What do you do with all of those mason jar lids after you pop open a new jar of canned food? You craft with them! That’s right, quit tossing them into the trash! They can be turned into festive Christmas ornaments, refrigerator magnets, garden markers, windchimes, and all sorts of other things! Over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing some of our favorite mason jar lid craft projects with you. You can find our adorable lady bug design HERE and the super-cute bumble bee HERE. The kid’s can make a #1 Teacher ornament by following our directions HERE.
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When popping open a new jar of canned food you’ll want to be careful to not bend up that flat mason jar seal (lid). Once it’s off the jar you’ll want to hand wash and dry it. If it’s slightly bent you can sit it underneath a heavy object to help straighten it. However, 95% of the time mine come off my jars flat as a piece of paper!
This project can be done by older children, adults and senior adults and only requires a few craft supplies. We kept the design simple, but you could certainly paint a more elaborate design onto the lid. Younger children could make them with a lot of help & supervision by an adult.
The Grinch Painted Mason Jar Lid Ornament
Used Mason Jar Lids (seals)
Acrylic Craft Paint in Bright Yellow and Medium Lime Green
Paint Brush, Water Dish, Paper Towels
Acrylic Craft Paint Pen in Black
Hole Punch
Clear Fishing Line (or use colorful ribbon)
Scissors
Clear Acrylic Spray Sealer, Glossy or Matte Finish
Sheet of Aluminum Foil
Lay down the sheet of aluminum foil onto your work surface. It only needs to be big enough for you to lay your mason jar lid down onto it. It will provide a non-stick surface for messy painters (especially kids). An old plastic place mat or plastic drop cloth will work easily as well.
Use a hole punch to make a hold at the top of the lid as shown in the photograph above if you plan on using it as an ornament.
Paint the front of the mason jar lid with 2-3 coats of the medium lime green craft paint allowing 15-20 minutes of drying time between each coat. Let dry until no longer tacky. Make two tear drop shaped eyes using the bright yellow craft paint. You want to use a generous amount of paint. Let thoroughly dry. To keep things easy use a black acrylic paint pain to outline the eyes, add the eye brows, eye details, nose, mouth and chin. Let dry.
Flip it over and paint the back side with 2-3 coats of the medium lime green craft paint if you’re using it as an ornament. If you’re using it as a refrigerator magnet leave it unpainted and just glue the magnet on the back. Let dry.
Take the painted ornament outside and spray with 1-2 coats of clear acrylic sealer. We like using the glossy finish which gives the ornaments a nice shine. Let dry for 2-3 hours or until no longer tacky. Cut an 8″ long piece of clear fishing line and thread it through the punched hole at the top. Knot the two ends together. Use scissors to trim the ends. That’s it, you’re done!
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My granddaughter loves the Grinch story and character. This would be a fun activity for her to do. I too would do the base coat before she comes to the house.
These are a really cute craft to do. They would look great on the tree. Thanks for sharing!
I like these ideals. My great niece is to young to wait on something to dry. So when I plan on using the lids I do the base coat before she shows up. My plan this year is for her to make enough lids to give to all the families. these are great ideals and I use or take parts of them all the time