Wedding Edition: Mason Jars

Another project done! I said I would come back with my mason jars tinted and I did! I was pretty excited about starting this project because I knew once I did it I would have half of my centerpieces done.

To find out the best way to go about tinting the jars I browsed Pinterest and discovered this Aimee Lane’s awesome recipe!  I was looking for something quick and easy and this hit the spot.

Supplies Needed:

• 3 Tbsp of water
• gel food coloring
• ½ cup mod podge

Three supplies? I knew I could do this! First I microwaved the water for thirty seconds and then mixed the food coloring in. I was planning to measure how much gel food coloring I used so that I could duplicate it. Well, in my excitement to start this project, I completely forgot! Alright, so after mixing the water and food coloring measure out the mod podge and stir it all together. She said you can add more coloring at this step if you want it darker. I chose to just finish it out and see what happened! (You can always re-tint them later)

[Tweet “Three needed supplies? I knew I could make mason jar vases for my wedding! #masonjar”]

Pour the mixture into a jar and swirl it around so you cover the inside. You can pour the excess back into the mod podge mixture to be used over and over. I easily covered ten jars with ½ cup of mod podge. Let it sit upside down draining even more for at least five minutes. My first six I left for five minutes and still ended up with drips when I turned them right side up, but the rest looked better when I left them upside down longer.

After sitting right side up for another five minutes it’s time to bake them! Put the oven at 170 degrees and set a timer for twenty minutes. They should become translucent. I absolutely love how they turned out!

Next week I will be starting on some tissue paper poms! Check back!

Mackenzie Grace

29 thoughts on “Wedding Edition: Mason Jars

    1. mm

      If you are using the colored jar as a vase for artificial flowers, just be careful when arranging. We didn’t take any extra precaution and didn’t have any issues of scratching the tint. However, I’m sure it might happen.

      Good Luck! Let us know how they turn out and how you used them. Sonya

    1. mm

      Sorry Karen – This process is simply for looks and the satisfaction of saying “I Did it Myself”. The tint is water soluble so don’t drink out of them. Tinted colored canning jars are readily available. Simply search on the internet and you will find several sources for purchasing.

  1. You can do what modge podge can by simply mixing food colour to PVA wood glue/craft glue is the same. Play with the colour until it is what you want. Just brush this mix onto the outside of any jar/glass vessel with enough mix that does not cause it to run off the sides. Leave to dry and it will become transparent. At this point you can leave the way it turns out or you can seal with glass sealer if at any stage you think the jar/vessel will need to be washed both inside and out. If not then there is no need to use glass sealer. Depends on your project/use for the jar/vessel. Try it…it is a very cheap alternative to using Modge Podge and the inside is not coated (just the outside) so you can use for whatever you like.

    1. mm

      Thanks for the question Wanda. We have not tested this process for use with light globes. This tinting process is water soluble and not stable like a permanent tint. Therefore our educated guess would be no, this in not a good solution for light globes. With that said, please let us know if you experiment and find out that this does indeed work. I think others would like to know the answer.

  2. I have glass shades with a white tint on my dining room chandelier. The glass shades on other light fixtures are a tea stain color. How could I tint the white shades to match the others?

    1. mm

      Jean – Very good question, however the process we used to make the blue tinted jars would not be recommended. I would suggest visiting a lighting store or store that carries globes for light fixtures. Good Luck!

  3. I let them drain for 15 min and cooked for 45 min. Still not fully transparent and have drip marks. Started out at 170 degrees then turned up to 180 after 20 min.

    1. mm

      I’m sorry these did not turn out for you and I hope you don’t give up on trying this again. Unfortunately a lot of factors may be the cause of different results. The thickness of the Mod Podge may have been thicker and you needed more water to thin it. Maybe you needed to leave the jars upside down to drain longer. The temperature of your oven may actually be lower than what your dial is set to. I had an oven in one of my apartments that was 100 degrees off – I know, crazy, right? And as for the drip marks, some of my jars also had drip marks. These can be minimized by giving them ample time to drain upside down. All that said – I hope you are not discouraged to try this again. For the jars you are unhappy with you can remove the tinting by soaking in water, drying and start over. Best wishes!

    1. mm

      Unfortunately these are not safe to drink from once tinted. While the gel food coloring is edible, Mod Podge is not. Mod Podge is also water soluble so if these are filled with water, the water will begin to dissolve the Mod Podge causing the tint to reverse as well.

  4. Will this technique hold up if there is water inside the jar – I was looking to use them as vases.

    1. mm

      Unfortunately these can’t hold water because the tint is water soluble. However, if you tried the process on the outside of the jar instead of the inside, the tint should hold as long as you never soak or hold it under water too long. Tinting the outside would be very messy but could be done by brushing it on. Another option would be to purchase tinted jars that state they can hold water. I hope this helps!

    1. mm

      I’m sorry Sandy the answer would be no. This process is water soluble, able to be dissolved, especially in water or other liquid. You would need to purchase tinted jars from a manufacturer that states you could “can” with them. Happy Canning!

  5. Thank you for sharing your project. I am going to give this a try! Can you tell me what color of food coloring did you use? Also, is it OK to put water in the jars, like for flowers?

    1. I used a blue gel food coloring. Basically I just mixed it in until I liked the color. Remember that the color you mix will most likely be lighter than when baked. You could use any color you want though! Unfortunately because this type of tinting used mod podge, water can’t be left inside. Mod podge is water solvent so the color will come off. But if you don’t like the color they turn out, soak them and try again! I hope this helps!

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