DIY’d jars are all over the place. Well, jars are all over the place in & of themselves, however lately it seems people are gluing all kinds of crazy shit on top of jar lids & then painting them… with adorable results. I personally glued some knobs on jars last year & made some super cute candy jars. But some other things I’ve seen: little dinosaurs, bunnies, cats, etc. All of these little knick-knacks just glued onto the lids, then painted, then the lids are screwed back on to make a completely different looking candy jar/thread holder/toy container/etc.
So why not capitalize on it for Halloween?
I decided there was no reason not to. So, ladies & gentlemen, here are my creepy little “candy specimen” jars for Halloween! You can fill them with candy, with plastic eyeballs, with rubber snakes, with whatever you want. Use them as part of your “laboratory” for a Halloween party.
Oh- & It’d be lame if I didn’t acknowledge that A Pretty Cool Life, It All Started With Paint & Joy the Baker inspired these.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Clean & deodorized jars that used to hold sauce, jam, peanut butter, mayonnaise, pickles, etc (GLASS jars with METAL lids are best!)
- Paint (any kind will do; spray paint or regular paint in any finish- more about that in a bit)
- Primer, like this one (not necessary in every case)
- Little plastic pumpkins/spiders/skulls/etc. (small enough to fit on top of the lid)
- Quick-drying super glue (I used Gorilla Glue Super Glue)
Using the super glue, on the lid of the smaller jar (I believe it was originally a jar of Nellie’s red cabbage that I stole from my mother’s recycling bin) I glued a rubber spider. On the other, bigger jar (formerly a spaghetti sauce jar) I glued a miniature plastic jack-o-lantern. I let them dry completely. Then I painted them both a semi-gloss black. Once that dried, I added a bit of gold glitter here & there… just to fancy ’em up a little. Then I filled up the jars & put the lids back on!
Yay Halloween!
I just so happen to be a jar hoarder. I save most of the glass jars that I buy. Once they’re no longer filled with stuff, I clean them out well, bleach them (especially the lids), and save ’em for another use. I happen to like the mismatched look & I also like the fact that I can keep my canning jars for… well… canning! However, you can also use brand new Ball/Kerr, Le Parfait or Quattro Stagioni jars if you want. For the Ball jars, just super glue the two-piece lid together & let it dry 24 hours or so before painting.
Any kind of paint works. Latex paint, enamel paint, oil based paint, Martha Stewart craft paint, spray paint, etc. Whatever you want to use in whatever finish you want (satin, flat, gloss, etc). An entirely glittered lid would really look cool too; especially in black or orange. Metallics would be awesome as well… a gold spider? So cool. Martha’s craft paints come in high-gloss, satin, metallic, & glitter finishes as well as chalkboard. You could also use Krylon or Rust-Oleum spray paint, or even household enamel paint. You might need a primer depending on the color you choose (lighter colors definitely need numerous coats or a primer).
I’d love to use this glow-in-the-dark Rust-Oleum for a set of spooky jars!
It is crucial to have mellocreme pumpkins to snack on while painting!
And as far as the tops go: go to a craft store or party store & check out what they have. Use cupcake toppers & break the sticks off. Use kids toys. Little spiders, skulls, pumpkins, rats, bats, cats, mummies or anything else that you can find.. it all works! If you get skulls, maybe paint the entire thing a matte white, then paint the skeleton face on with black? Or if you have little bats, maybe use a shimmery dark purple? Or, do one of each: a skeleton, spider, pumpkin, bat, a tiny plastic brain, etc… then paint each jar lid a different Halloween-y color- white, black, orange, purple, green.
They make cute favors or gifts too. Paint the lid whatever color you want, glue a big ol’ plastic eyeball on top then fill the jar with monster cookies. If you’re grown up: make Halloween-y lids for a few small mason jars (8 oz.), then you can fill them with some candy corn vodka to bring to a Halloween party!
Or how about this… painting the lid a bright green, gluing a zombie hand to the top & using the inside to make a mini-terrarium with moss & tiny tombstones? SO MANY POSSIBILITIES. And not just for Halloween. I’m already thinking about Christmas ideas!
I have a few empty jars left lying around- I think I might make some more.
I'm Marilla. A 30-something artist, hobby baker, home canning enthusiast, gardener, DIY-er, wife, mommy of a baby boy and dog mom (to another baby boy) from New York. 
Ooh these are a great idea for Holiday gifts!! I might have to borrow this one for sure.
I think so, too, Hillary. I can’t wait to get started on some Christmas ones!
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