The girls and I had so much fun with this DIY Day of the Dead Mason Jar Lanterns project! Things like this really put me in the festive mood, which I desperately needed because I was not prepared for anything, but now I’m on board and ready!
Like always, time totally got away from us, and before I knew it, bedtime was right around the corner and nobody had eaten dinner yet, lol. See what happens when the kids and I get started on a fun holiday project? Oh, they love it because they know I’m going to let them pick what they want for dinner because I don’t have time to cook, and without a doubt, they will both choose their favorite cereal. PS Follow me for more great recipe ideas, 🤣.
I can’t blame them for wanting cereal for dinner; I honestly still look forward to having cereal for dinner from time to time. My mom did the same thing with us when we were little; my siblings and I loved it!

This year I wanted to step things up with my decorating, we had a blast doing it and I think they turned out pretty darn cool.

DIY Day of the Dead Mason Jar Lanterns
You’ll need the following items to complete the DIY Day of the Dead Mason Jar Lanterns.
- Mason Jars
- Spray Paint (colors of your choice)
- Stencils (I used skulls, but you could use whatever you want). Oh, and maybe even use a heavy-duty black sharpie and draw on your designs.)
- Lights (I used the LED Starry Fairy Lights and got a few different colors to see how things worked out, and I can tell you I will use these lights again with my projects. They work great, are bright and affordable, and help make things festive and fun with the bright colors.

Okay, let’s get busy on this DIY Día de los Muertos project
- First, spray paint the inside of each jar whatever color you like. I went with purple, orange, white, and a few other fun colors. I didn’t get to pink yet, but I will be doing pink too. It’s also another reason I love Day of the Dead: you are not restricted to any certain color.

- Allow the insides of the jars to dry for about 30 minutes. Be sure and do this outside, so you don’t get spray paint and fumes all over your home. Plus, they dry much faster outside.

- Next, grab your stencil and tape it in place on the front of your Mason jar.

- Now spray paint one light coat of black spray paint. Allow to dry and add another light layer. You want to avoid any dripping at this point, so you may have to do three coats or more depending on how dark you want your design to look. Just remember, slow wins the race and wastes fewer supplies lol.

- Once everything is dry, grab your lights, place them inside the Mason jars, and put the lid on the jar. Sorry about my messy hands; I didn’t use gloves when I painted the jar. There is a tip for you: if you have something to do, wear gloves!

I love that the jars are one color during the day and change colors depending on which color light I put in them at night. Plus, they glow great.

When it gets dark, turn on the lights inside your Mason jar lanterns and enjoy the beautiful, bright colors with the kids.
Once we realized what time it was, I asked the girls what they wanted to do for dinner. They both grinned because they were just waiting for me to say something so they could grab their favorite cereal out of the pantry, lol. Vayda immediately went to Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Mattie grabbed the Cocoa Puffs. I let the kids pick what they want for dinner, and just like I did when I was little, they want cereal!

I love watching my girls eat cereal when they are not rushed because they have to get to school in the mornings. Just look at them both, looking at the cereal boxes while they are eating. Don’t you know cereal boxes are like kids’ newspapers, and it’s something that hasn’t changed much since I was a kid? They both have their box of cereal and are checking out all the awesomeness on the back. There wasn’t anyone talking; it reminds me of two adults having coffee while reading the paper.

What fun projects do you have planned for the upcoming holiday?
This is a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

8 comments
These are so cool and not that hard to make at all!
missed this this year, but what a great idea!
I love these jars.
This is such a cute idea. I love the Day of the Dead stuff, but really could do so many different things with this. I will be trying this out. Thanks for the idea.
awesome do let me know how it goes…
These are such a good idea. I love the skulls and the fairy lights.
I was having trouble figuring out how to spend the day with my kids and came across your blog. We had so much fun together making the lanterns I wanted to come here and thank you.
Those are really cool Mason jars. Thanks for posting!