Cover Old Glass Jars With Leaves To Craft A Stylish Centerpiece For Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving always seems to get passed over. Halloween decorations are out by the 4th of July, and Christmas is on deck before the trick-or-treaters even pick out their costumes. Take a stand this year and give Thanksgiving it's time in the spotlight with these adorable leaf-covered jars, which are as simple as gluing fall leaves onto Mason jars. They're perfect for decorating tables all fall long, but they're particularly well-suited for Turkey Day. Decoupaging leaves onto jars is a common autumn craft, but Youngwildmefamily takes it a step further by creating a trio of the jars and nestling them among more faux leaves on a tray as a cozy holiday centerpiece.

Costs are already high around the holidays, especially with grocery bills these days — this leaf jar centerpiece means you can decorate your table beautifully and still afford the turkey. Look around your house for jars before you buy anything new. If you've already used your Mason jars for other home treasures, you can upcycle old glass food jars. For the leaves, you can collect real fall leaves and dry them out, or grab inexpensive artificial leaves, like this Floral Garden Five-Stem Maple Leaf Spray from Dollar Tree.

In the inspiration project, the DIYer adds votive candles inside the jars. This adds a cozy glow that's perfect for fall — it's a unique way to display candles if you traditionally have them on your Thanksgiving table. Adding the leaves yourself gives you full creative control over the placement and how much space you leave between them for the candle light to shine through. And it's a simple enough project for the whole family to participate in making.

Start with clean jars, especially if you're upcycling used food jars. Use warm, soapy water for normal cleaning, or step up to a baking soda paste or a soak in a one-to-one mix of white vinegar and water if you need extra cleaning power. Decide how you want to arrange the leaves on the jar. You can use a single leaf or arrange multiple leaves on the outside of the glass container.

Brush a thin, even layer of decoupage glue on the outside of the jar. Position the leaf on top of the glue, and smooth the bubbles out. Brush more decoupage glue over the top of the leaf, especially on the edges, to keep it from popping off the glass. Repeat with multiple jars. Tie a piece of twine or a fall ribbon around the neck of each jar. Slip a votive candle inside each jar (or opt for a battery-powered version for a safer centerpiece). The DIYer keeps the rings on the jars, but you can save the tops for other ways to reuse old Mason jar lids.

To complete the centerpiece, arrange a fall leaf garland or wreath around the edge of a round decorative tray. Adding fairy lights among the leaves gives the piece more of a glow. The jars go in the center of the tray to complete the look.

One small decoration swap that changes the look of the jar is to cut leaf shapes out of patterned paper — fall scrapbook paper is a good option. Or, find fall napkins with leaf designs and cut them out as your decoupage materials. You can also give the glass jars a vintage makeover by brushing on a mix of decoupage glue and food coloring before applying the leaves. It creates a tinted glass look — yellow or orange fits the design scheme well. Painting the ring on the top of the jar (or the neck if you skip the ring) brings in more color. To add dimension to the jar design, glue a few of these Songjum Mini Acrylic Leaves between the decoupaged leaves or along the edges of the jars.

Another possible modification is to switch up the base for the centerpiece. A flat-bottomed basket with short sides is a good substitute. Or, incorporate the jars as part of a tiered tray display. If you want a low-cost alternative to the leaf garland around the edge, gather more fall leaves or pine cones and use them as fillers around the jars. 

Candles aren't a must for every centerpiece, so consider swapping them out for something else. A simple strand of fairy lights in each jar offers a flame-free way to light up the display. If you're looking for Thanksgiving flower centerpieces to complete your table, fill each jar with faux or fresh flowers instead of a candle. Fairy lights in the bottom of a faux flower arrangement gives it a warm glow.