Canning Jar Lamps Make Super Gifts for Gardeners
Do you have a few avid vegetable gardeners in your life? Perhaps you are a die-hard vegetable gardener yourself. Either way, you may want to contemplate making a handful of canning jar lamps this holiday season. Based on my experience, canning jar lamps are quick, simple and enjoyable to make. They also look wonderful when placed in an eat-in kitchen area or dining room. With that said, here’s what you need to know in order to create one:
Lamp Making Supplies Needed
In order to complete this craft project, you will need a canning jar lamp kit, a standard size mason jar, a lamp shade, a light bulb and bags of assorted dried legumes. In most instances, you can purchase canning jar lamp kits, lamp shades and light bulbs through major craft stores and lighting retailers. The kits come with prewired sockets. On average, one kit will cost you $8. Of course if you have a working knowledge of lamp wiring, you could also buy the lamp pieces separately and wire your own.
The mason jars, on the other hand, are available for purchase through most department stores. In general, a dozen 8 ounce mason jars will lighten your wallet by about $9. Bags of assorted legume should be readily available for purchase through your local grocery store. You may also want to consider purchasing additional decorative items to use in the lamp’s creation like ribbons and dried flowers.
Assembling the Lamp
Assembling a prewired canning jar lamp is a fairly straightforward process. You’ll want to fill an 8 ounce mason jar with layers of assorted legumes. Once that is done, screw the light assembly on top of the mason jar. Keep going by screwing a light bulb into the lamp’s socket. Plug the lamp in and make sure that it is working. Next, unplug the lamp and set it aside.
Continue by turning your attention towards the lamp shade. You’ll want to think about decorating it with assorted embellishments. Great embellishments to use are dried botanicals, vegetable prints, ribbons, rick rack and scalloped braid. Personally, I would suggest decorating the lampshade with dried botanicals or vegetable prints related to the dried legumes that you placed inside the lamp’s base. Examples include dried sweet pea sprays, broad bean flowers, fava bean flowers and red runner bean flowers.
Once you’ve finished decorating the canning jar lamp’s shade, attach it to the lamp’s harp with the aid of a finial. Then add any bows and gift tags to the jar’s mouth area as desired. Afterward, your homemade canning jar lamp will be ready for use.
Source: Personal Experience
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