Make jam jar autumn leaf lanterns
These jam jar leaf lanterns are so pretty and create a really lovely light on a dark evening. They’re also simple to make and little ones will have great fun covering the jars in glue and leaves!
What you will need:
Autumn leaves
Jam jars
PVA glue
A paint brush
Cotton thread in autumnal colours
Tea lights
What you need to do:
Go for a walk and collect some colourful autumn leaves. Look for leaves of different colours and sizes on the ground but make sure the leaves aren’t too dried and brittle as they’ll fall apart when you try to glue them to the jar.
When you get home, place your leaves between two sheets of paper and press them between the pages of a heavy book for two or three days until they’re pressed flat and dried. Alternatively, you can dry the leaves in a microwave which will only take a few minutes but you need to be careful not to overheat them as they will lose their vibrant colour. (See how we pressed flowers and leaves when we made suncatchers)
Once your leaves have dried, you can decorate your jam jars with them! Paint a section of your jar with PVA glue and then stick down a leaf making sure the glue is underneath the whole leaf. You might need to hold down the edges of the leaves for a while to secure them. Then paint some more glue over the top of the leaf which will help seal it.
Choose another leaf and glue it down on your jar in the same way. You can overlap your first leaf if you want to which will create interesting patterns when your lantern is lit. Again cover the whole surface of this leaf with glue. Don’t worry if the glue looks messy at this stage!
Carry on gluing your leaves until you’re happy with the arrangement. Then paint a layer of PVA glue over the entire outer jar. Although the glue will be clear when it dries, it will create a slightly blurred effect on the glass so this final layer of glue will help make it nice and even.
While the glue is still wet, wind some colourful cotton thread around your jar. This will help keep the leaves in place but also adds a really nice decorative touch to the lantern.
Leave your lanterns to dry overnight or at least for a few hours.
Once dry you can add tea lights to the lanterns. If you’re doing this activity with young children, they might like to add the tealight themselves in which case, you could use an electric tea light. Otherwise, I have just recently discovered that a pair of tongs is great for inserting lit tealights into jars or pumpkins!
Enjoy the beautiful warm glow of your autumn leaf lanterns!
Author: Denise Hope, home educating mum of two boys