Back to top
Home | Halloween Craft: Recycled Glass Pumpkin Votives

Halloween Craft: Recycled Glass Pumpkin Votives

This easy craft project is so much fun to make, and the finished product looks fantastic, especially when lit with a flickering LED candle. Best of all, you can make them using materials from your recycling bin! These Halloween pumpkin votives are simple to make, and are a perfect craft project for all ages, with parental supervision, of course. My daughter and I created the pair of jack-o-lanterns lanterns shown here.

This project is a little messy, so make sure you have a good work area that's easy to clean up. You can also create variations on this craft: use white tissue to make ghost lanterns, and green to make monsters.

To make this project, you'll need:

  • Glass jars from the recycling bin
  • Mod Podge
  • Orange tissue paper, cut into 1- to 2-inch squares
  • Black construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Brushes (foam craft brushes work great)
  • LED votive or tea light candles

Find some nice jars in your recycling bin; we used jam and applesauce jars. Wash and remove the labels—they come right off in warm soapy water, then dry thoroughly inside and out.

Have the kids pre-cut tissue square before you begin. Pieces should be about 1 or 2 inches square, but it doesn't really matter. Cut out jack-o-lantern faces for each votive—a mouth, eyes, and nose—from black construction paper.

Bring all the materials to your work area. It helps to have some old towels on hand, too, because things can get a little messy. Coat the outside of each jar with Mod Podge. If you don't have Mod Podge, you can use regular old Elmer's Glue-All thinned out with a little water, although the finish won't be as glossy.

Start laying down pieces of tissue over the jar, making sure you overlap corners so the jar is completely covered. (This is where some grown-up help and quality control comes in handy.)

Brush another layer of Mod Podge over the tissue-covered jar. It's OK if it looks lumpy or messy; it will dry smooth and clear.

Immediately place your jack-o-lantern face on the wet Mod Podge, then heavily coat the pieces so they stay in place. If pieces start sticking up or bubbling, brush on a little more Mod Podge.

Let lanterns dry for a few hours. You don't want to handle them when they're wet.

Add an LED candle (flickering LED candles work best), or string of LED mini-lights, step back, and admire your creative handiwork!