DIY Mason Jar Vanity Light
How to inexpensively transform a basic vanity bathroom light into a farmhouse style vanity light using mason jars and spray paint.
Hi y’all! Despite having some technical difficulties this week (sometimes computers get saucy and put up a fight), I’m so excited to be sharing this project with you. If you’re not a Pin-a-holic, you may not know this, but mason jar projects have run rampant. So this one is total white noise in the sea of mason jar awesomeness out there, but I’m stoked to finally have this in our house!
I am bound and determined to change up our builder grade basic materials in our home to make it more “us” and let it have some personality. This project was super duper easy and only cost me 6 bucks! Yup. Cheapo. And I did it in about 20 minutes total (Robert’s installation included)
Supplies used: (Affiliate links are provided below. For more information, see my full disclosure.)
- 2 mason jars (or however many lights your fixture has) – I chose the smaller ones, but the big ones work too.
- Oil rubbed bronze spray paint (This one is my favorite.)
- A Sharpie
- Hammer and 1 nail
- And, of course, your builder grade light fixture (This one and this one are similar to mine and you could buy it already in oil rubbed bronze if you wanted to eliminate some work.)
After detaching the builder grade shades and bulbs and my hubby took the fixture off of the wall (I’m a slave driver, I know), I gave it two coats of the oil rubbed bronze spray paint.
While I waited for the paint to dry, I went to work on the mason jars by using the flange from the fixture (it took me forever to think of what this little do-dah was called) and traced it on the center of the jar lid with the Sharpie. (Please ignore my terrible fingernails. I’m in desperate need of a mani. Mothering a toddler takes priority.)
From here, I just started nailing holes close together around the traced circle. It was easier to keep the lid on the jar.
And here it is all nailed out. No power tools needed! After this step, I painted the lid rings too.
All it took was a little pressure and this little guy popped right out of the lid.
I thought I could just punch it out with my thumb, buuuut I thought wrong. I succeeded, but I paid the price. Don’t be a hero, y’all! Use a screwdriver or something for goodness sake! It is jagged metal, after all. (FYI, all the cool kids wear Snoopy Band-Aids.)
Once the paint was dry and both jar lids were cut out, I had to overcome my hair-brained self to figure out this step. I put the cut jar lid top on first before realizing the lid ring should be the first thing to slide on, so that was crazy difficult to pull off (and my wimpy injured-thumbed self had to pull out her big girl straw and suck it up). So HERE is the order of operations. It’s not that complicated; I just had an airhead moment. Welcome to my world. 🙂
And that was it! I used an Edison bulb to give it a little extra vintage flair. Even though I’m all for saving energy, I despise the day-to-day functionality of energy efficient bulbs. It takes a while for them to warm up, so by the time they’re bright enough to light up our tiny powder room, I’m already leaving and flipping off the switch. Ridonculous. Edison bulb it is.
This little light has so much more personality now! And it’s definitely more “us” than the basic one we had before.
So that’s one more thing we can check off the list for the powder room. One of these days, I’ll have to make the other brushed nickel pieces in here match the finish of our light. And I would loooove to have this faucet in the distant future. Baby steps, Lauren, baby steps.
It’s looking pretty spectacular with my HomeGoods mirror too. 🙂
This project marks the official halfway point of personalizing our downstairs lighting. If you missed it, I already did our foyer and hallway. The kitchen and dining room are next on my radar! I’m a force to be reckoned with when it comes to our lighting lately. Must. make. them. match!
As a little teaser for next week, I wanted to do a small something to give back to you guys for checking in on me and my DIY madness. Y’all are the reason I keep this momentum going.
If you liked this post, check out these other lighting makeovers:
(Just click the image.)
(Just click the image.)
Follow me on
Or find me on
or
Cool and so inspiring!
Very cool! I love the mirror too. Definitely going to try both. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you! Hope it turns out well.
Mason jars are one of my favorite things to decorate with. Don’t worry, about your blond moment! I have them all the time!! And I’m a brunette! lol
Haha Thanks, Jayne!
Great post, and great project. It’s too bad, however, that you had to “overcome [your] blonde brain” to get it done. You seem plenty clever, smart and capable to this reader. Self-depreciation only goes so far. It certainly does not extend to an entire group of blonde people.
Thank you, Anna. And you’re absolutely right. Elle Woods knew better than that too. 😉
I shared your mason jar light on my page Faux the frill of It and readers were asking what happens to help the heat escape? Thanks
Thanks so much for sharing it! I have not had any problems with it overheating or anything, but it’s in the powder room where the light isn’t kept on for very long. I’ve seen mason jar lights done on many other blogs for kitchen lights and I’ve never heard of any heat issues. If someone is really concerned about it and wants a way to ensure that heat is escaping, the jar can always be cut at the bottom so that it is open underneath. You can cut glass bottles and jars using a method I found here: http://www.natashalh.com/how-to-cut-glass-bottles-the-best-way/ I hope that helps!
Thanks for this response! I’ve wondered too about the heat. Although the the jars are tempered glass, I’d be concerned about shattering jars with the heat Edison bulbs give off in a fixture that is on for long periods. . Love your tutorial too! I’m thinking about using the large 1/2 gallon size for over our dining table. your rope idea is great!
They make LED light bulbs now that are amazingly cool. I’m not sure if there are Edison bulbs or not but maybe something else that’s less ugly than CFLs.
Yes! I just saw LED Edison bulbs recently and they’re really cool. These bulbs are still going strong a year and a half later. Once they bite the dust, I think I’ll be checking out the new ones.
Oh, I appreciate this reply and sorry for missing it and asking the same question below 🙂
Incandescent lights that are less than 40 watts can be used in closed fixtures. (picture porch lights or hall globe lights)