Alphabet Chandelier from old baby food jars
Alphabet Chandelier from old baby food jars

Alphabet Chandelier from old baby food jars


Our glass recycling bin was becoming full of baby food jars and in need of being dealt with. I knew I could just run them to the recycling center, but it saddened me to get rid of so many cute little jars – there was so much potential! So after several days of pondering and pinteresting {yes, that is a word} I came up with… an alphabet chandelier! I am in love with alphabets and I had seen a few pictures of baby food jars being used as votives in chandeliers, and so I tried to search for some one who had combined the two for inspiration. No such luck. That was ok with me though, I love trying out my own ideas. My next search was for the just the right letters to use. I wanted them to have a vintagy/not typical type feel and I was delighted when I found the PERFECT letters at the handmade home. And so begins my tutorial…

First I sorted through all of my jars to find the cleanest, least
residuey candidates. {We run all of ours through the dishwasher, but
sometimes there’s still glue left over.} I went with a combination of
large and small jars to keep it interesting.

I converted the PDF files into PowerPoint and printed off the letters
using the “handout” option – two squares for the large jars & three
for the smaller ones.

Next, using some homemade mod podge I placed the letters on the jars. To enhance the “aged” affect of the jars I applied a THIN layer of the glue on top of the labels, but if you’re going for a cleaner look this wouldn’t be necessary.

After the labels were attached, I coated the entire jar with the glue mix to give them a “frosted” look.

The next step was to create wire hooks {I got the cheapest, 30 yd black
copper wire from JoAnn Fabric.} I did two loops around the opening and
then twisted the end up the uncut wire source. I then created a loop and
cut the wire to size, leaving enough extra to twist up the other side. 

My next step was creating a base. I found a lovely purple colander at Target and broke off the handles {I tried to undo the bolts, but had no luck.}

Using the same wire as before, I created an interweaving web through several of the
center holes and then added a loop by twisting the wire on top of
itself several times in a circle.

To get the base high enough off the ground, I ended up
hanging it in out front closet with a hair tie & hanger.  Then
working from the middle, I added my jars making sure the whole structure
was balanced as I went.

I used a standard hook from target {$2/2} to mount to the ceiling, and then hung the chandelier by the loop I had made earlier.

And this is the view from across the room, which by the way is also a work in progress {so don’t judge! :)}

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