How do you store Halloween candy in your house? In a fun, spooky bowl or hidden in the pantry until the big night? If you’d like to offer a sweet treat to your kids and guests all October long, try making these jars. Figurines and toys atop colorful jar lids are a huge hit on Pinterest right now. Oversized, cheap cracker jars, craft store pumpkins and a small can of glossy black spray paint will give your snack table a spooky makeover!
Materials
- Cracker jars in various sizes (we found ours at Target)
- Super glue
- Scrap paper
- Decorative pumpkins (found at Michaels; buy enough to have a few extras as paint testers)
- Krylon Short Cuts spray paint in a dark, glossy color
- Parchment paper
Instructions
- Remove the jar lids and give them a quick clean if needed. Leave the lids off the jars.
- Place your extra pumpkin on scrap paper and apply a test application of spray paint. A dramatically dark color, like Krylon’s Gloss Black, is ideal for this project.
- Apply a dime-sized amount of super glue to the jar lid. Place your pumpkin in the glue and let dry for at least an hour.
- Once your glue is dry, place the lid on a large piece of parchment paper that’s folded in half. In a safe, open area, start painting your lid with even strokes.
- Transfer the lid to a new, clean piece of parchment paper. Let dry several hours before screwing back onto your jar.
Oops! Spray paint saves
| Spray paint is a tricky beast. Let’s say you tried your best to make your pumpkin jar lids look great, but perhaps you didn’t get an even coat? Or maybe air bubbles developed? It’s OK! Spray paint goofs happen to the most seasoned of crafters. We’ve got a few resources and ideas to try and salvage a goofed-up project in time for Halloween so you can set your new jars out for guests to enjoy. |
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| First, let’s begin with the basics – before you start a project. Spray paint manufacturer Krylon offers up some spray painting best practices on its website. While you might read them and think, “Well, no kidding!” it’s important to pay close attention to each recommendation; sometimes we all forget the easiest of crafting basics.
One of the most important things to remember, if you ask me, is to be aware of the weather you’re painting in. If it’s too cold or too hot and/or humid, the results of your hard work can be skewed – as the paint will have a hard time sticking to the surface correctly. And of course, it’s always best to try a sample test run on a scrap piece of cardboard to get the hang of it first. |
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| Better Homes and Gardens has a list of tips and tricks along with some project ideas, too. Their advice on setting your project in a deep cardboard box (pictured) is a great one. BHG also covers everything from ventilation to surface prep for spray paint. |
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| What happens when you’ve painted your lid and don’t like the results? If there aren’t a lot of bubbles, drips or spills, consider letting the lid dry and trying again. If you don’t like how the color turned out, try covering it with a darker color. In the end, black always covers best on all messed-up colors! |
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| If you’ve used a dark color but found it resulted in bubbles or drips, let the lid dry completely. Then, think of ways to enhance the top with add-ons, like other small fall accessories. Moss or paper crinkle (found in the floral aisle at craft supply stores) added with hot glue are quick fixes for trouble areas – and give your jar an even broader autumn feel so that your candy jar can be used all season long. |
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