DIY Mason Jar Wall Decor: Add Farmhouse Charm to Any Room

Instructions

STEP 1: GET MY FREE MASON JAR WALL SCONCE DESIGN FILE

First, download my free Mason Jar Wall Sconce file, design #327, from my free resource library.

TIP: If you're not sure how to upload a file to Cricut Design Space, watch this helpful video training series I made. If you're on an iPhone or iPad, here's how to download and upload files to the Cricut Design Space app.

STEP 2: PREPARE YOUR WOOD BOARD

If you are staining your wood board versus purchasing a finished board, continue following these instructions. If you are using a finished board, skip to step 3.

Grab your board and use sandpaper to smooth out corners and any imperfections. Sand your board in the direction of the wood grain. 

Use your tack cloth to remove dust and particles from sanding the wood.

We are now ready to stain the wood. Make sure you are staining in a well-ventilated area, that your work surface is protected (I used brown kraft paper), and you follow the manufacturer's application instructions and safety guidelines. If you are concerned about stain clean up from accident spills, I recommend purchasing mineral spirits listed in my supplies.

Put on a pair of rubber gloves before beginnning. Shake the can of stain (before removing the lid) and/or use a stir stick to mix it up.

To remove the lid from the can of stain, use a paint can opener or a screwdriver.

Take a stain applicator pads and dip one end into the stain. Apply stain liberally to the top and sides of the board in the direction of the wood grain. If necessary, wipe off any excess stain with the other end of the applicator pad that is clean.

Once your stain has dried (approximately one hour), examine the surface and determine if an additional sanding and stain application is needed. After my first coat of stain dried, I sanded some imperfections, used my tack cloth to remove the dust, and applied a second coat of stain.

Optional: Apply one to two coats of DuraClear Gloss Varnish when your wood has completely dried from staining to seal it and give it a nice shine. DuraClear Gloss Varnish takes approximately 1-2 hours to dry.

STEP 3: PAINT & PREP YOUR MASON JARS

There are many different ways to paint and decorate a Mason jar. I am going to show you a couple of my favorite methods. You can also choose to use your Mason jar as it is.

CHALK PAINT

Using a sponge applicator brush, apply chalk paint to the sides and bottom of the Mason jar.

Do not apply the chalk paint too thick or you may see cracks forming in the paint as it dries. I ended up applying two coats of chalk paint to my Mason jars. Allow the chalk paint to dry at least two hours between coats. I applied two coats to my Mason jars. For more information about Folk Art Chalk paint visit their FAQs.

To give your Mason jars a rustic farmhouse look, take a piece of sandpaper and sand the beveled sections of the glass to remove the chalk paint.

You can always paint the inside of the Mason jar as another option.

FROSTED GLASS

I love the look of frosted glass and it is such an easy process. Take your Mason jars to an area that is properly ventilated and follow the product use guidelines. I took mine outside. Begin spraying both jars with the frosted glass spray paint. Begin spraying two-three feet away from the jars. The paint will go on clear and turn frosted as it dries. The paint dries to the touch in about 10 minutes and is completely dry in two to three hours.

ADD FLOWERS & FAIRY LIGHTS

Grab two jar hangers and your Mason jars. One side of the jar hanger easily lifts up to unhook it.

Wrap the hanger around the lowest point of the Mason jar mouth then close.

Optional: If you have made the frosted glass Mason jars, you can add some fairy lights. Grab one strand of fairy lights, straighten out the wire and then begin pushing the wire into the jar until you reach the last light just before the power switch.

Take one bunch of the artificial foliage, bend the stem in half and insert into your chalk or frosted glass painted Mason jar.

If you used fairy lights, you can hide the power switch by sticking it in the flower foliage.

STEP 4: CUT YOUR DESIGN

Select "Upload" to bring my Mason Jar Wall Sconce designs into Design Space.

Click "Upload Image."

Now click "Browse."

Select my Mason Jar Wall Sconces SVG file from the location saved on your device.

On the Prepare to Upload screen, click "Upload."

Select the design under Recent Uploads and then click "Add to Canvas."

I am going to cut all of the designs but you can choose which design(s) you want and hide or delete the rest. Click "Make It."

If you are using a Maker 3 or Explore 3 to cut your vinyl you will see a window appear asking you how you will load your materials for this project. Since I am using Smart Vinyl, I am selecting without mat and then clicking "Done." If you are using a different type of vinyl, select "On Mat." You will only see this screen if you are cutting on a Maker 3 or Explore 3.

Review the artwork and make any adjustments to the design placement. I am spreading my designs out so there is more space between them. This will make it easier for me to cut each design from the vinyl.

Select "Smart Vinyl Permanent" for your base material. If you are using a different type of vinyl, choose "Browse All Materials" to select your base material.

I always select "More" for the pressure for a nice, clean cut. Make sure you have the Fine-Point Blade loaded in your machine.

Insert your vinyl or mat with vinyl and click the load button.

Then press the go button to begin cutting.

When your design has finished cutting, unload the vinyl or mat from the machine. Use scissors or the Cricut Trimmer to cut each design.

Weed the designs you are using for your wall sconces.

Cut transfer tape to a size that will cover each of your weeded designs.

Apply transfer tape to the top of the design(s) using a scraper tool.

To cut all designs it took five minutes on my Explore 3. I spent an additional 30 minutes weeding and applying transfer tape to each design.

STEP 5: ASSEMBLE YOUR WALL SCONCES

First we are going to place the hook, that our mason jars will hang from, on our wood board. Use a ruler to measure 5" down from the beveled edge at the top of the board. Take a pencil and mark a line at 5" on the board.

Grab the hook and place the bottom of the hook on the 5" line. Eyeball or use a ruler to center the hook. I found when I measured the sides at the bottom of the hook there was approximately 2 2/8" on each side of the hook.

When you are satisfied with the placement of the hook, use a pencil to mark the holes where the screws will go incase you accidentally move the hook.

Take one of the screws and begin screwing it into the top hole of the hook.

Take another screw and screw it into the bottom hole. Do not fully tighten the screws.

Look at the alignment of the hook in case it shifted then fully tighted both screws.

STEP 6: ADD YOUR VINYL DESIGN

At the bottom of the board you will have approximately 5" wide x 3 1/2" high to place a vinyl design. Take a ruler or measuring tape and measure 3 1/2" from the first lip at the bottom of the board. Draw a line at 3 1/2" with a pencil. Your design should not exceed this mark.

Take your vinyl design and eyeball placement at the bottom of your board in the area we just identified. Do not press the vinyl down until you are happy with the placement.

Use a scraper tool (or credit card) to burnish the design to the wood surface.

Carefully remove the transfer tape from the design.

The only thing left is to hang your jar from the hook and hang it from the wall. What do you think of my wall sconces?

I made this one with some left over Bombay mahogany stain I had laying around. I finished the wood using two coats of stain and two coats of DuraClear Gloss Varnish. This Mason jar uses chalk paint painted in the inside of the jar.