Etched Mason Jar Lantern

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Like a couple of others of you out there, I have a thing for Mason jars.  I grew up with them (no, not in the 1850s, thank you!) and my mom would use them for our preserves or even cereal and store them in our jelly cabinet.  I’ve been wanting to make a lantern like this for a while after seeing them around the internet lately, but finally got inspired when I stopped by a roadside fruit stand a few weeks back that had a beautiful honeycomb-in-a-Mason-jar display.

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  • Cut your honeycomb and bee stencils out of Silhouette Stencil Vinyl and smooth onto your jar using transfer paper and the scraper tool.
  • Tip: Since I was etching the negative space, I needed a way to spread the etching cream over the entire jar (including the neck and bottom).  So, I inserted the rest of my roll of transfer paper into the jar to use as a handle as shown.

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  • Add etching cream for just a minute or two, clean off your jar, and remove your stencil using the hook tool, if needed.
  • Side note: I am always amazed at the amount of detail you can achieve with the stencil vinyl…look at those tiny stripes on my bee!
  • Add a handle made out of heavy-gauge wire or some jute rope like I did here.

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I added a flameless candle to mine and hung it next to my patio to add a little extra fun lighting to my summertime get-togethers.  I hope this inspires you to take your crafting outdoors while you still can!

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