Fairy Lantern PB Jar

I've done this fairy lantern craft before with glass jars and people loved it! They couldn't wait to take it home, show it off, and replicate it with kids/grandkids/friends. I left that night feeling really great about the program and that I helped people create something they fell in love with.

Time for some self-shaming. David, my boyfriend, and I eat a tonnnnn of peanut butter. Like, a tonnnnn, probably way more than we should to be honest. We've actually recently cut down on it but, boy oh boy, do we love us some PB.

On that note, I was getting anxiety over using up so many plastic containers. There had to be something I could use them for! With no plan in mind, I started soaking them, washing them, and de-labeling them meticulously one at a time with no purpose at the end of the tunnel.

Then, the fairy lanterns came into mind. I had done it before with glass and thought, well, why not give it a try... I have plenty more to use if it doesn't work! I gotta say it turned out pretty darn cute. I think it's decently disguised but if I were doing it for myself, or for a gift, I think I would choose to add a lot more moss and other items to disguise it even more. Anywho, the instructions are as follows, happy crafting! 

Supplies:

• Peanut Butter Jar washed and de-labeled 
• Tissue paper (I used white but I want to try pastels next)
• Cut out fairy or other silhouette on thick paper
• Mod Podge
• Foam Brush
• Glitter
• Hot Glue Gun
• Moss
• Flowers
• Paint - green, brown, black
• Tape
• Battery operated tealight

1. I used a half sheet of tissue paper to cover up the PB jar. Tear your piece off and crinkle it up into a ball. Coat a large area of your PB jar with Mod Podge using the foam brush. Carefully, unravel your tissue paper and lightly lay it into the glue. You don't want to flatten it out completely because you want the crinkle to stay in the paper. Continue to do this so the entire jar is covered in tissue paper. 

2. Cut or tear the rest of the tissue paper to get rid of any overlap. Keep in mind, to have this area at the back of your lantern so that you cannot see the "seam line".  

3. The bottom of your jar will become the top. Mod Podge the bottom and fold over the tissue paper at the end to cover this entire area. 

Note: I did not cover the entire lip of the jar so that it can still be twisted shut if desired.

4. Next, I did the same thing with the lid of the jar. I knew I wanted to paint it and glue items to it so I thought covering it with tissue paper would create a nice textured layer for this purpose. 

Note: I did not cover the inside of the lid and afterwards, I wish I had. I can, of course, do this at any time but I wanted to point this out. I feel if you do not cover the inside, you can see the red of the lid on the outside. It isn't super noticeable, but I notice it. 

5. While the lid is drying, I added my fairy on the inside of the jar. I adhered her with two pieces of rolled tape, one on her legs, and one on her wings. This is better than gluing her completely down. It creates a more natural shadow effect when the lantern is lit up at night!

6. Now that I know where my fairy is sitting, I added glitter to the outside of the jar. I didn't cover the entire thing, just enough to form a frame around where the fairy rests. I used a translucent glitter for this, brushing on Modpodge, then lightly adding the glitter. As the glitter dries, I tap it so that it sets into the glue more. 

7. Here is where I painted my lid to camouflage it. I knew I would be adding moss later, but I didn't want any of the white tissue paper coming through! I sponged on a layer of green, then brown, then black with the foam brush, just enough to cover most of the white. 

8. For the fun part! I used moss for a more stereotypical fairy lantern look and I am very glad I chose to do so. First, I added moss to the top of the jar. To do this, add a bit of hot glue, and tap in some moss. Careful with your fingers! This is high-finger-burning-time! Keep adding the glue and moss until you feel satisfied with the amount. I wanted to add enough to disguise the shape of the PB jar. 

9. Next, add some flowers, leaves, whatever you'd like to dress up the top! 

10. I did the same exact thing with the lid and even added a leaf here as well.  

Note: I wanted to point out that I noticed the expiration date and other numbers was printed on the plastic and was totally showing through the tissue paper! Eww! I covered this up with yet another leaf and some more moss. 

11. The last step is to add your battery operated candle! I purchased mine on Amazon. I chose a tea light that was a little taller than the typical light to accommodate the height on the lip of the jar.

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​Turn that beauty on and look at her glow!

Were using the PB Jar method at work for a mother-daughter craft program. This makes it even better that we are using plastic jars instead of glass in case we have any little ones attend! We are also including in the description that these are actually Peanut Butter jars and that if you have a peanut allergy we do not recommend attending just in case any residue is leftover. 

​Let me know if you have any questions!