Mason Jar Outdoor Light Chandelier

Sprucing up my back porch is a yearly effort.  Florida weather can be rough on anything exposed to the elements. Therefore, each season calls for a fresh look. My free-flowing mason jar outdoor light is now a welcome sight with my morning coffee and the birds. Collecting mason jars is a secret hobby and the perfect start to my outdoor lights. I was born with crazy creative ideas, and I generally just make it up as I go along. I looked at the space I wanted to fill and just worked out from there. Adding light to the canopy would make a focal point in the open space above the seating area.

 First, I used several sizes of mason jars to give the chandelier depth and I knew that I wanted a  natural outdoor feel that could be changed with the seasons.  Second, I used twine wire to create a ring to use as the base to hang from the jars from and on the hook at the top of the canopy.  It is medium wire covered in brown raffia/twine.

Thirdly, I wrapped wire around the lip of each jar and created a loop to attach the twined wire. I wanted the mason jars to hang in a scattered way, not organized or even. Each jar had a different length of twine wire, so they hung with a jumbled look. I then took pine cones from the yard and added wire to them and hung them at different lengths.

After hanging ten jars, from the ring on the top of the canopy,  I then filled them with lights. That is to say, I took several strands of white lights and put them inside each of the jars.

Now for decoration.  I love burlap because it can look messy and elegant at the same time. I knew it would be perfect for this project because it would hold up longer in the summer weather. First, I made three wide bows with the burlap and wired them onto the twine wire ring.  Next, I cut eight strips of burlap to hang from the bows and wired them to the twine wire. I did three bows. Therefore, they met each other on all sides to fill in space at the top of the mason jar outdoor light chandelier.

I made the original mason jar light chandelier in the fall and filled in the jars with fall garland. It had pumpkins, leaves, and gourds.  Then, I decorated the top of the bows with branches from a magnolia tree. When it lights up at night it is the perfect amount of light to enjoy a visit from friends.

In the spring, I fashioned the chandelier with cherry blossoms.  The white and pink hues are a perfect pick me up to my early morning coffee with the birds. Speaking of birds, you may notice straggling pieces of burlap hanging on the strips.  The neighborhood wrens discovered that this is the perfect nesting material! I keep finding strings of burlap everywhere. One family of wrens moved into one of the bows in January, but I had to chase them off! There was not enough support for them to build a nest,  and I wanted to avert disaster.

My space is open to the elements and is always open to welcome friends for coffee and banana bread. It is not decorated fancy, that is not how I live in this season of life. It is backyard living with the rain, chickens, dogs, and muddy boys, just how I like it.

I love mason jar crafting, do you? I would love to hear your mason jar outdoor light ideas for gathering with family, friends, and the birds!