DIY Day of the Dead Mason Jar Lanterns

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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 mood for Día de los Muertos 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.

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!

I love Day of the Dead, it’s by far one of my favorite holidays and has been as long as I can remember.  Of course, now that I’m older there are additional (more grown up) reasons I look forward to the Day of the Dead, but the fun colors are still one of my favorites.

This year I wanted to step things up with my decorating, so the kids and I made some DIY Day of the Dead Mason Jar Landers to decorate the house and put outside on the porch.

It’s projects like this that get me into the holiday spirit.  I wasn’t ready for Halloween or Día de los Muertos, but after our DIY Day of the Dead Mason Jar Lanterns, I’m so excited for a holiday to start rolling in one right after the other.  Halloween and Day of the Dead are my favorites and have been since I was a child.  Since I want my kids to stay in touch with both cultures, they get to experience Halloween and learn about Día de los Muertos, what it means, and the reasons we observe.  It truly is a beautiful holiday.

I must admit, they turned out neat.  I love how they look when they glow at night.  However, they still make pretty awesome decorations during the day too.  If you use the right lights, you’ll even notice that you can make different colors for different events.  You could also make one for each of your children and use their favorite color lights so they can keep it in their room to make things a little extra festive.

DIY Day of the Dead Mason Jar Lanterns

You’ll need the following items to complete the DIY Day of the Dead Mason Jar Landers

• Mason Jars
• Spray Paint (colors of your choice)
• Stencils (I used skulls, but you could 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 this lights again with my projects.  They work great, are bright, 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 maybe must 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.