Lanterns, Potions and Candles: Glass DIY Ideas for Halloween

Halloween is the perfect time to give glass jars and bottles a new lease of life. With a few simple materials and an afternoon's work, you can create decorations for your shop window or home, scented candles and small gifts for the children who knock at your door. Glass is the ideal material for it: it is clear, it catches the light and it can be transformed with just a few details.


Here are four simple ideas, all ready in time for 31 October.

1. Jar Lanterns

A glass jar becomes a lantern in just a few minutes. Panelled jars have smooth, straight sides that are perfect for wrapping in tissue paper, while Bonta jars are slightly taller.

 

Simply wrap the outside of the jar in orange or black tissue paper, fix it with a little PVA glue and leave it to dry. Add a few dried leaves or a little sand at the bottom, then finish the neck with a ribbon or a piece of twine.

 

Place an LED tealight inside: it is the safest choice for a decoration that stays lit for hours, especially next to paper and leaves.

2. Decorative Potion Bottles

A row of old-fashioned bottles turns a shelf, a bar counter or a party table into an alchemist's workshop. Herbalist bottles recall the little bottles of old apothecaries.

 

Fill them with water and a few drops of green, purple or orange food colouring, or with spices, dried sprigs and berries, then close them with a cork stopper. Bottles of different heights, from 200ml to 700ml, create a more striking display.

 

These potions are for looking at, not for drinking, so keep them well away from food and drink.

3. An Autumn Scented Candle

Making a candle at home is easier than it looks, and the result can be a gift or a seasonal product to sell. The 300ml candle glass is designed for exactly this.

 

First, fix the wick to the centre of the base with a wick sticker and keep it upright with a wick holder or two sticks. Melt the wax in a bain-marie, soy wax for example, and once it reaches the temperature recommended by the wax supplier, add your fragrance: cinnamon, apple, orange or spiced pumpkin.

 

Pour the wax slowly into the glass and leave it to cool at room temperature, away from draughts. It is worth waiting a few days before lighting it, because the scent becomes stronger as the candle rests.

4. Sweet Jars for Trick-or-Treaters

For the children who knock at your door, or as place settings at a party, a jar full of sweets is far nicer than a bag.

 

Fill a hexagonal jar or square Evolution Quad jars with colourful sweets, chocolates or meringue ghosts. Close them with their lid and finish with an orange or black ribbon. The 125ml Vaso Bonta is just right for a small portion.

Ready for Halloween?

Glass jars, bottles and candle glasses for every idea in this guide.

Shop Glass Jars

STAY UPDATED!

Subscribe to the newsletter and start receiving news and special offers from ThePackStock!

Most Popular

The Right Way to Measure Jar Lids

Creative Glass Bottle Decoration Ideas

Make Your Own Fragrant Wax Melts at Home

Complete Guide to Wine Making Equipment for Beginners

How to Make Sloe Gin at Home