Quick & Easy 4th Mason Jar Silver Ware - Candle Holders

I just realized today that I hadn't made anything for the picnic table for the 4th yet so I figured I'd make them and post at the same time!

Since I made fire crackers last year I thought it would be nice to make something a little different AND have it do double duty on the 4th.

Mason Jar Silver Ware - Candle Holders

Yep, you read that right...during the day they are going to hold forks, knives and spoons but when the sun goes down I'm going to dump out the silver ware and insert a few of those nifty little battery operated candles!  You could of course use real candles but dh doesn't like having open flames so I don't burn many candles anymore unless we have a power outage.

I started off with 3 different sized jars, washed & dried completely.

I decided to make the tallest my red jar and work my way down.

I squirted in 3 different colors of red Alcohol Inks - Cranberry, Red Pepper and Watermelon.

I let the inks run down and coat the jar ~ I also rolled the jar to make sure everything was coated.  The inks blend and streak making for some cool designs.

To ink the rim of the jar I just dabbed a bit on my finger but you could always use a piece of felt too.

For the white jar I am using the Snow Cap Mixative which is a bit thicker than regular alcohol inks so to help coat the jar I added a couple squirts of Alcohol Blending Solution.

This doesn't change the color of the Snow Cap Mixative, it simply allows the inks to move more freely in the jar.

Again, I rolled the jar around so the inks covered the entire interior surface of the jar.

I finally coated the smallest jar with Stonewash and Denim Blue.

Now you could finish these babies off any way you would like...

add a bit of ribbon, fiber, raffia, twine, etc.

You could stamp the outsides, tie on star or heart die-cuts, add a sentiment to each, cut out vintage 4th of July postcard images or well, you get the idea...

there are just hundreds of ways to embellish these jars to match your celebration.

NOTE - Lots of folks ask about using a candle in these jars and how safe it is...open flame and all.  Once the Alcohol Inks evaporate you're only left with the colored ink...no alcohol remains behind so there are no worries about these jars exploding, catching fire or anything else. 

Here's to a fun, safe and enjoyable 4th!!