DIY Lantern Moth Jars

These easy DIY lantern moth jars will light up your garden during long summer evenings.

Looking for a fun way to light your next evening garden party? These easy DIY lantern moth jars are inexpensive and easy to assemble… and frankly hard to photograph, I have to admit. They look great in person – make them for yourself and see!

DIY Lantern Moth Jars

DIY Lantern Moth Jars Materials

  • Glass Jars (Mason jars will work, but I found these with plain sides and preferred them)
  • Decorative jar tops with cut outs as shown below
  • Krylon Sea Glass Spray Paint in Ice
  • Iridescent glitter paint
  • Dark cardstock
  • Die cut machine or pencil, scissors, and X-Acto knife
  • Moth silhouette images
  • Gluestick
  • Sponge brush
  • Ribbon and raffia
  • Tea lights or LED string lights

DIY Lantern Moth Jars Silhouette Images

  • If you have a die cut machine (i.e. Cricut or Silhouette), download the moth images above, upload them to your design program, and use your machine to cut them out from dark cardstock.
  • If you don’t have a machine, print and cut the images onto light colored paper. Use this as a template to cut out the shapes from dark cardstock with scissors and X-Acto knife.
  • For both, adjust the moth silhouettes to the appropriate size for your jars.

DIY Lantern Moth Jars

DIY Lantern Moth Jars

DIY Lantern Moth Jars Instructions

  • Clean the glass jars well, removing any sticker residue.
  • Spray the outside of the jars with the sea glass spray paint. Several coats may be necessary. Allow to dry.
  • Use the sponge brush to apply glitter paint to the outside of the jars. Allow to dry.
  • Glue the silhouettes to the insides of the jars. Be sure they are pressed firmly in place. Tip: Use a ruler or chopstick to press the cutouts into place if the jar is too narrow for your hand to fit inside.
  • Add ribbon and raffia to the rim of the jar.
  • If possible, use battery-operated LED string lights. Push them randomly into the jar to simulate fireflies. You can also use battery-operated tealights.

DIY Lantern Moth Jars

Lit and unlit, for comparison.

DIY Lantern Moth Jars

Another (unsatisfactory!) photo.

DIY Lantern Moth Jars

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Jill Staake
Jill lives in Tampa, Florida, and writes about gardening, butterflies, outdoor projects and birding. When she's not gardening, you'll find her reading, traveling and happily digging her toes into the sand on the beach.