How to Make Lighted Jars to Decorate Your Room

Want to brighten up your bedroom? Try making these luminous jars for a bright, and beautiful decoration!
How to Make Lighted Jars to Decorate Your Room

Last update: 26 May, 2022

Until they reach a certain age, many children will want to leave their light on when they go to bed, because it makes them feel more comfortable and safe.

But this can be inconvenient because in addition to the added cost of electricity, they could develop a dependence on having a light on in order to go to sleep.

Fortunately, there’s an interesting way to add light and decorate their bedroom without using electricity, but with a little creative lighting.

We’re talking about beautiful, decorative jars and bottles that you can make with just a few materials at home, resulting in an object that magically glows when you turn off the lights.

In today’s article we want to share two easy ways you can decorate your room in just a small amount of time. It’s great not only for kids’ bedrooms, but for adults’ bedrooms too. Give it a try!

Making luminous jars with glow sticks to decorate your room

step by step to make luminous jars

Most stores that sell party decorations will sell sticks or bars that emit a fluorescent light that glows in the dark.

These products are also known as glow sticks or light bracelets, usually worn during celebrations or holidays.

They’re about eight inches long and a quarter of an inch in diameter, with plastic connecting ends that are another half inch long.

They usually come in a variety of bold colors, like red, yellow, green, fuchsia, lilac, orange, or blue. Some may have multiple shades within a single bracelet or stick, making them even more interesting.

Choose your favorite color for this project, and combine them if you like!

See also: 6 Fun Homemade Tricks to Make Your Life Easier

Materials you need

  • Glass jars (any kind you prefer)
  • Glow sticks
  • Plastic gloves
  • Scissors
  • A bit of old tulle fabric

Step 1

mason jars

Search your house for some empty glass jars, like ones from coffee, olives, or other foods. Make sure the jars are cleaned out before using them for this project.

Step 2

Cut a piece of the old tulle fabric so that it’s slightly taller than the jar. Then, place it on the inside, against the glass.

Step 3

glow sticks

Put on the gloves to protect your hands and cut the glow stick to extract the fluid from inside.

Step 4

glow stick in a bottle

Spread the fluid from the glow stick on the inside of the jar, making sure to make contact with the tulle – this is what will make it glow in the dark.

Step 5

Since the idea is to create an attractive blend of glow in the dark colors, cut another colored stick and repeat the previous step.

Step 6

Close the jar securely with the lid and shake it.

Step 7

purple, luminous jar

Turn off the light and enjoy the beautiful lighting.

Decorate your room with a painted light jar

To make light jars, you should buy the fluorescent pains that are sold in art shops. They have photoluminescent properties that allow them to glow in the dark after they absorb the electromagnetic energy from a nearby light source.

Depending on the pigment that is added it might glow green, blue, yellow, or pink. As we mentioned before, try to combine two or three colors to get a more beautiful effect.

Materials

  • Glass jars
  • Fluorescent paint
  • Paint brush
  • Water (as needed)

Step 1

mixing paint with a paintbrush

Mix the paint with a little water in a clean bowl until it dissolves a little. Make sure you use a paint brush and gloves to protect your hands.

Step 2

Wash the jars well and be sure they’re completely dry.

Step 3

small dots on a jar

Use the brush to apply the paint on the inside of the jar, making small dots until you cover it completely. The more dots you make, the more it will glow in the dark.

This process may take a while, but you’ll love the results.

Step 4

a jar being held up to a light

Put the jar up to a light bulb so that it will glow brighter when you turn off the lights.

Although the jar won’t look like much during the day, you’ll be amazed how much it glows in the dark.

green light jars

Did you enjoy these ideas? As you can see, both techniques are easy to follow and the results are very striking.

All you need is a little time and some creativity to make your own. In fact, you can even do this with your children to have fun together.

Of course, make sure they wear gloves and old clothes in case you have any spills or splashes.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Flores fluorescentes. García Carmona, F., Gandía Herrero, F., & Escribano, J. (2011). Flores fluorescentes. Investigación y Ciencia.
  • VV.AA. (2017). El reciclaje: un nicho de innovación y emprendimiento con enfoque ambientalista. http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2218-36202017000100005

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.