DIY Valentine Heart Mason Jar Luminaries
Mood lighting is totally my thing right now. I guess it’s because my Rob is such a big fan. I find that now, one of my favorite things to unwind before going to sleep is to read in bed with the twinkle lights in a cloche on my dresser and my Kindle turned to a black screen.
It’s just so calming.
And I guess I’ve always loved luminaries in one way or another. At Christmas-time when things went on clearance I bought up a TON of battery-operated LED light packs
and I’m already putting them to good use.
Now if you don’t have a stash of these lights, no worries… They are totally still available at stores, just be sure you buy when you have a 40-50% off coupon or they can be kind of pricey. Or sneak a peek at the Target dollar bins at the front of the store. Sometimes I see them in there for $3 – not bad!
For my luminaries, I used larger quilted jelly jars. I love them because when the lights shine they make a little faceted pattern of light on the ground just below. You can kind of see in the pic above but I couldn’t really take photos in light dark enough to really show off how awesome this effect is. Because jelly jars are small, the battery pack for my lights is actually outside of each jar, sitting behind it. Simply put, I couldn’t get them inside of the jar without the battery pack being the only thing you really saw inside. So if you’re not happy with the pack being on the outside, purchase larger jars where it can fit inside and not be visible.
For this project you will need:
- Mason jars
- Battery operated LED lights & batteries
- Vinyl or contact paper
- Spray paint
- White Puffy paint
& 
or 
Cut a heart shape out of vinyl or contact paper. If you have a machine use it but if you don’t you can totally cut these out by hand, no sweat. Apply to a jar that is nice and clean.
Spray paint each jar. I pained mine 2 coats… pink over red and red over pink. Now my jars are too small to really show off the different color inside well but when you look up close you can totally see it. On larger jars, this little extra coat of spray paint would make such an amazing difference!
Now my vinyl was awful. It’s the Hobby Lobby brand and kept peeling off after I started using spray paint. As such, I had to get after the bleeds under the vinyl with a razor blade. Now it’s totally doable if you need to clean up your heart shape but it’s a pain in the neck. I’d suggest using better vinyl or even contact paper that would work better in the end.
Paint dots around each heart to accentuate with Puffy paint and allow to dry, overnight is best.
Fill with LED lights.
Again, my battery packs are on the outside…
I wanted the light to shine up through the top of the jar and through the heart but I wanted the light to be diffused. It’s a simple fix to do this. Just cut out circles of fabric (I used white but a pattern would do well, too).
Secure the fabric with the jar’s ring.
Boom! Isn’t she lovely?
You can kind of see the red inside of the pink jar. Isn’t it lovely?
With dry time this project does take a bit so be sure to allow ample time before you need these guys. It’s a good idea to give them enough time for the fumes to dissipate from the spray paint before bringing them in the house, too, if you have the time.
All in all, this is an inexpensive little mood lighting craft that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day! Be sure to hang onto your LED lights because you can remove them and reuse them in other projects throughout the year!
A crafter since her earliest years, Allison spends a little time every day making something. She crafts, sews, paints, glues things onto other things, and is a firm believer that a life spent creating is a life worth living. Visit Allison’s blog, Dream {a Little} BIGGER.