Christmas Tree Mason Jar Votive – Christmas Tree Cut Out Mason Jar.
There are days I wish I owned a vinyl cutting machine …
and one such day was when I made these Christmas tree cut out mason jars.
But vinyl cutting machines are pricey. And I can’t imagine that I would use them that often.
Although …
these new smooth sided mason jars from Ball Canning certainly do open up a lot of vinyl cutter options and ideas. 🙂
I also imagine the vinyl cutting machines might take up a lot of space. And, honestly, I barely have space for a printer here in my space-challenged home.
So, what’s a vinyl-cutting-machine-less person to do when they want to create a Christmas tree mason jar votive with a Christmas tree cut out?
She gets creative with what she has on hand …
How To Make A Christmas Tree Mason Jar Votive
(without a vinyl cutting machine)
Materials*
Quarts(Pints & Quarts)
Red Chalky Paint & Green Chalky Paint
Christmas Tree Stencil (you can download here)
Scissors
Paint Brush
White Jingle Bells
*some affiliate links included.
I overlapped three pieces of painter’s tape on the bottom side of the mason jar box. Make sure edges are sealed tight. This will be the base to make your faux vinyl Christmas tree sticker.
Then I printed out my Christmas Tree and cut it out. I traced the shape onto the painter’s tape. You can download and print your own Christmas Tree cutout by clicking here …
Then I cut out the Christmas tree shape.
And applied to the Smooth Sided mason jars. Use a credit card to seal edges tightly before painting. This will help reduce any paint bleeding through the sticker.
I gave the jars two coats of chalky finish paint (found mine at the craft store). The great thing about this paint is it dries quickly. You can also use acrylic craft paint but the finish will be streakier – especially once you add the candle.
Once dry, I removed the tape. Now, I realize it’s not perfectly perfect. And I had touch up a bit on the red jar (which is much more visible once you add the tea light, as you can see in the photo below):
Add Epsom salt and tea lights. And enjoy!
Oh, and Ball canning is offering a $3 off holiday coupon on the purchase of mason jars. Just click here to print out your coupon.
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Today’s post is a sponsored post brought to you by Ball Canning. However, any and all opinions about Ball Canning and smooth sided mason jars are 100% my own.
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Why didn’t I think of how to do that to get by without a vinyl cutting machine!!?? The biggest lesson I’ve learned all year! Some days you just have to shake your head, LOL
That’s why you get paid the big bucks, right?! LOL
Happy Holidays!
*hugs*deb
It took this little thing to finally get me to comment all these years! HA! Keep it up 😉
So happy that you finally did comment! And thanks for hanging around here! 🙂
I agree. Greatest tip ever! I’ve never had success with stencils. The paint bleeds so easily. Thanks.
If you decide to you a Cricut or Silhouette machine for this project, I suggest you use MacTac (you know that vinyl you can put on your shelves or in your drawers). It works like a charm and it’s easy to take off.
All your craft ideas are just amazing. Economical, practical, so creative and pretty! The best part to make the jars or any craft is bringing a group of kids, friends or family together. We will exchange jars and all leave with a keepsake of a special time. This will be a tradition without battery operated, electrified requirements just greetings, hugs and love, thank you.
That sounds like such a lovely tradition! Happy holidays to you and your family! 🙂
How long does it take for the paint to dry?
It can dry in a few hours.
Cant wait to try this
Cant wait to try this
Can u please tell me how u did the peeps jars?? (Easter)
Here’s the link: http://masonjarcraftslove.com/peeps-mason-jars-for-easter/
I liked the look of the painters tape trees on the jars! I might do that! 😃
What did you put inside the jars? What is the candle sitting in?
You can also buy vinyl in a role and use a punch (for card/scrapbook making) to cut out the tree or whatever shape you want. The vinyl sticks well to the jar and is easy to remove
I used Epsom salt inside the jars. And I love the idea of buying vinyl in a role. I was just trying to do a “use what you have” approach!
Thanks! That is a great idea!
thank you so much for the epsom salts idea!! I usually use coffee beans but that can get a bit pricey LOL. Also if you are a paper crafter and have any dies and a Big Shot machine(or any cutting machine) you can purchase the sticky paper to use to cut out your dies and use those for the window! that is what I do
Hi, I’m a public librarian in Indiana and would love to do this craft in December. Would it be okay for me to use your image to promote the program? I would leave your blog info on the image and cite your blog in the directions.
Thanks!
Sure! That would be wonderful! 🙂
So you just use new epsom salt each year? ( wondering for storage purposes)
It think if you add the lid to the jar it could last for another year. It may get clumpy but it can break apart. However, you can also just add new Epsom each year as it’s not too expensive and readily available at the drug and grocery stores! 🙂
Can i use acrylic paint as well?
Absolutely! I frequently use acrylic paint on my mason jars. Just don’t use enamel or multi-surface (which are shiny and/or too transparent). The acrylic paint is a matte finish which is perfect for this project! 🙂
Can you use holiday vinyl window stickers on the jars? They come in different shapes such as snowflakes.stars, belles etc.
Sure! In fact, if I had a vinyl cutting machine that’s exactly what I would have used. But I don’t so I use painter’s tape instead to make my own sticker.
I needed a Christmas craft my 4 year old granddaughter could make for various people in her life for Christmas presents. A yearly ritual. I think this is something inexpensive and easy enough for her to handle. This year we are up to 15 people on her list.
Wow! 15 people and she’s only 4! 🙂 Good luck with this project. Sounds like some fun grandma/granddaughter time!
White rice also works well. For my fall jars, I use yellow popcorn.
Love this! Going to try making some with my daughter this week.
Did you apply a sealer to the painted jar. I was thinking glitter blast sealer ?
Glitter would be fun! The one thing about the sealer is that it will give the clear glass a “frosted” look.
i was wondering how the candle interacts with the epsom salt, or anything else that people have been putting in the jars such as coffee beans, white rice etc.. also is it easy to change out the candle
The candle I used was in a little metal tin. I would keep an eye on the candle to make sure it’s okay. And if you don’t want to use a real candle there are flameless versions. To change out the candle you can just dump it all and add new Epsom and a new candle.
How do you Paint the Christmas tree then
You don’t paint the Christmas tree. It stays glass as a cut out so you can see the candle shine through.
How do you feel the paint off without making it chip or crack? Chalk paint is very easy to mess up..
As soon as the paint seemed to dry, I peeled off the tape. Don’t let it dry and stay overnight. You are right that chalk paint is tricky!
What were the colors of Americana Decor named that you used? When shoppoing for the paint, I find multiple shades of each color and am just curious as to which you used here. Thank you!
The red is called “Romance” and the green is called “New Life”
Made this for my boyfriend’s mother and it is so adorable! Just remember to have something to put the votive in. I didn’t realize at first when making it until my mother pointed out that the votive would lose its’ shape when it melted and the wax would get into the salt. Super cute, cost effective, and great gift!
Nice tip! Plus it’s easy to just toss the melted wax and salt and reuse for the next year. Merry Christmas! 🙂
I would like to have a few of my seniors friends try to make Jars. What type of brush to you use for this paint? Can you email me directions hard for a
senior to follow from computer. Thanks
My apologies for not getting back sooner. Here’s a link to the brush I use (I use the smallest one in the pack of three; I find foam brushes don’t work well): https://www.michaels.com/artists-loft-necessities-all-purpose-brown-synthetic-brushes/10317287.html#pmpt=qualifying&sz=24&start=70. Do you still need a hard copy to print out of directions? I can pull and put into a word document and send to your email.
Let me know … and again apologies for not getting back to you sooner!
Linda
what is the tea light sitting on?
Epsom salt. Sorry for the late response!
These are so cute! Definitely want to do them this year. Any way you can add fragrance? Like, if I put a few drops of essential oil in the epsom salt, would the heat from the candle activate the scent? Just a thought I had! Thanks!!
Absolutely you can add some essential oil scent in the epsom salt! And I think it will active the scent. But I’d keep a close watch just in case!
This looks Awesome !! I live in India and these kind of paints are not easy to find here. Can I use spray paint to paint the jars? I want to make these beautiful christmas jars as soon as possible.
Sorry for the late response! You can absolutely use spray paint!!!! It will give it a cleaner finish too so you won’t see brush strokes when lighting them up!
Just to let you all know, I used the flameless candles in a few of my jars and I bought the screw top mason jar fairy lights for a few of the others. They turned out beautiful. Thank you, Linda for sharing. I am using this as “gift card” holders as well. They’re getting a beautiful set of mason jar decorations with a gift card attached to them.
What a great idea! And sorry for the late response! 🙂
Thanks for this craft idea!! I made 3 sets of two candles for Christmas and even if I’m really not that good for this kind of craft I really liked the result and it’s really easy to do! 🙂
So happy to help!
My granddaughter just painted these as Christamas gifts. She loved doing this. Now we are wondering if there is some kind of protector we can spray over these so that they will last for years to come. She used the chalk paint. Thanks for the great idea.
Yes there is! This is my favorite matte spray sealant. However, don’t spray the unpainted portion of the jar (where the trees are) because it will make the clear glass foggy. So be sure to cover that up! Here’s the link: https://amzn.to/2KRrdDX