Mason Jar Fairy Lights

Capture a magical moment! Mason Jar Fairy Lights are easy and inexpensive, and can be made with virtually any sized-jar. Light up your next gathering, or let folks make their own.

How ot Make Fairy Lights |The Good Hearted Woman

What's the Story Behind this DIY?

Every year, I return to Camp Namanu, along the shores of the Sandy River, for the annual Alumni Reunion Weekend. Namanu is a place alive with magic, and holds so many of my own youthful memories that I cannot possibly express in a brief blog post how special this place is.

Today that is not my goal, but it would be wrong to go on without noting that Namanu saved me. It was there that I first found my voice, wrote my first song (a Forest Echo in 3rd grade when I was Sherwood Girl) and felt the strength and beauty and energy of a community truly Alive in the world.

Namanu Reunion 2014: Those70's Girls — **70's Girls** (If you look Very closely, I am in the back row, second from the left.)

I am just one of the thousands – hundreds of thousands – of Portland area girls (and boys… sorry, I am from an earlier time) who have spent a portion of their summer each year at Camp Namanu since it opened in 1924.

The former campers and staff who return to the reunion, ages 18 to 101 (Miss Marcie, our guest of honor in 2014, first attended Camp Namanu in 1925, when Calvin Coolidge was president) treasure our common bond as fiercely as any family. Because we understand – in a way no one else can – how profoundly life-changing our time at Namanu was.

A few years back, to celebrate the 90^th Anniversary of the opening of the camp, one sweet Namanu sister brought our little group a special project to celebrate - Mason Jar Fairy Lights.

It didn’t matter that it was a child’s craft, and the youngest of us was old enough to be a grandma. Our Mason Jar Fairy Lights were beautiful and lovely, and the moment is now a treasured memory.

Fairy Lights are simple, and like most lovely things, they are fleeting.

How to Make Mason Jar Fairy Lights

Materials & Supplies

Glow sticks (Get them at the Dollar Store. We used the bracelet size)**
Jar with a lid (We used pint- and quart-size Mason jars, but any jar will do)
White tulle (about a foot square)
Glitter (about a tablespoon)
Scissors

**WARNING: The substance inside glowing items is usually dibutyl phthalate - a clear, oily, colorless liquid. According to all the resources we consulted, glowing products have low level of toxicity and do not present an acute danger to children or pets. However, they can cause irritation if they comes in contact the body; including eyes, skin, and mouth.

5-Minute Craft DIY

Cut one end off of a glow stick and shake it into the jar. The more you get onto the sides, the better.

We all used two or three bracelet-sized glow sticks for a quart-size jar. Choose different colors if you want.

Scrunch up the square of tulle and put gently place it in the jar. Avoid wiping the sides as you do so, if possible.

Generously sprinkle the glitter into the jar. Put the lid on the jar and shake it all up.

More easy, DIYs inspired at Camp Namanu include our whimsical Mason Jar Fairy Lanterns (an entirely different craft / fairy home), Fairy Garden Terrarium, and our safe, easy Flameless Campfire.

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Post updated June 16, 2021 (Originally published September 9, 2014)