably seal the painted pots.  

How do you sponge paint terracotta pots to make them look old?

I know you’re going to love this faux finish technique for painting terracotta pots to make them look old.  It’s so incredibly easy, and it’s similar to the technique I used to antique a mirror from the front side. 

Read or print the project steps below, and watch my video on how to age terracotta pots with paint for even more help!

How to Sponge Paint Terracotta Pots

Yield: 1

Active Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Sponge painting terracotta pots to look old is the easiest way to age new pots. This is an easy faux finish technique that any level of crafter or DIY'er can do.

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Materials

• Terracotta pot
• Brown paint (matte)
• Cream paint (matte)
• Green paint (matte)
• Sponge
• Paint brush
• Water
• Paper towel

Instructions

1. Make sure that the new flower pot doesn't have any stickers or residue on it. Once it's clean, it's ready for painting.
2. Apply brown paint to a sponge (or part of a sponge like I used). Press the paint-covered sponge onto a surface (like a paper plate), to remove extra paint.
3. Dab the sponge all over the terracotta flower pot.
4. Once the paint has dried, load a paintbrush with watered-down cream-colored paint. Brush the paint all over the flower pot.
5. Working quickly so the paint doesn't dry, use a paper towel or paper napkin to dab off much of the paint. This will allow the brown paint to show through and create a layered effect.
6. When that layer of paint has dried, use a sponge to apply bits of green paint on random spots of the terracotta pot. Do not put green paint all over. The point of this green paint application is to look like mossy spots on portions of the flower pot.
7. After the paint has dried, you may choose to seal it, if desired.

Notes

To speed up the drying process in between coats of paint, use a hairdryer on a low heat setting.

-Bre