Create charming jack o’ lantern jars with tissue paper and Mod Podge! This easy Halloween craft is ideal for beginners and makes glowing decorations – no carving needed.
Skill Level: Beginner. You’ll attach tissue paper to a jar with Mod Podge and cut paper shapes. Some familiarity with decoupage medium is helpful, though not necessary. Children and adults can enjoy this project.
Can we agree that jack o’ lanterns are among the best things about Halloween? Still, carving pumpkins can become messy in no time. That’s exactly why I love these DIY jack o’ lantern jars!
They’re incredibly simple to create with Mod Podge and tissue paper, and they provide the same eerie glow without any messy pumpkin innards.
Picture these luminous mason jars arranged along your walkway or placed across your dining table, with each one shining with its own tiny light.
The process is straightforward: decoupage colorful tissue paper onto the jars, make an adorable pumpkin face, then finish each one with a handmade witch hat. Fun, isn’t it?
If you’re concerned that you may not be crafty enough, relax! I’ll guide you through each step and provide a free printable mini witch hat template, making the project as easy as pie (pumpkin pie, naturally!).
Ready to create your own jack o’ lanterns? Let’s transform those old jars into festive Halloween decorations.
Whether you illuminate them with battery-powered tea lights or display them on their own, these jack o’ lantern jar pumpkins are sure to be a Halloween-season favorite!
Collect These Materials
- Mason jars
- Orange tissue paper
- Mod Podge (Glossy)
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Black cardstock – or any color you prefer
- Hot glue
- Glue Dots
- LED tealights (optional)
Find the Free Jack O’ Lantern & Hat Templates Here: Resize the templates as necessary to suit the mason jar size you’re working with.
Helpful Tips and Ideas for This Project
Any tissue paper shade will work for this craft – why not try purple or green? I mainly used vivid orange for mine, along with a few pieces of deeper orange.
The jars can store candy, but if you add tealights, choose LED versions. This lets you place the hats on top without worrying about flames. They look incredibly adorable when illuminated!
Find the printable instruction card below:
Jack O’ Lantern Mason Jars
Discover how to transform mason jars into the sweetest pumpkin jack o’ lanterns! They’re ideal for Halloween decorations.
Yield: 2 jars
Expense: $5
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Use sheets of tissue paper to cut several small 1” x 1” squares. I chose a vivid orange and a deeper orange to create some variation. For easier cutting, fold the tissue paper several times, slice off a 1” strip, then cut that strip into 1” squares.
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With your brush, spread a coat of Mod Podge over the jar, then arrange the tissue paper squares across it. Apply another coat of Mod Podge over the squares to fasten them to the mason jar. Continue repeating these steps until the entire mason jar is covered.
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Turn the mason jars upside down and let them dry on parchment paper or plastic, which will shield your work surface.
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Create a pumpkin face (I used two triangle eyes and a smiling mouth; a template is available if necessary) and adhere it to the mason jar with Mod Podge. For a personalized appearance, feel free to choose different expressions!
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Brush a coat of Mod Podge across the pumpkin face pieces, then allow everything to dry.
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Use a die-cutting machine to cut the paper witch hat template, or trace the design onto black cardstock and cut it out by hand.
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Shape the triangle into a cone and secure the flap underneath with hot glue. Keep the seam pressed for a few seconds while the glue sets so the cone does not come undone.
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Bend the trapezoid tabs upward inside the brim, then attach them to the cone’s opening with glue (position them inside the cone so they remain hidden).
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Finally, place the witch hat over the mason jar! I secured the hats with glue dots because I used remote-controlled battery tea lights, though you can skip this step,
If you like this project, I’d be happy to hear from you in the comments. You may also want to explore these additional ideas:
Borax Crystal Skull • Cross Stitch Canvases • Felt Ball Garland • Halloween in a Jar • Lighted Pumpkin Topiary • Milk Jug Skeleton • Mesh Halloween Wreath • Pumpkin Terrarium • Shrunken Apple Heads • Skull Bean Art • Skulls Makeover • Spooky Apothecary Jars • Toilet Paper Pumpkins • Wine Cork Skeleton