Lanterns

I decided to recycle some of the glass spaghetti sauce jars that I have collected and have my kids make their own lanterns. It was super easy to do but was a bit messy. Here is the how-to:

1. Wash the jars by hand or in the dishwasher.
2. If the label hasn't come off, leave them soaking in soapy water for an hour or so, then scrub them off and dry the jars.
3. Once dried, I sprayed them with vinegar and wiped off well just to make sure I got all debris and finger prints off.
4. Paint paint paint. We used enamel craft paints instead of glass paint and painted the jars on the outside with foam brushes.
5. Let paint dry for 1 hr.
6. I used a sharpie marker to write names and dates on the bottom of the jar. The sharpie becomes permanent if you choose the baking method.
7. You either have to let the jars cure for 21 days or you have to bake them. I chose baking:

• Put jars in a cool oven and then heat to 350F.
• Once it reaches the correct temperature, bake for 30 min. 
• Let the jars cool in the oven before pulling them out.

Done! It was easy, fun and quite affordable too, especially since Hobby Lobby had their craft paints on sale.

2 things: don't forget to protect the surface the children (or you) work on with news papers and do have them wear aprons!

Idea: Use copper or any other type of wire to wrap around the top of the jar to make them hanging jars.

Happy painting!