There is just something so warm and comforting about old mason jars. They remind me so much of my time growing up in the country. My mom collected antiques and primitives my whole life, and I inherited her passion for collecting as well. My mom had an old glass jar of buttons that now belongs to me. I wanted to give that old jar of buttons a purpose other than just sitting on a table, so I created a mason jar lamp out of it with a lamp kit I found online.
These are so simple to create. Honestly though…I wanted to use the same rusty lid that was already on the jar so we just drilled a hole in it and used everything but the lid that came with the kit. It looks much better I think, although there are several kits that are zinc or have that weathered galvanized look. Just depends on what sort of look you’re going for.
This is the old jar of buttons that belonged to my mom. Love that rusty lid.
Add your lamp kit to the lid (we used the original lid) and then screw onto the jar.
Once you get the kit, you just attach the lid to your mason jar, add a bulb, and it’s ready to work! Add whatever sort of lamp shade you prefer.
(I really like these burlap lamp shades)!!
As for inside the jar…there are endless possibilities. We also have another one that has old thread spools and then a 3rd one that has old wooden kids blocks.
Another lamp made with old spools of thread in a ball jar.
These mason jar lamps are a fun way to preserve memories or keepsakes – like those old buttons that belonged to my mom. These make fun gifts too, or sentimental ones for your mom, sister, or best friend. Do you have a mason jar lamp? What sorts of things do you keep in yours?? Drop us a comment and tell us about them…we’d love to hear!
If you want to make your own DIY Mason Jar Lamp, you can find the kits and jars at most retailers or hardware stores. Older mason jars are always better of course, but if you can’t find any…you can always buy new. If you prefer to shop online, you can find both the lamp kits and the mason jars on Amazon.
Jenni
Jenni here! I'm the owner and primary blogger here at Sweet Pennies from Heaven. Married to my better half for 17 years and mom to one awesome little boy. We have 2 dogs, Pepper and Izzy. My favorite thing to do is nap. I love sweets and coffee. Sweet coffee.
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the chick behind this blog! I'm your ordinary, everyday wife and mom to an incredible pair of stinky guys! I am a self diagnosed coffee addict with a ginormous sweet tooth, preferably baked goods!! My hope is to help you, teach you, and entertain you on your way to a more thrifty and frugal lifestyle! Along the way, you'll find awesome recipes, great tips, and tons of randomness! We have loads of fun, so ya'll come back now, ya hear?!
I love this idea and can picture so many ways to fill the jars. Thank you for such clear directions!
I looked up the light kits on Amazon and do not see where you found the cute lamp shade; help?
Hi Dee and thanks for your comment! You’re right, there are so many ways to fill the jars up. The link in the post for the lamp shades were the burlap ones. I just liked those and wanted to share the link. The green gingham shade I have shown in the picture is a shade I’ve had for years. To be honest, I don’t even remember where I got it! 🙁 Good luck…and if you make a lamp – I’d love it if you’d share a photo of your finished product with us!!! Thank you for stopping by!
Seriously love this! So funky and fun I will definitely have to try this soon!
What a cute idea for a gift that can be personalized to mean something special! Nice to know where to get the kits from!
I never thought of this idea before and I am happy I stumbled upon your blog post! I will definitely try this. I just hope I have the time though.
Oh, I’ve been saving buttons for years. Now I know what I’ve been saving them for. This is such a neat idea!
That’ s a cute idea. Usually I just throw random buttons away, but I bet if I had saved them over the years I would have been able to fill a jar.
Well, that is just adorable! Now I have something to do with all of those buttons I’ve saved for two decades. So cute.
Gosh this is so cute. I am getting ready to redo my spare bedroom. I need to get thinking about making a lamp out of things I have in my house. I have some really neat jars in the basement – I will check them out for a lamp. Pinned
What a great idea! I’ve always wanted to make my own lamp…never knew you could buy a kit! Off to Amazon I go!
What a fun idea! I love using an old jar, especially one with memories! And those buttons add a little pop of color, which is fun too!
I love this idea! I just bought a bunch of different mason jars the other day at Michael’s craft store. Different sizes, colors, and shapes. I bought them not knowing exactly what to use them for but I think I now have a great idea for my daughter’s room! This is pretty cool.
How creative! I love this! I love anything to do with mason jars.
I love this idea. I’ve been meaning to do something like this with my son’s mini toys he leaves lying around the house. Maybe a keepsake to pass on to him later.
I love this, very vintage looking. I would so enjoy having this in my home.
I love the items you placed in the mason jars! They give the lamp so much color – I would love to do this!
I love the one with spools of thread. I wish i could find some cool jars like that
This is so cute! We don’t have any table lamps, but I love this idea for a gift too.
this is a project my mom would have LOVED to do. i smiled when i saw it, thinking of her right away!
That is such a neat idea! So creative and looks awesome.
Very cool. I’ve been wanting to make a mason jar chandelier!
That is a cute idea. I could see it perfectly in a craft room/
Mason jars are so versatile! I love how you used them here to make lamps. They could be filled with so many different things depending on your decor.
This is SUCH a clever idea! I love that you can add so many different things to the base of the lamp!
I love this lamp so much! I have paid for lamps like these. My mom always collected primitive decor as well, and I have grown to love it myself.
What an adorable idea! We are always looking for fun ways to decorate.
This is just adorable! I would love to make twofer my end tables!
Those are neat! My Gram has loved to sew her whole life, that lamp filled with the thread spools would be a nice gift for her sewing table!
Such a creative idea! I like that you could really personalize this any way that fits.
That is a very unique idea. I could totally see it in a farmhouse style home.
How very cute! I love using jars to hold things that you can leave out.
I am totally making these for my craft room…or possibly my living room! I have a button obsession and I collect vintage buttons! Our local antique store sells them by the scoop and every time I go in there it’s like Christmas! 🙂
That is so adorable! That would be so much fun to make!
I LOVE old buttons. I have used them to decorate frames before, but this lamp idea is awesome!
this is awesome. i love the dual purpose. I’m on the look out for mason jars now.
That’s so cute! I want to try it!
Beautiful and so creative! I love mason jars! I actually just made a soap dispenser from a mason jar a couple of weeks ago.
How cute is that??????? I never would have thought of it. Very clever!
That is so cool and unique! I think my mother-in-law would love a lamp like this.
That turned out so cute!! It would be perfect for a craft room lamp!
That’s such an awesome idea! This would look really cute in a crafting or sewing room. My first thought was I should do this, with pennies, for my daughter’s room. She’d love it!
What a lovely idea to use it as a base or a lamp. It looks fabulous. I can imagine old coins and sea shells in one too.
Oh, I just love this! We’ve been looking to replace some of the very old lamps we have around here. This would be such a fun replacement!
These are neat! I’m thinking I could put my husband’s old matchbox cars in my son’s room like this!
I like the idea of using mason jars this way, a combination of recycling and upcycling.
How fun! AND you know where the spare buttons are when they fall off your coats! 🙂
Thanks for linking up with Spread the Love!
Two of my favorite things…mason jars and buttons! I love the look of this lamp…pinning it! Blessings, D@TheShadyPorch
How creative, it looks so pretty. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up with us again this weekend, I’d love to see you there 🙂 Have a great weekend!
I love this! It is gorgeous!
Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!
I kind of have a thing for buttons lately – this is awesome! Love it!
Pinning, and thanks for linking up at Wordy Wednesday!
These are so creative! I love the idea of using mason jars and filling them up with anything you want to create this great decor! I just wanted to let you know that I will be linking to this post on 3/28 if you don’t mind.
Thank you Alyssa!! These are really fun. I’d love it if you linked to it…I appreciate it!! Thanks!
I don’t which I love more the jar or the buttons! Thanks for sharing at Inspire Us Thursday on Organized 31.
Hi Jenni. Thanks for posting this on the Pintaastic Pinteresting Party. What a clever idea. I have a huge collection of buttons, but I also use them in my crafts. I also have a lot of old spools of thread. Hmmm, I might have to consider doing this. Thanks for sharing.
This would make a great Christmas gift!! What size jar did you use, and what watt light bulb did you use?
Hey Robin! Oh my goodness. Honestly, I don’t know what size jar it is that I used. It’s the bigger mason jars though, not the regular sized ones. You could probably use whatever size you want because I think the lids are universal, right? I could be wrong on that! You would just want to make sure that whatever size lampshade you have would look proportional to the jar. The light bulb kit that you buy will tell you what wattage is needed. I just use whatever we have in the cupboard. 60 watt I think?! Good luck, and let us know how things go!
Hmmm… if shade and jar lid was attached and the light was battery-operated light, then you would have easy access to the contents. A decorative lamp then becomes handy storage.