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!

Patriotic Painted Basket

It’s time to show your red, white and blue! When I was looking for some easy crafts for summertime festivities, I came across the idea for this red, white, and blue painted basket at Michael’s. This didn’t take much time to paint or dry. I found the basket, bandannas, and star garland at The Dollar Tree.

This basket is perfect for chips or pretzels, or can be used for displaying napkins and plastic utensils. It’s both decorative and useful!

For my basket, I chose to omit white paint and to use just red and blue, leaving the color of the basket as “white”. You can use any combination of colors you like. I also used the weave of the basket as a guide to measure thickness of each stripe. You can paint several thin stripes, a few thick ones, or any combination. Be creative! The directions below are for the basket as shown. I used the star garland as a personal touch. Try experimenting with ribbon or other materials.

 

Supplies:                                                                                                                               

basket

red and blue acrylic paint

paint brush

red or blue bandannas

star garland

tape (optional)

 

Directions:

Step 1:

I used a piece of aluminum foil and a paper plate for my paint palette. If it’s difficult to keep in the “lines”, use tape as a guide for your stripe. Squeeze paint onto your palette and paint a stripe in your first color.

 

 

 

Step 2:                                                                                                           

For my basket, I removed the tape and left the middle stripe plain for “white”.

Step 3:

Next, paint the third stripe the same width at the bottom of the basket.                        

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4:                                                                                                                                                          

After the paint dries, measure the garland so there’s enough to spiral around the top of the basket. Secure the garland at the top by wrapping one end through the top of the basket several times. It’s easiest to find spots in the basket where the weave is loose.

Step 5:

Spiral the garland around the top of the basket through areas where the weave is loose. Secure the end of the garland the same way and back in the same place where you started.

Step 6:

Place red or blue bandannas in the basket. Use the basket on any table as a decorative bowl for snacks!