Baby Jar Tealight Holders

Thanks to my sister and my three beautiful nephews I've had an endless supply of baby jars for the past 4 years or so. Now that her youngest is almost off of baby food I had a moment of panic that this supply would end! However, my brother and his girlfriend are now having a baby, so it won't be too long until I'll have theirs instead! Yay for nephews! (And an unknown niece or nephew).

I've done loads of things with jars over the years. They're a great DIY start as you can do so much with them! Baby jars are definitely my favourite because of how cute and small they are & this is one of my favourite DIYs! I first come up with the idea as I needed a gift for Alex's Mum. She also makes lots of handmade items, so hopefully likes (most) of the presents I make for her! She did really love these ones and even asked me to make a set for one of her friends.

See, I said they were cute! I just used lined paper for these ones, but I tried them out using dictionary paper for fun. I think I actually prefer the lined ones, but that's personal preference! Either way, the directions are the same.

These are pretty simple to make and you don't need much to start. Each jar should take between 10 - 20 minutes, depending on how difficult the shape you're cutting out is and how much of a perfectionist you are!

For the condensed directions without pictures, scroll to the bottom. For a step-by-step picture guide, look no further!

You'll need to start with all these things:

• Paper to cover the jar (I chose an old dictionary)
• Scissors
• Scalpel
• Jar of your choice
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Paintbrush
• PVA glue mixed with a little water (about 2 parts glue 1 water)
• Paper trimmer (Or a really steady hand!!)
• Cutting mat
• String/decorations (optional)

First, you need to measure the jar you're working with so you know how big to cut the paper. This can take a few attempts to get right as the curved edges on the jar make it really difficult to measure accurately. The first time I did this I kept a piece of paper back once I'd got the measurements right, now I just use that as a template.

Cut your piece of paper to size. I used a paper trimmer for this, you can find cheap ones if you won't use it much, but the blades will go blunt quickly. If you cut paper a lot these are really good! I have a Fiskars one which I love :) I'm at the point now where I need to buy new blades, but I never had before. If you don't have one, just take your time when cutting and make sure you have a steady hand! Follow a ruler line too because it will be very obvious if it isn't straight. The lined paper was longer whereas the dictionary was quite short, but this just means that the paper won't meet at the back, which I don't think looks worse/better, just different! It does however make a difference to the light that will show when you put a tealight candle in it. Be sure to also choose the right page if you're using dictionary paper! I was doing an 'A' so chose the first page of the A's. Give a quick check over the words on there too to make sure there are no unwanted words in case someone looks closely!

Cut your shape out of the paper. Do this by finding the shape/word you want on a computer, I use 'Superclarendon Black' size 160 on a word document. Put the paper on the screen and trace around the shape with pencil and then cut it out with the scalpel, using a ruler for the straight lines. I found that the lined paper was easy enough to do this but the dictionary paper wasn't see through enough, so it's a longer process as you have to cut it out of see through paper first and then trace round the shape on the dictionary paper. Very annoying! If you do a shape that has a middle not attached to the letter (like an A does) be sure to keep it and not accidentally cut into it!

Then you just need to paste the paper onto the jar using the glue mixture and the paintbrush. Brush the back of the paper with glue mixture first (be sure to get the edges and corners) and fix it to the jar, making sure it's straight. Then brush a layer of glue mixture over the top to seal it. The dictionary paper went a little see through at this point so I could see the words on the other side, but it went back to normal after drying. You can brush over where the glass shows through the A, but depending on how thick your mixture is it may become slightly foggy. Personally I brush over it all (not the back, the straight edges are easier to stick to) and then once the mixture has dried a little (it will look and feel tacky) hold it up to the light. If it looks foggy use a cotton bud to rub away at the glue. You'll find it sticks to the cotton bud and allows the glass to become clean. I did that to this one, but the JULES ones above had glue over them, so it just depends how thick the mixture is. PVA does dry clear, but on glass there's a chance you can still see it.

You can then decorate your jar however you please! I like to wrap string around the top to cover the top edge. I put coloured string around the other ones too and tied a bow at the back to make them a little more pretty, but you can do whatever you like really! You could line the edges with glitter (wait for the whole thing to be completely dry if you're going to do that!) or with diamantes if you want to add a bit of bling. You can also experiment with different papers and find your style. I liked these because they're so simple, but they can be changed to go with your own decor and tastes.

And then you're done! You'll get faster as you go along so don't worry if your first took you a while. I think I prefer the lined paper ones, but maybe that's because they're all nice in a set and this one was on it's own? What do you think?

These make great gifts on a budget, just pop a few tealights in* and they're ready to be used! Hope you enjoy these! I still need to make some for myself..

Condensed Instructions

Equipment:

• Paper to cover the jar (I chose an old dictionary)
• Scissors
• Scalpel
• Jar of your choice
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Paintbrush
• PVA glue mixed with a little water (about 2 parts glue 1 water)
• Paper trimmer (Or a really steady hand!!)
• Cutting mat
• String/decorations (optional)

Instructions:

1. Measure your jar from top to bottom.
2. Cut your piece of paper to size using a paper trimmer or a steady hand.
3. Cut your shape out of the paper using a scalpel and a ruler for the straight edges. Be sure to get it in the middle.
4. Paste the paper on to the jar by brushing the glue mixture on the back of the paper, positioning it on your jar and then finishing with a layer of glue mixture. Clean up any unwanted glue on the glass using a cotton bud when the glue has dried until tacky.
5. Decorate as you like, such as putting string around the top.

*Baby jars are not specifically made to be used as candles holders, so please be careful when actually burning a tealight inside and be sure they are attended at all times. I would recommend placing them on coasters so you don't burn the surface as they can get very hot on the bottom. Always blow candles out before leaving the house or going to sleep.

Please let me know if you like them and if you have success making your own! :)