Grab An Old Glass Jar And Turn It Into A Stunning Lantern With This Clever DIY

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If you're a DIY enthusiast, you've probably felt that familiar pang of guilt every time you empty a glass jar after pasta night. Soon enough, you've got an entire stash collecting dust, but you still can't let go of the potential. Luckily, today's the day you can put at least one of those old jars to use and turn it into a stunning piece of tabletop or shelf decor to uplift the aesthetic in any room. YouTube creator Evrim Taşer Yılmaz shared a unique way of transforming a plain glass jar into an ornate lantern using craft foam, paint, jute, and a few other inexpensive supplies. The finished piece has an almost antique appearance, but the open-ended design leaves plenty of room to swap colors, trims, and embellishments to create something that suits your style.

For this project, you'll need a clean glass jar, cardboard, thin craft foam sheets (such as MEARCOOH Black EVA Foam Roll) or thick cardstock paper, jute, and a string of battery-operated fairy lights. The tools you'll need include a set of scissors or a sharp craft knife, some acrylic paint, and brushes. Since the DIY involves cutting a few perfect circles from your cardboard, grab a round guide as well. The creator uses a plate, but you could use any round object, a compass with pencil attachment, or a string tied to a pencil. Simply hold the end of the string at the center point, and keep the string taut as you move the pencil around it to draw an even circle. To bring everything together, you'll also need hot glue, though you can substitute this for another glue appropriate for the material, such as super glue, contact cement, or a heavy-duty craft adhesive like E6000.

Start by cutting two identical cardboard circles that are wider than the jar and a ring-shaped cutout to snugly fit around the jar's mouth. At this point, you can paint the cardboard pieces and use hot glue to attach them to the jar's mouth and base. Then, measure and cut several narrow strips from the craft foam sheets. Hot glue one end of each strip to the base circle, glue the matching circle over this to conceal the ends, and pull each strip up and glue the other end to the lip of the jar. To tidy the look, cut another strip of foam, ribbon, or beaded trim to cover the lip. As a finishing touch, the creator brushed on darker and metallic paint for a gilded, slightly weathered look and wrapped jute around the lip.

For a DIY lantern handle, the designer wrapped bunched-up jute with more jute to thicken it, but you can braid it, do macrame knots, or wrap thick wire instead. Once the lantern is ready, drop a string of low-heat battery-operated fairy lights, tea lights, or pillar candles in the jar for the perfect ambient glow. Do not use traditional flames, as craft foam (commonly made from EVA foam) could combust or release harmful fumes, and the rope handle is flammable as well.

There are plenty of ways to alter the basic design too. Try black craft foam with metallic gold accents for a more dramatic look, or pair cream-colored foam with farmhouse paint colors and natural jute to lean into a softer rustic style. You could even coordinate the paint, trim, and lights with seasons or holidays, such as warm metallics and amber lights for fall or silver accents and cool white lights for winter.