Vintage Canning Jars Repurposed into Candle Lanterns

Vintage canning jars are just too gorgeous to cover with paint! These repurposed candle lanterns are a perfect way to enjoy them without ruining their beauty.

It’s been a while now since a friend shared these vintage canning jars with me. They sat on the table in my studio for months, waiting for the perfect project.

Paint is usually my default action when I have something to makeover, but I just couldn’t bear the thought of painting these jars. With such a beautiful and rich history, it just didn’t seem right.

I knew they were great for some type of repurpose project, but I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around what that might be – until I remembered a little beaded votive candle holder from a yard sale years ago.

It was perfect. I could repurpose the jars as candle lanterns, bedazzled with white and silver beads, which would nicely accent their heritage.

And the jars could be useful again – all while keeping their gorgeous faces.

The Jars

Even though I’m using vintage canning jars, this project will work just as well with any jars you have. If you don’t have a ready supply, here’s a few suggestions:

Shop yard sales and thrift stores.
check your local Craigslist or other community buy and sell organizations (our area even has a very active Facebook buy and sell group).
Recycle empty food jars – some pasta sauce jars are very ornate and pretty.

Supplies

Here’s what you’ll need to repurpose your own jars into candle lanterns:

16 gauge wire
26 gauge jewelry wire
beads of your choice
a pencil (or something similar to shape the base wire)
wire cutters
needle-nosed pliers (jewelry pliers work well)
sand
candle

How To

Start by cutting a length of 16 gauge wire and wrap it around the neck of the jar. 15″ works well for a standard-mouth quart canning jar.
Note where the wire touches the jar on one side, then wrap that section around a pencil to form a small loop, making sure the loop faces away from the curve.
Lay the base wire on the side of the jar again to determine placement of the second loop, then repeat step 2.
Wrap the base wire under the rim of the jar, and cross ends on back of jar.
Turn jar around to work on the back.
Pulling the two ends as tight as you can, wrap them across each other to secure.
Continue wrapping 3 or 4 times.
Clip the leftover ends of the wire.
Using the needle-nosed pliers, press the crimp down along the edge of the base wire.

Now you have a strong base to attach your hanger!

Making the Hanger

Cut another length of 16 gauge wire. A good rule of thumb is about 7 times the height of your jar. I used a 40″ length for a quart jar. You can make it shorter or longer, depending on how tall you want the hanger to be.
Loosely find the center of your wire, and fold it, creating a small loop.
Fold one of the ends over and around, creating a second loop.
Fold the remaining end over and around on the opposite side, creating a third loop.
Twist the wire 4-5 times below the loops to secure.

Attach the Hanger

Slide the ends of the hanger through the loops on each side of the wire base, until they touch the table. (This is a good length if you’re using about 7 times the length of wire as the height of your jar.)
Using needle-nosed pliers, bend the hangers, creating a U-shape. The ends are now facing upward too.
Starting at the top of one end, carefully twist the wire away from the jar, creating a spiral shape. Continue until the spiral is as large as you like and as close to the bottom of the hanger as you like.
Repeat with the second side. You can give the wire an extra crimp here to keep it from sliding up and down in the base loop if you prefer.

Adding the Beads and Candle

Pour your beads into a shallow bowl and string them along a length of 26 gauge jewelry wire. You can string them randomly, or follow a pattern.
Start by adding a large bead at the beginning, and wrapping the end of the wire around it a few times to keep the beads from sliding off as you work.
When you have as many beads as you want, crimp the end of the wire. It’s easier to have too many beads than not enough. You’ll probably remove some from the end as you work, but it’s faster and easier than having to add more while you’re wrapping. On the other hand, if you do run out of wire or beads before you reach the end of your hanger, simply twist the end around the hanger wire and start a new strand. It works just as well, only takes a little longer.
Starting at the base of the hanger, begin wrapping the beads around the hanger wire. After every third or fourth bead, wrap the jewelry wire around the hanger wire 2 or three rounds. This will secure the strand to the hanger wire and keep the beads from sliding down. As you do this, you’ll need extra slack in your wire. Simply loosen the crimp and move the beads toward the end (removing any beads you need to) then re-crimp so they don’t fall off while you’re working.

The Final Steps

When you reach the top of the hanger, twist the beads down the second side, following the same technique as on the first side. Finally, secure at the bottom by wrapping the jewelry wire around the hanger wire several times. Clip any excess.

Fill your jar with as much sand as you like and push a candle into the center.

You’re all done!

If you have a particularly large or heavy jar, you may want to skip the hanger and just wrap a strand around the neck. These make lovely lanterns to adorn tables.

And 16 gauge wire is rated for 50 pounds, so you can safely hang those from porch hangers or garden hooks.

Enjoy your beaded candle lanterns!

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like: DIY Beaded Hanging Basket

Live Creatively,

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Comments

Paula says
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Super cute, but how did you get the jars so clean?
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- Karen says
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  Thank you, Paula! There’s no secret to it. I soaked them in warm, soapy water then hand washed them. That was all it took.
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Priyam says
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This is such a neat project!
Glad, I stumbled upon your page. I am also your newest follower..:)
[email protected] https://priyam-simplejoys.blogspot.com
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- Karen says
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  Thanks so much! I’m so glad to have you here. 🙂
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judyyy says
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Love what you have done with the jars and would love to win!
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- Karen says
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  Thank you! Jar projects are some of my favorites.
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Linda J. Hardin Delaney says
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I love this idea! My daughter just got married a couple of weeks ago and we have quite a few Mason jars from her rustic theme reception. I’m going to make several of these, a few for her and a few for me👍😊thanks!
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- Karen says
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  Hi Linda,
  That sounds like a great idea to get a little more mileage from your jars. I’d love for you to share your finished project with us and have it published on the blog! Here’s the details: https://www.toworkwithmyhands.com/your-gallery
  Reply
Pam B. says
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Love the rustic outdoor ambiance lighting idea! Hubby & I just bought our retirement -Lasata- a year ago and now can put to use my antique Ball canning jars in the early morning coffee area of our screened in back porch while waiting for dawn to break and watch our woodsy creature friends.come out to play!
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- Karen says
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  That sounds so relaxing and wonderful, Pam. I may be a touch envious… 🙂
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Mindy Drummond says
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You could not have posted this at a better time for me 🙂 I have been going through all my crafting supplies to (finally) get everything organized. I found several colors of sand that I had forgotten about and SO many beads/beading supplies LOL along with many sizes, shapes, and colors of candles. I needed some ideas for all of those supplies, of course who doesn’t have more jars than we know what to do with (hehe) so now I know exactly what I will be working on this week….. Thanks Karen!!
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- Karen says
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  Mindy,
  When you (finally) get organized, please share your secret! 🙂 I think those supplies just repopulate when you aren’t looking, and at my house they have a tendency to “reorganize” when I’m not looking (which may have something to do with a couple of pair of smaller hands than mine…)
  I’m thrilled that you found this helpful and inspiring. I’d love for you to share a pic of your finished project. Here’s the details: https://www.toworkwithmyhands.com/your-gallery
  Reply
Sherri says
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I love These! Thanks for sharing the tutorial with us!
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- Karen says
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  So glad you liked them, Sherri. 🙂
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Jeanne says
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I love your idea. Planning on using my pasta sauce jars and maybe one of my vintage colored one! Thank you!
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- Karen says
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  There’s some great pasta jars out there, aren’t there? I’d love to see yours when you’re finished and include it in Your Gallery!
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Valerie says
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Love using canning jars for decorating. I also love to can fruits and vegetables for winter use.
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- Karen says
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  They’re great for so many things – even canning! 🙂 It’s been a long while since I’ve actually canned foods – kind of miss it…
  Thanks for sharing, Valerie!
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Charmaine says
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Lovely! Your mason jar upcycle got my own idea mill started. Thank you!
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- Karen says
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  That’s exactly what I hope to do, Charmaine! 🙂 I’d love to see what you come up with. Don’t forget you can share it in Your Gallery.
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Jhc says
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Love those lanterns!
They’re perfect for an outdoor wedding reception…sparkly and delicate.
For years I have saved glass jars of all kind because I’m afraid they will be replaced eventually by PLASTIC😱, and of course I have beads and prisms etc on hand.
Would love to win the tool set or the gift card. Thank you!
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- Karen says
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  I think they would be nice for wedding receptions too. I’m afraid I have a large collection of glass containers myself. Every time I empty a jar I find it hard to throw away. I much prefer it to plastic and use it for storing leftovers a lot. The cabinet can only hold so much though… 🙂
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Nancy says
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I must say jars, beads and candles are some of my favorite things, so I have everything needed for several of these. I think I will add some beads and shells in with sand for a beachy look. Thanks so much, Karen.
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- Karen says
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  Hi Nancy,
  Your ideas sounds wonderful! Don’t forget that you can share it in Your Gallery! I’d love to include it. 🙂
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Pat says
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This project brings back so many memories of canning those fruits & veggies with my mom so many years ago.
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- Karen says
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  With so many jar projects these days, I think we sometimes forget the most practical and basic use for them, don’t we? It’s comforting to have these timeless things around us that stir up sweet memories…
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Vickie says
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Love this and the beading on the wire really adds to it!
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- Karen says
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  Thanks, Vickie! I love working with beads – they’re so versatile and will dress up most anything.
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Karen says
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Karen these seem easy enough to complete and yet they are so special looking. I love the romance of them! Thanks for posting them, they are beautiful!
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- Karen says
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  Hi Karen – They really are very easy and can wear most any personality with just a change in bead color and style. I like the idea of these looking “romantic”. 🙂 I wanted to capture the charm of their history, so stuck with neutral colors, and I guess that lent a certain romantic feel. I’m so glad you like them! Hope you have fun with some of your own.
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- Sharon says
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  I love repurpose and redo projects – it give something old new life My husband took down our old fence I painted the slats with lighthouses and put them in my garden
  Thanks for sharing
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  - Karen says
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    Hi Sharon,
    Thanks for sharing – that sounds fun! We’ll be focusing on repurposed projects all next month. Your repurposed fence slats will fit right in the Repurposed section of Your Gallery. I’d love to include your project!
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Sandra says
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Ok. I just love the upcycled jars! Anything with that history and pretty is just amazing to me. I especially like the very top of the hanger. You are very creative. Thanks so much for your inspiration ! Sandi
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- Karen says
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  The history of these jars captivated me. Of course, I don’t personally know it, but it’s certain they’ve been around for a while – you just don’t see jars like this now. They were a lot of fun to work with.
  Thanks for taking a moment to comment, Sandi. Have a lovely weekend!
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Pam C. says
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This looks like a fun and simple project. Now, if I could just figure out where my old canning jars are.
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- Karen says
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  It is, Pam. And there’s lots of ways to make them uniquely yours by simply changing the hanger style or beads. Hope you find those jars! 🙂
  Have a great weekend.
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carole says
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Karen – these are so neat!!
I would love to make some for my new garden area after we get out there. I could see them sitting in three’s on an outdoor or picnic table. Great way to add some light with creativity. Another great project!!
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- Karen says
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  That sounds gorgeous! You could use most any color or type of beads you like to match your garden areas. Lots of possibilities.
  Thanks for coming by! 🙂
  Reply

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