Fall Mason Jar Lamp
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| Mason Jar Light |
What a cute and versatile little lamp! Just
change the ribbon and it will fit into any holiday setting. I like to turn on
low energy lamps in the evening to add warmth to our home and this fits the
bill.
Here is the tutorial on how to create this Mason
jar lamp.
It is a little long, but I tried to be thorough in describing how to create this lamp, including how to re-wire the lamp.
You will need the following
materials:
- Mason or Ball jar with a large enough mouth
through which to insert the lamp.
- Lamp – you can purchase these at a craft store
like Michael’s or A.C. Moore. They cost between $4 - $5. I always make sure I
have a discount coupon with me.
- Potpourri – rose hips, fall flavor, whatever
your preference or fits the holiday.
- Glass and tile drill bit – Ace Hardware and
other stores that sell tools sell either Vermont American or Black and Decker
in a set of 4 for around $15-$20. Note that these are not the same as a masonry
bits. See photo below. I believe a
diamond bit would also work, but I have not used one.
- Wire Strippers
- Two small twist-on wire connectors; you may have
some in your junk drawer from a previous home improvement project.
- Ribbon At this point, if you are thinking you don't
want to use a drill bit and rewire a lamp, you can simply add potpourri to the
jar and insert a tea light on top of the potpourri. This does require you to
take it out, turn it on, and put it back each time, but it still looks great.
Directions for wiring the Mason jar:
1. You will need a Mason jar. If you don't have one, a Ball jar would work. This one is a quart jar.
2. You need the drill bits to make a hole in the back of the jar.
If you purchase a drill bit
set, it usually will come with 4 different sizes. See picture below. This is recommended since you
should start with the smaller bit to make a small pilot hole. Start by drilling
a small indentation into the glass. Stop and apply a small amount of 3-in-1 oil
on that spot; continue to drill the hole adding oil as necessary for ease of
drilling. Please wear gloves to protect your hands. Also, do not press hard
while drilling and be careful when the drill finally breaks through since it
has a tendency to jerk and may break the jar. Once this pilot hole is done,
redrill using one of the larger bits that is large enough for the lamp cord to
fit easily. Yes, you can simply buy one larger bit, but the drilling goes much
slower. Now if you are lucky enough to have a husband that has a drill press –
the drilling is done quite easily because he does it.
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| Drilling a Mason Jar |
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3. Now for the lamp. Obviously,
the lamp plug will not fit through the hole; you will need to cut the cord.
Remove the bottom paper from the lamp. See picture below.
Pull some of the cord back through the base of the lamp because you will
need to strip it and reconnect it to the other side of the cord. Cut the cord
as shown in the picture. Caution, make sure the lamp is unplugged before
cutting!
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| Lamp Kit |
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| Felt Removed From Bottom of Lamp |
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| Cutting Lamp Wires |
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4. Once the cord is cut, you will need to split the
two wires on each of the two pieces of cord so that you can strip off the
insulation. Use a utility knife to do this, but be careful not to cut through
the insulation to the copper wire. See pictures below.
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| Separating Lamp Wires |
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| Showing Separated Lamp Wires |
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5. Once the cord wires are separated, use the wire
stripper to strip ¼ to 3/8 of the insulation from the four wires. See pictures below.
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| Splitting end of Lamp Wire |
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| Split Lamp Wires |
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6. Feed the plug end of the cut wire into the hole
in the jar; pull through so you have plenty of room to reconnect the cord
wires. Then pull the cord back through the hole in the base of the lamp. See
picture in the group set below.
7. Grab two ends of the separated wires (one from
each side of the cord, of course) so you can connect them, put them together,
and then place a wire connector over the two wires and twist it on securely.
Place the remaining two wires together and twist on the wire connector. At this
point turn on the lamp to make sure you reconnected the wires properly; of
course you did. Unplug the cord. See
picture in the group set below.
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| Lamp Wires Fed intoMason Jar |
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| Stripped Wires Joined together |
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| Adding Wire Connectors |
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8. Now you need to push the wires and connectors back
into the base of the lamp so that they are out of sight.
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| Wires Inserted into Bottom of Lamp Kit |
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9. At this point I like to glue a piece of felt or
stiff paper stock to the bottom to cover the wires. See picture below.
10. Place glue on the rim of the lamp base and then
mount to the bottom of the Mason jar. This can be a little tricky, as you must
lower the lamp back into the jar while pulling the slack out of the wire at the
same time. Center the lamp carefully and allow drying.See picture below.
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| Lamp Glued to Mason Jar |
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| Bottom of Mason Jar with Glued Lamp |
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11. Once the glue dries, add
potpourri to the jar around the base of the lamp. I used one that had little
pumpkins in it.
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| Fall Potpourri with Little Pumpkins |
12. Add a ribbon around the top of the jar and turn it on. You can
change the ribbon and potpourri to match any holiday such as Christmas.
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| Finished Mason Jar Light |
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| Mason Jar Displayed |
Well, that's all of it. Sorry it is so long, but there is a lot to explain. Enjoy!
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