summer project

During this hot summer I had lots of time on my hands. I wasn't going away on vacation or back home to Germany and so I kept myself busy with painting and DIY projects. It was so nice to have time to do these things again after having been so busy with school and work. I love creating new things or revamping old things. There is something really satisfying about seeing the before and after of a painting project or the end result when creating something new. 

One of the things I made this summer is a mason jar light string. I saw different versions of this on etsy and immediately thought: "I can do this myself!" So off I went to get the materials I needed. And voila! in a really short time I created these lights.

mason jar lights

These lights really are an easy project for a lazy afternoon hour. They are quick to make and give off a really nice light. I was going to hang them outside but unfortunately we can't hang them there. They do still look fantastic in our bright blue living room though. And here are the instructions in case you want to make your own:

Materials: String lights (10 on a string- target), 1/2 pint mason jars (amazon.com, they come in a pack of 12 which leaves you two for jelly making!), wire (1/16" thick about 11' long depending on the length of your light string), drill (I used a 3/32" bit), stops and ferrules (you need to put a stop on each side of the mason jar, so you need 20 stops), super glue

Instructions:

1. start by making a small hook at one end of the wire using the ferrule. Follow the instructions on the package to close them - I just used a hammer even though it tells you not to do that, but it still works well
2. align your wire with the string lights
3. drill two small holes into each of the lids of your mason jars. Make sure they are on opposite sides of the lid so the wire can run straight through them. You only need the rings of the lid, you can keep the top part for canning. 
4. put a stop on the wire, then the first lid. make sure you align the lid with the light. The lights have clips on them so you can clip the light onto the wire once you have the lid in the right position. Follow the lid by a stop. 
5. You can screw the jar onto the lid and keep it in place that way. This allows to make sure the lights are all aligned and in the right place as you keep going. 
6. Follow these steps for every jar. stop - jar - stop - clip light in - screw jar onto the lid.
7. After you have all of them in place secure the stops either as told on the packaging or if you don't have the right tool, you can just super glue them on.

I hope these instructions where helpful! Good luck with your project! I hope you love your lights as much as I love mine.