Is there anything cozier than a row of little lights glowing on a dark December night? These DIY Christmas luminaries turn the jars in your recycling bin, a bag of Epsom salt and a few battery tea lights into the prettiest decor in the house, and most of them won't cost more than a couple of dollars. There are frosted snow jars and glitter jars, clay trees that glow from the inside, floating candles, sweater cozies for your candle jars, a snowman the kids can make from a milk jug and paper stars to hang on the porch. Perfect for lining the walk, the mantel and the holiday table, or for gifting to a neighbor who needs a little light.
1. Epsom Salt Snow Luminaries
Cristina went through the house collecting empty glass jars, brushed the outsides with Mod Podge and rolled them in Epsom salt, and that is the whole trick behind my favorite DIY Christmas luminaries. The salt dries into a frosted crust that looks exactly like fresh snow when a tea light glows behind it. She tied on twine, a sprig of greenery and a few berries and lined them up on a cake stand for the dining table. It costs almost nothing. Remodelando la Casa has the photos and the tips.
2. Fairy Jar Lanterns
This one is ours, and it started with a cottagecore phase and a pickle jar. A fairy silhouette goes inside, a soft frosted layer goes on the glass and a string of fairy lights does the rest, so the whole jar glows like something is living in there. It's a night light for a kid's room, a gift, or a lantern to hang in the yard for a party. Any glass jar works. The step by step is on DIY Joy.
3. Clay Christmas Tree Luminaries
Kate cut cone templates from grocery bags in three sizes, rolled out air dry clay about a quarter inch thick, scored and pressed the seams into cones and poked a pattern of holes once the clay had firmed up for an hour or two. After a full day of drying they got a coat of gloss white spray paint, and a flameless votive underneath makes every hole twinkle. These are the DIY Christmas luminaries for a modern mantel. Centsational Style has the reel.
4. Hanging Star Porch Lanterns
Melissa's husband did not want to hang lights one year, so they compromised on giant paper stars hanging from the porch ceiling instead, and now it's the thing people email her about. The stars have a waxy coating that holds up under a covered porch, each one has a light inside and they hang from simple hooks so they come down in minutes. Red and gold together look like a storybook. Polka Dot Chair shows how she hung them.
5. Glowing Flower Light
A big faux rose and a tea light, and it looks like something out of a movie. This one is ours, and it's one of my favorite quick projects: the flower head sits over a flameless tea light so the petals glow from the inside, and a couple of them on a side table turn a corner into a reading nook. Pick a large, good quality faux bloom so the petals look real. It works for a holiday table too. DIY Joy has the how to.
6. White Mason Jar Luminaries
Rachel painted plain mason jars white, tied on red and white baker's twine from the dollar spot and tucked in a sprig of greenery she trimmed off a swag, then dropped in flameless tea lights. She kept moving them around the house because they worked in every room, and she says they make a great mason jar gift too. If you like the distressed look, sand the raised letters a little. Maison de Pax has the painting tutorial.
7. Glitter Christmas Luminaries
Amanda saves every jar, and this glittery set once held pickles. Each jar gets a coat of red, gold or green glitter with a little Christmas tree shape on the front, a band of trim and a cluster of berries at the rim, and a tea light inside makes the glitter bounce off the glass. She likes them lit, but they're pretty in daylight too. Skip the clear glitter topcoat if you want the tree shape to show more. Crafts by Amanda has the supply list.
8. Pressed Flower Mason Jar Lights
Another one of ours, and it may be the prettiest luminary here once the lights go down. Pressed flowers and leaves get sealed flat onto the outside of a mason jar with decoupage medium, and a strand of fairy lights coils up inside, so every petal lights up like a tiny stained glass window. For Christmas, press red geraniums, fern tips and cedar sprigs instead of summer flowers. Thrift the jar and the whole thing costs about two dollars.
9. Floating Christmas Candles
These glow twice. Greg fills glass cylinders with water gems, tucks in greenery, cranberries and a tiny tree, floats a candle on top and drops a waterproof color changing tea light into the bottom so the whole column lights from within. Three heights on a tray make a centerpiece that costs less than a single fancy candle, and the cylinders came from the dollar store. There's a video if you want to see the water gems trick. The Navage Patch has it.
10. Holiday Mason Jar Luminaries
Organize and Decorate Everything
Leanne built a tiny winter scene inside a quart jar: a layer of frosty faux snow, a sprig of silver leaves and red berries, a flameless tea light and a glitter poinsettia tied to the neck with silver braided ribbon. A little resin deer stands guard beside it. Everything came from one trip to the craft store, and she says it looks just as pretty with the light off. Organize and Decorate Everything has the supply list.
11. Etched Glass Votive Holders
Dollar store square candle holders, a stencil and a jar of etching cream, and you have votives that look like they came from a gift shop. Bre cuts a reindeer, a tree and a monogram from removable vinyl, brushes on the cream, rinses and the design is frosted into the glass for good. A few vase filler stones and a votive candle finish them. They make an easy neighbor gift in a set of three. Average But Inspired has the step by step.
12. Snowman Milk Jug Luminaries
A rinsed out milk jug, a bag of cotton balls and some glue, and even the tiniest helpers can build this fluffy snowman. Emma adds two wooden button eyes, a felt carrot nose, a row of flower buttons for a smile and a scrap of green felt for a hat, then sets a battery tea light inside so he glows at night. He's just as cute in daylight with all that texture. It's a frugal winter craft for a whole class. Kids Craft Room has the how to.
13. Postage Stamp Tea Light Jars
Claire found a stash of old postage stamps while clearing out her craft cupboard and decoupaged them onto little glass yogurt jars, sorted by color so the row runs red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple across the mantel. With a tea light inside, the stamps glow like stained glass. Any small jar works, and used stamps are cheap by the bag. It's a lovely way to use a stamp collection nobody looks at. Pillar Box Blue has the tutorial.
14. Illuminated Snow Scene In A Jar
Sara loved snow globes as a kid, and this is the grown up version with a light in it. A wide mouth jar gets a layer of faux snow, a little penguin and a bottle brush tree from the dollar section, and a battery tea light rides under the lid on a button magnet so it shines down on the scene. Tie a ribbon around the neck and it glows on a nightstand all season. Kerr jars have one clear side, which helps. Bitz & Giggles has the details.
15. Pine Treeline Jar Candles
Amy draws a row of pine trees around plain white jar candles with a black paint marker, following her free treeline drawing lesson, and the result looks like cabin decor from a mountain shop. The candles are the cheap ones from the dollar store or a big box aisle with the labels peeled off, and each one takes about thirty minutes. She gave several as gifts so her friends could light them on cold nights after the holidays. Stow and Tell U has the template.
16. Upcycled Hurricane Lantern
Denise spotted a filthy metal lantern on the curb, hit the brakes and turned it into the kind of holiday lantern that sells for real money online. She scrubbed it, sprayed it a soft champagne color, stenciled snowflakes onto the glass panels and dressed the top with fresh greenery, pine cones and a sheer gold bow. A pillar candle inside finishes it. Check the thrift store for a sad lantern if your curb is empty. Salvaged Inspirations has the makeover.
17. Sweater Sleeve Candle Cozies
When the first snow finally came, Debbie pulled an old cable knit sweater out of the donate pile and dressed her candle jars in it. Cut a sleeve a little longer than the jar, slide it on, gather the raw edge under the bottom with a needle and thread and pull tight, then tie on jute twine or fold the cuff over for a clean edge. The candlelight glows through the knit. It takes about ten minutes a jar. Confessions of a Plate Addict has the photos.
18. Wise Men Candle Block
Kara wanted a neighbor gift that said something about the light, so she painted a four inch wood block black, sanded the edges, lettered the front with vinyl that reads Wise men still follow the Light and glued a candle in a glass holder on top with strong adhesive. A strip of frayed canvas tied around the middle finishes it. It's simple enough to make a dozen in an evening, and she liked hers so much she considered leaving it up all year. Creations by Kara has the details.
19. Button Pillar Candles
Shelly dumped out the button jar and let her kids press buttons all over plain pillar candles, and every one came out different: one in bright rainbow colors, one in beige and brown, one in Christmas red, green and white. The buttons sit right in the wax, so it's a five minute craft with no glue gun, and a finished candle wrapped in cellophane makes a sweet gift for a teacher or a grandparent. Welcome To Nana's has both designs.
20. Glass Gem Candle Bowl
Allison tested every adhesive she could find after readers said their glass gems kept falling off, and clear silicone caulk won. She runs two lines of caulk around a dollar store glass globe, smooths it with an old gift card, presses on rows of green glass gems and lets each few rows set before she picks it up. Lit, it throws green speckles all over the wall. Different sized gems in one color keep it interesting. Dream a Little Bigger has the how to.
21. Tissue Paper Pattern Candles
Rita calls this one of the easiest paper crafts ever, and she's right. Plain white pillar candles from the big box store get wrapped in a strip of patterned tissue paper or a paper napkin, and a little heat melts the pattern into the wax so it looks printed on. Stripes, damask, whatever napkin you have. It takes less than ten minutes, and a trio in a gift box is a real present for the price of a napkin. EPC Crafts has the easy directions.
22. Glow Stick Fairy Jars
Sacha's miniature glow jars come together in under five minutes and glow like tiny bottled fireflies. The glow stick liquid goes into little corked bottles with a pinch of fine glitter, and once you shake them the whole row lights up green, yellow, orange, purple and blue. They make a fun night light for a kid who loves fairies and a sweet little party favor. Do this one with an adult, since the glow sticks need cutting. The Craft-at-Home Family has the video.
23. Frosted Tree Winter Luminaries
Amy's winter jars are the frosty ones in the photo: a tall two quart, a quart and a pint, each with a pine tree or a snowflake glowing white against frosted glass, tied with jute and a sprig of rosemary. The trick is a painter's tape stencil and a coat of frosted glass paint, with Epsom salt for the snowy texture on the trees. They line up beautifully down a table runner, and they keep working after the holidays as plain winter decor. Her Tool Belt has the tutorial.
24. Frozen Ice Lanterns
If you live where it stays below freezing, Stephanie's ice lanterns are the most magical thing on this list and they cost nothing but water. Berries, evergreen sprigs, twigs and leaves from the yard freeze inside a ring of ice, a tea light goes in the middle and the whole thing glows on the deck or up the front steps for a party. They last as long as the cold does, so they can carry you through winter. Garden Therapy has the how to and the FAQ.
25. Paper Cup Luminaries
Sarah made these with her son to celebrate the winter solstice, when the afternoons get dark early, and they take about five minutes. An adult cuts the bottom out of a paper cup so more light gets through, the kids punch holes all over it with a hole punch or a shaped paper punch and the cup sits over a flameless tea light. Plastic cups, scrapbook paper rolled into a tube or a paper towel tube work too. Little Bins for Little Hands has the details.
26. Light Bulb Cage Luminaries
Sarah found a stack of the wire cages that protect bare bulbs in a workshop, lined each one with a page of old sheet music and set a flameless tea light inside, and the result looks like it came from a rustic lodge. The music glows amber through the paper and the cage ribs throw the prettiest shadows. Any thrift store or hardware aisle has the cages, and old hymnals or sheet music are cheap by the pound. Sadie Seasongoods has the how to.
27. Mason Jar Snow Lanterns
Kimberly's mason jar lanterns need no craft skills at all: a layer of faux snow, a couple of bottle brush trees and a string of battery fairy lights tucked inside, lid on, done. She uses them as shelf decor, a little light in the kitchen, a night light in the guest room and a hostess gift, and the same jar works on the porch with the lid keeping the weather out. A red and white striped napkin underneath finishes it. Single Girl's DIY has the tips.
