How to make Jar Lights - Burlap Kitchen

Jar lights are easier to make than you may think. And, if you have the right tools on hand, they are fairly cheap to make. Jar lights make adorable gifts and can be filled with sand, seashells, rope, potpourri, etc… Here is my step by step on making jar lights, hope you enjoy.

And please, if you ever have any questions, feel free to ask! =)

What you will need:

Jar
string of white lights or rice lights ( In this tutorial, I am using battery pack lights with a timer, but you could use the kind that plug in, also.)
piece of tape
black marker, or pen
gloves
safety goggles ( I used safety glasses, but safety goggles would be MUCH safer)
Heavy gloves
old sentinels or a throwaway tin cake pan works nicely.
Drill
Glass attachment for the drill, they cost around $10 but can be used more than once. I left my bit at my mom’s house, so I forget the size, but they are easy to eyeball and guess the size. If you have to just take your white lights with you so you can see the size of the cord compared to the bit. I am sure someone in the hardware store would be more than happy to help. ( If you go to your local hardware store and tell them you need a bit that will drill through glass, I am sure they will show you what you need.)
water
potpourri or something to fill your jars with
glass cleaner

1.) The first step is to find a jar that you want to use and clean it. You could use anything from old wine bottles, canning jars, maybe even something like a spaghetti jar. For this tutorial, I am using an old mason jar.

2.) Once the mason jar is clean, soak it in water for 10-15 minutes. In my opinion, jars that have been pre-soaked are much faster to drill through. Soaking the jars also seems to cut back on the glass particles that fly through the air.

3.) Once the jar is done soaking, place a small piece of tape on the back where you want your cord to be. Use a black marker to put a dot on the tape, where you want your cord to come out and where you will drill.

4.) Lay your jar on some old newspapers or in a throwaway tin cake pan. Put on your safety glasses and gloves, and begin to drill. You want to apply a small amount of pressure as you are drilling. Remember, this is not a piece of wood you are drilling through, this is glass. When drilling it is important that no one is around you, unless they, too, have safety goggles on. Also, NEVER drill in the house, always drill outside.

5.) Make sure your drill bit went the whole way through the glass. Put the drill in reverse and slowly pull it back out.

6.) Once you have drilled your hole, keeping gloves and safety goggles on, discard the newspaper or cake tin you drilled on and take off the tape. Wipe the are with a damp paper towel, to pick up any excess glass particles. Fill the jar about half way with water and swish it around to get any glass particles out of the jar, dump the water somewhere safe ( I dump mine in the woods). Take some glass cleaner and paper towels and clean the jar well. ONLY after all the glass is cleaned up and your jar is clean should you take off safety goggles and gloves.

7.) Once everything is cleaned up, it’s time for the fun part; decorating! Take your white lights and carefully feed them through the hole you just drilled in the back of your jar.

8.) Next fill your jar, I used potpourri. I pulled the lights out the top of the jar and put a little potpourri in, then a few lights, and so on. You can also use a something like the handle of a wooden spoon to move them where you want them.