The Mason jar is enjoying a true revival since the days of holding Grandma’s sweet tea and preserving stewed tomatoes, watermelon pickles, and strawberry jam. Nowadays, Mason jars are being used everywhere — even in some cool (and upcycled) decor! We just love the idea of reusing Mason jars as drinking glasses — and now, for lighting up the night in an outdoor chandelier.
With just a few materials (that we’re willing to bet you can scrounge up around your house), you can have an outdoor Mason jar chandelier. We got inspired by DIYInspired‘s tutorial and added a few ideas of our own!
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Materials for Your Mason Jar Chandelier
Before getting started, gather your materials.
- Sturdy stick(s): DIYInspired’s tutorial calls for a stick that’s about two and a half feet in length, but you can probably couple a few shorter ones together for a trio of chandeliers, using smaller Mason jars to lighten the load of smaller sticks.
- Twine: You’ll need some sturdy twine. While we like the natural look of plain twine, you might want to get creative with colored twine; match it with your outdoor furnishings for a polished end result. You could also try some sturdy grosgrain ribbon, so long as it’s sturdy enough to handle the weighted jars.
- Mason jars: If you don’t already have some Mason jars, you might find some in a local second-hand store or garage sale. DIYInspired’s tutorial uses like-sized jars, but we think varying the size and shape of the jars would look nice also. Don’t be afraid to get creative and add your own design style to this project.
- Candles: You’ll need some pebbles, marbles, or even dried beans to keep your candle stable, and some tea candles for illumination. You might also want to try battery-powered LED tea lights that will last for hours and hours.
- Scissors
Now, let’s get this project started!
DIY Mason Jar Chandelier Instructions
- Fill each jar about one-quarter full with the pebbles, marbles, or beans and place the candle on top.
- Next, double- or even triple-wind some twine or ribbon around each end of the stick, or sticks, measured to whatever length you want your chandelier to hang down. Don’t hang it yet, however.
- Next, tie some twine tightly around the mouth of the jar. Then, for each jar, cut two equal lengths of twine or ribbon, loop it through the piece tied around the jars, and then tie them to the stick. The jars should hang down several inches from the stick.
- Once you’ve finished tying all the jars to the stick, you’re ready to hang your outdoor Mason jar chandelier!
For complete step-by-step instructions with photographs, visit DIY Inspired.
We don’t see the Mason jar’s popularity waning anytime soon, so go ahead and use all those old jelly jars for even more decorating! They can be used for planting herbs, as organizers for pencils and pens on your desk or cotton balls and swabs in the bathroom, or as a simple centerpiece on the kitchen table filled with some fresh-picked daisies.
Editor’s note: Originally published on August 18, 2015, this article was updated in July 2019.