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
- Cover your workspace with an opened large paper bag, placemat or plastic tablecloth.
- 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.
- Use a paintbrush to paint a thin layer of Mod Podge onto the jar, working in small sections at a time.
- 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.
- Allow to dry thoroughly.
- Tie a strip of raffia, ribbon or twine around the top edge of the jar.
- 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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