Christmas Elsewhere: Jelly Jar Silhouette Candle

I thought about something similar to this a few Christmas seasons ago but I'm no good at freehand so I ditched that thought.  Well thankfully this lady did a great tutorial for such things and it was back on my radar!  I wanted to use this as a night light (we're taking an LED tea light) but with the silhouette of the town we were staying in to leave for the hosts as a thank you gift.  Instead of using a mason jar, I love the look of the Bonne Maman strawberry preserve jars so I decided to use that.  Upcycling people!

Here's what you'll need

Jelly Jar
Paper with your chosen hometown skyline
Black paint
Small paint brushes
Tealight or LED tealight
Paper clip
Tape
Epsom Salt
Mod Podge  (optional but good idea to use it)   (affiliate link) 

After I found the skyline I wanted to use, I printed it like a 4x6 picture and then cut it out and taped it to the inside of the jar.

It didn't wind all the way around the inside but I wanted to put a one horse open sleigh in there so it worked out.  Just make sure you tape both sides so it doesn't move around in there.

Paint the outside of the jar over the city cutout.  I did two coats so it was completely opaque.

I can't believe I was able to paint the horse and sleigh.  (I went back and cleaned it up a bit after it dried)  To paint the blades or whatever you call them on the sleigh, I used a paper clip because there's no way I was going to be able to paint something that tiny.

Time to pull out the taped cityscape inside.

To hold the tealight in place and give that snowy look, you can add some epsom salts.  Totally optional.

Like this...

I wanted to make the windows and such in the church and a few buildings so it was time to start scraping the paint with scissors.  Be very careful so you don't tear the paint as you scrape in places you didn't intend to remove.

I even etched a few trees in there where I wanted something other than windows.

This little Christmas tree was my favorite.

I even added the harness and mane to the horsey.

Here's a look at it lit at night from all sides.

I love the way it looks with the jelly jar lid!

Not a fan of having the expiration date visible?

Just wrap it with a festive ribbon or holiday themed washi tape!

A reminder to always blow out your candle when you're done!  ;-)

I can't wait to use this as our night light while we're spending the holidays out of town.  It'll be a fun way to not have to wake the Mr if I need to get up for a midnight bathroom break and not trip over myself in a dark, unfamiliar house.  I hope the hosts love it as much as I loved making it!

(Because we were traveling with ours, I sealed the outside of the jar with Mod Podge over the paint.  It dries clear so it won't ruin the picture.  If you think you may have it in a high traffic area or in a spot where it could get scratched, this might be a good final step to consider.)

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