Red, White and Blue Mason Jars

 

Mason jars aren’t just for canning anymore. In the craft world they can be versatile. For this project I used three mason jars and a little creativity to make them into decorative red, white and blue vases. Like other projects I’ve done, you can change the colors, use different materials, and add your own patterns as you wish. Try mixing it up!

I decided to try a different style for each jar, rather than making matching jars. Start with clean, dry jars and make sure you cover your work surface using old newspaper or plastic.

Supplies:                                                                                                                                        

3 wide-mouth mason jars

paint or foam brushes

acrylic paint in red, white and blue

blue painter’s tape

glitter in red and white                                                                                                                                                                               

red, white, and blue striped streamers

red, white, and blue striped ribbon

Mod Podge matte or clear polyurethane matte varnish

sandpaper

artificial flowers

For the white jar shown above, I painted the entire jar with 2 coats of white acrylic paint, letting each coat dry completely before applying the next coat.  Next, I used sandpaper to lightly sand the jar to make an “antiqued” look. To finish the look, I gave the jar a coat of Mod Podge Matte. I added red, white, and blue ribbon to the top of the jar and tied it in a bow.

I decided to go for some fun and sparkles with the blue jar. First, I painted the jar with one coat blue paint and let it dry completely. To apply the glitter, I painted the second coat about 1/3 way up the jar and sprinkled it with glitter as I went along. I then painted another 1/3 up the jar and did the same with white glitter. Finally, I painted the top 1/3 of the jar. When the jar was completely dry, I shook off the excess glitter and painted the last coat with clear matte varnish.

Instead of painting a stripe on the red jar, I decided to add a red, white and blue streamer. To do this, I used painter’s tape around the middle of the jar as a guide when I painted the jar with 2 coats of red acrylic paint. Then, I removed the tape and let the paint dry completely.

The stripe I made was slightly wider then my streamer, so I added white paint to the edges of the stripe to cover up any clear space. Then, I used Mod Podge to glue the streamer to the jar. Finally, when everything was dry, I added a coat of Mod Podge to finish the look. Arrange the artificial flowers in the jars and you’re finished!