If you are a regular reader of this blog then you are going to probably laugh at today’s post because once again I am demonstrating my obsession with crafts that flicker! I just can’t help myself! Especially at this time of year. The glow of “candlelight” is just so cozy and inviting, and with the little LED tea lights you can buy now you can light up the night safely and economically! It’s a dream come true for a girl like me. :-)
These charming votives made from recycled glass jars, a little Mod Podge, and Epsom Salt were so simple to make, I might have gone a little overboard. But I had all these jars I’d been saving for SOMETHING and when I spied this idea at Farmhouse38 I knew this was the perfect way to use them! (My glass jar hoarding was finally paying off!)
Here is what you’ll need to make your own Salt Votives:
- Glass jars (any size will do!)
- Epsom Salt
- Mod Podge (or some other adhesive)
- Painter’s tape (optional)
- Clear Coat Finish spray paint
Here is what you’ll do:
I liked the idea of keeping part of the jar clear glass so I opted to tape off the top of the jars about 1/8 to 1/4 of the way down. I had lot of painter’s tape leftover from painting my office and this worked perfectly.
Fill a shallow container with Epsom Salt (I used a small baking sheet).
Next “paint” your jars with a medium thick layer of Mod Podge and then ROLL them in the salt. Keep turning the jar and rolling in the salt until you have a nice, even coverage. Set aside to dry while you make another one! (or two or three…or TEN!)
Spray each jar with a coat of clear gloss spray to help the salt to adhere to the jar and give it just a little more sparkle! Allow to dry (really only minutes!) and remove the tape.
Place one of those LED tea lights in each jar and THAT is it! You’ve just made a pretty little votive that would complement just about any home decor.
Of course I was thinking “Christmas decor” when made these, but since then I have placed them all over the house!
I have one by my nightstand, one on a small table by the chair in my office (shown above), several placed around my bathtub (perfect ambiance for a nice, soothing soak!) and of course on the mantel…because they just look so nice there. :-)
I even stuck a few in the Christmas tree…just for fun. My pictures don’t do it justice….but they provided the most lovely glow amongst the branches!
On a scale of 1 to 10…I’d give this craft idea a solid 9.5 (because there’s always room for a little improvement!) :-)
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New reader here. LOVE this blog. Wonderful tips and ideas. This one is a keeper!
Thanks Michelle! And welcome! :-)
These are just LOVELY! Thank you for sharing! Off ti pick up some Epsom salts!
That is such s good idea!! But I really wished I hadn’t seen it, now I want to make those for christmas gifts!! Those would be so nice and easy to make. I love your blog!!
I really like these!
I was wondering…can you color the epson salt with food coloring???
Yes, you can. Place desired amount of ES into a clear or slightly transparent container with a lid — plastic or glass, doesn’t matter. Add a couple drops of desired food coloring, attach lid and SHAKE thoroughly til ES is evenly colored.
You could also dye the salt with food coloring and then roll it on the glasses.
http://www.ehow.com/how_8347150_dye-salt.html
I have tons of ideas now!!!
Thanks for the awesome post!
This is a great idea. Also you can add a couple of drops of food coloring to the Epson Salt to get a color you like.
Jillee! You did it again.
Neat idea. It’s also a great way to reuse jar candles after they’ve burned down to the bottom.
Cute !
One could also paint a few random strokes or designs once the salt has dried ! Acrylic paints should work fine.
Wonder if you could color the salt somehow? I’m using epsom salt IN my mason jars to anchor votives, looks like snow!
Did you know you can also use coffee grounds to anchor votives? Light a real votive & the heat of the flame will warm the grounds so that they let off a yummy fragrance. Vanilla, caramel or hazelnut candles are my favorite ones to use with coffee grounds.
That sounds like a really neat idea!!
Adorable – love it!!
Can we use a real votive candle? Either way…LOVE this… definitely a teacher gift!!!
What if you used colored sand, like for Sand Art?. You can find that at Michaels. I’m not sure if a color, even a light one would make it harder for a person to see the light. It is just a thought. Very cute, LUV IT!!
I’d be afraid that a finer grain of sand like that would cover the jar too fully and not let enough light out? If you used a thin layer of mod podge on the jar and sprinkled the sand over it instead of rolling the jar in the sand, it might work. But we’ll never know til we try!
Where are my Michael’s coupons…
This would also be great to give the fake berries in a wreath or other decoration a little bit of sparkle and tone down the red of the berries.
Landon – I am a coffee addict! I already have plans for a container of coffee beans on the table with a vanilla votive in it.
Just be sure to use the votive tea lights that are in little cups or add a small candle cup inside of a larger container with the coffee beans or grounds. You want to avoid the coffee coming in contact with the flame. Don’t ask how I know, just know it took days to get the scorched coffee smell out of my house! LOL It didn’t cause a safety risk – a few grounds got in the melted wax & made it’s way to the flame, but boy did it stink up the place!
I don’t know whether to thank you or hate you for your blog! I have recently started following you and I now have NO spare time! I keep running out and buying what I need to try whatever your last posting was for. For sure I will be making these candles before the holidays. I hate that work gets in the way of crafting. Thanks
MagpieSue
Darn work!! I completely agree Sue! :-)
I love this idea, awesome, now have to get some epson salts, think I will try them with my rechargable battery lit tealights which I use all the time. Can’t wait to try!!!
Where did you get RECHARGEABLE batter tea lights!
One word…ribbons! Would add to the seasonal look and with flameless votives be quite safe!
I think coarse glitter, alone or mixed in with the epsom salt would also be pretty. Great idea!
Excellent idea!
SO cute!! Love them on the mantle! Hmmmm, may have to pull out the epsom salt :)
These look great! They can satisfy my desire for candles without causing alarm in DH about burning down the house. Especially since he heard the daughter-in-law’s story of a family member who did burn down the house when an candle caught fire some years ago. Really like them in the tree.
Jillee- I was hoping to read all your posts from the beginning (over the winter) & wondered if there is a systematic way to search them & read them.
CTY…on the sidebar…on the right hand side of the website there are links to the Archives that are arranged in Chronological order. You could start there. Otherwise there are Categories listed in the navigation bar at the top of the page.
FYI…we are working on the overall look and functionality of the website….expect exciting things come January! :-)
As a commenter above said, ” I love this blog!” Great idea!
Oooooo I love the idea of sticking this in the tree! Such a great way to spruce up your tree (no pun intended:)
Love It!
How you remove the labels and sticky residue from jars? I feel terrible throwing out perfectly good glass bottles and jars because I couldnt properly clean them :(
Coconut oil and baking soda!
Or Peanut Butter. :-)
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/05/how-to-remove-sticker-goo.html
I am out of jars, but wouldn’t cheap glasses (from the 99 cent store) work? I can picture a grouping of various mismatched glasses looking very pretty done this way.
Most definitely! :-)
Just to let you know, your blog is the first thing I read each morning and sometimes (like today) I go back for a second look. You are truly amazing – please, please never stop giving us such wonderful ideas. I rushed out to buy my “stuff” to do this early this morning. I give you a 10+++.
Awwww….thank you Carole! That was very nice of you to say. I guarantee I won’t stop…and I promise I’ll keep doing my best. :-)
You could probably use some powdered food coloring in the salt and make different colors too.
I was thinking ad some color to the mod podge, that could be really fun too :)
What a great idea! I am thinking of making a bunch and using them for luminaries instead of the paper bag luminaries along my sidewalk.
That would be beautiful glistening in the dark!!
I adore this! I have a 3 year old grandchild and I have put my favorite candles away to keep her safe. I don’t consider it a hardship, but now I can enjoy having candles again as well as delight in little Emme. Thank you Jillee. I can’t get enough of your ideas.
Jillee..I love this idea! I just got online to look for ideas for my future daughter-in-law for Christmas. These are fabulous! Just a question…does much of the salt fall off while handling?
I applied Epsom salt on white, Dollar Tree pumpkins and they turned out great! They went from looking, well, Dollar Store to Crate and Barrel in no time! Lol!
These would also look great “strung up” with wire handles outdoors summer and winter! And then you could use the real candles that are just that bit brighter!!!! Or nestled in the snow—not a snow fan but anything that makes winter ANY brighter is good for ME!!!! OH—and you could use some of that AMAZING RED AND WHITE BAKERS TWINE Jillee!!!!!! LOL!!!!
One thing–don’t EVER put your burned candles in the SINK. Even if it is a metal sink! Fires have started when people put the candle in there and it is not either OUT or is still full of HOT wax–the wax can get down the pipes if the candle tips or the container cracks and MELT or SET ON FIRE the PVC pipes under there—right where a lot of us store our chemicals! And paper goods! If it doesn’t manage to melt your pipes it can certainly clog them and make for a very annoying and messy clean up. No one wants to spend an evening under the SINK!!!!! Better to just have them sit on a flat stable METAL baking type pan until they solidify.
I love it!!! So easy and so pretty!!! I have to get some mason jars now! =) Thanks for the great idea! Pinning this post too! =)
Ergo – Blog
Love the idea of putting on the christmas tree. I just know my daughter is going to love adding the candles to her tree.
Wonderful idea as always! I have got to try making some of these. Epsom salt is a staple in our house…and these are lovely. I also like the idea of coloring the salt, or maybe the glass itself.
Just out of curiosity, Jillee, what is the reoccurring injury on your left thumb? I see that in a lot of your posts, there is a band-aid on it. But your nails are always polished so lovely!
I have to agree with everyone else, Jillee, you have incredible ideas! I’ve thanked you in the past for all your research into “Things” that make our life easier and I say it again. I want to add a thank you for the darling ideas, such as this one today, that adds joy to our homes and what an easy gift idea. I’m going to hopefully fit this into my schedule of homemade items for Christmas. If I don’t get to it by Christmas, I’ll do them for News Years…I think I can make them in that week! Yeah!
Love this idea. I’d use scented candles ’cause I’m hung up on aromatherapy. But now what containers will you use for giving away home made salsa or spice rubs? :)
When you mentioned putting these on your Christmas tree, I thought this would be perfect for baby food jars!
Baby food jars – what an ADORABLE idea!
Another thing real quickly – you can make your own Modge Podge by using half white glue and half water. In other words, cup of glue plus cup of water equal Modge Podge.
Great idea! I may have to try this at our craft night tonight!
If you like scented things, add some essential oils to the Epsom salts (along witha few drops of food colouring, if you want colour too). Haven’t tried these yet, so not sure how long the scent would last, but probably good for a while…just an idea…
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I am curious if you would think it safe to paint the Mod Podge on a toddler hand and then roll in the ES? I think this might make a good gift for my son’s biological family. I have never used Mod Podge before and just don’t know.
Thanks!
I am not an expert on this, but the Mod Podge label says it’s non-toxic so you would probably be ok. I’ll admit though, I’m a tad confused by your question…why would you need to paint your toddler’s hand?
I planned to put (paint) the Mod Podge on my toddler’s hand, have him transfer that to the jar, and then roll the salt on. IF he will cooperate, maybe both hands on it. If it works, I may give it to all the gparents, too! We just found another tub of jars we forgot we have had. For 2 years.
Oh haha! That makes sense. I bet that would be ok. I’m sure plenty of crafters get Mod Podge on their hands so it shouldn’t hurt anything.
Shiann, so cute! I work w/ young children. Did it work out? Can you post a pic somewhere and post a link here please?
PS Jillee, I can spend hours on here. Dangerous. Must do other work. LOL. Thanks for your wonderful blog!
You have the best blog ever!!! Your ideas are fantastic! Love to read it at work on my lunch break. This idea is cool. I wonder if you could use fragrance or essential oils to scent the epsom salts?? Is this even possible? My mind is running in overdrive now thinking of different things to do with this. Thanks for all your ideas and keep up the great work! I’m a “lifer” now. Love it!! :-)
Just made 25 of these and the oatmeal shower bags and the semi-homemade loition!! I love this site and appricate all the hard work you do. Please, please, please keep it up this is the best site I have found for homemade and DIY!!!! Thank you so much and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
I made these salt votives and they made such a beautiful eye catching decorations for my holiday parties!! thanks for the idea! I gave some away as gifts when people cpmplimented them. I love your blogs, I look forward to seeing what is new everyday. I make my own laundry soap, hand soap, body wash, dishwasher powder and dish washing liquid because of your blog!!! I also like to look back at what I missed out before I found your blog. thanks for all the wonderful ideas.
I just made several of these. They are beautiful. I am searching the house for different knids of jars I can do this on…lol. I just did this on a large vase, waving the tape so the top line isn’t straight. looks very cool! Love the ideas of coloring the salts. Wonderful and easy ideas
This website it brilliant. How about using outdoor mod podge, the salt, more mod podge, with solar light on top for a luminaire? I think I’ll try it plus maybe color the salt for different colored luminaires. Thanks for all your hard work for other people.
when making these votives..can you add a little paint to the Mod Podge to be holiday friendly (such as red or green) 03/09/13
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