How to Make a Mason Jar Chandelier
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One of the things that I like to do is recycle items that otherwise will go in the trash, because not only does it save you money, but sometimes those items become something entirely different that can be beautiful and useful.
A few months ago, I decided to clean up my backyard, which had become a little neglected for lack of time, and when I pulled out some ferns that had taken over a corner, I stumbled upon the rack that was part of my old fire pit.
My first thought was to throw it in the trash, but then I remembered I had a pretty tree next to my corner patio that was the perfect spot for a candle chandelier. That was the beginning of my inspiration, and I wanted to share what I did so you can do it too.
Mason Jars Chandelier
I named this chandelier after the mason jars I used to make it. My idea was to use candles, not just for ambiance but also to use mosquito repellent candles in it, since that is a big problem we have here in Florida, especially in an area like where my house is situated, where water and preservation are behind my backyard, which brings a lot of creatures like mosquitoes.
The materials I used were just a few and were super cheap.
Materials needed:
- An old rack or other base.
- Four mason jars.
- Galvanized wire.
- Thin chain.
- S-shaped hooks.
- Rust-Oleum spray paint.
- Wire cutter.
- Pliers.
- White sand.
- Citronella-scented tea candles.
Instructions
First, take the base you are going to use and clean it well. As you can see in the picture, the rack I found was in pretty good condition, but super dirty. It was really surprising to find out that it was not completely rusted, since it was hidden among the ferns for a good couple of years at least.
Once it was really clean, I decided I didn’t want it black. I have touches of red here and there in my house since it is my favorite color, so I decided to paint it red with Rust-Oleum. I love that paint because it comes in a spray and it is designed for any surface you can imagine. Easy to use and inexpensive.
The mason jars I found were open on top, which made it easier to change the candles, but they had black lids, so I decided to paint the lids red as well.
Since I wanted to hang it from the tree I mentioned, I needed to find a way to connect these mason jars to the rack and hang the chandelier from the tree. To do this, I decided to use the smaller chain I could find.
I tried to find a red one, but my only choices were black, silver, and gold. I used the silver one because the bark on my tree has a silver underlayer, and I thought it was the best choice since I didn’t want the chain to stand out that much.
The S-shaped hooks came in handy for connecting the jars to the rack and the rack to the tree, and they make it easier for me to take the jars down when I need to clean them or change the candles.
To connect the jars to the rack, I measured 4 pieces of chain to the same length to keep the chandelier stable and prevent it from tilting to one side. I thought about how to connect the jars with the chain, and that’s where the wire came in handy. I measured a piece around the jars, cut 4 pieces of the same length with a wire cutter, and used pliers to tie a loop around each jar after passing it through a piece of chain.
Then I used the S-shaped hooks to connect each mason jar’s chain to the rack, and a larger chain to hang the rack from the tree.
Finally, I put Dollar Tree sand in each mason jar and a citronella tea candle I bought on Amazon. That’s it. I look super cool at night and not so bad in the daylight. The jars fill with water when it rains, but because I used the S-shaped hooks, they’re easy to clean and reuse. This is the result.
Conclusion
Since I was very young, I discovered how satisfying it is to make things with my own hands, and either display them in my home or give them away as gifts. This particular craft came unplanned, and it was a nice surprise how useful and interesting it has become.
Somebody’s trash could indeed be someone else’s treasure. I don’t collect old broken stuff. I don’t like to accumulate things I’m not going to use, but once in a while I come up with ideas when I’m about to get rid of something, and I try to put them into practice right away to avoid clutter.
I hope this post inspires you to make something yourself. If you like something (anything) you would like to reuse and don’t know how, please let me know, and together we might come up with an idea that suits you. Remember that my door is always open.
Good luck, and enjoy this new adventure.
Be happy, safe, and creative. I wish you well.
Love,
P.S. If you would like to see an article on how to make something specific, please let me know, and I will do my best to write it for you. My goal is to help you in any way I can, and I don’t like anything better than posting something you might find useful.
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