luminaria 2455

Light up the Thanksgiving table (or the porch) with beautiful, glowing luminaries, easy enough for the kids to make! With some colorful tissue paper, a little Mod Podge, and whatever jars you have on hand, you’ll have Thanksgiving décor to enjoy for years to come. Place a candle or battery-operated tealight inside to illuminate.

Supplies

  • Small, clean glass jar (mason jar, jelly jar or sauce jar)
  • White paper or small leaf stickers 
  • Tissue paper squares in fall colors (red, yellow, orange). Note: Precut tissue squares are available at Michaels and Lakeshore.
  • Scissors
  • Mod Podge or watered-down white glue (3 parts glue: 1 part water) 
  • Sponge brush or paintbrush 
  • Paper grocery bag or plastic tablecloth to cover workspace
  • Raffia, twine or ribbon
  • Tealight or candle to fit in the jar (battery-operated is safest)

Directions

  1. Cover your workspace with an opened large paper bag, placemat or plastic tablecloth.

  2. Adhere small leaf stickers to the jar, OR cut several small and medium-sized leaves from the paper and glue them onto the jar with Mod Podge.

  3. Use a paintbrush to paint a thin layer of Mod Podge onto the jar, working in small sections at a time. 

  4. Adhere colored squares of tissue paper in a random, overlapped pattern over the Mod Podge. Repeat until the outside of the jar is covered completely.

  5. Allow to dry thoroughly. 

  6. Tie a strip of raffia, ribbon or twine around the top edge of the jar.

  7. Place a tealight inside the jar. Turn it on (or light it) to decorate the table or patio.

Alyssa Navapanich is a nationally recognized art educator who teaches art to elementary school kids in East San Diego County. She is the author of San Diego Family Magazine’s “Art with Alyssa” column.

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