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November 12, 2012

Luminary Advent Calendar

Thanks For Sharing!

From the time I was born up until I left for college, my mom would give each of us (I have two brothers) one of those paper advent calendars with the pretty Christmas scenes on them and filled with chocolates. You know what I’m talking about, right? I even think she let us eat the piece of chocolate before we left for school in the morning which made them an extra special treat. To this day, it is one of my favorite memories from my childhood.

I love advent calendars and I love how many different ways there are to count down the days until Christmas. As a kid (and an adult) there is nothing better than checking one more day off the list and watch as we get closer and closer to the big day.

Today, I’m showing you how to make a Luminary Advent Calendar from recycled baby food jars.

Luminary Advent Calendar, diy advent calendar, christmas crafts, etching cream  projects, candle advent calendar, baby food jar craft

This is an inexpensive craft that is completely customizable and who doesn’t love lighting candles every night in the winter time?!

Luminary Advent Calendar, diy advent calendar, christmas crafts, etching cream  projects, candle advent calendar, baby food jar craft

 

Supplies Needed:

– 25 Baby Food Jars

– Martha Stewart Etching Cream and Brush

– Number stickers or vinyl (1-25)

– 25 Tea-Light Candles (or candy as an alternative)

– Ribbon, Snowflakes and String for embellishment

 

Luminary Advent Calendar, diy advent calendar, christmas crafts, etching cream  projects, candle advent calendar, baby food jar craft

Start by soaking the baby food jars in hot soapy water for about an hour. The longer they soak the easier it will be to peel the labels off. I also found that scrubbing the excess adhesive while the jar was submerged made it a little easier. Also, don’t worry about removing the printed expiration date, I found that the etching cream actually removed that on its own.  Let them dry.

Place a 1 1/4″ number stencil on each jar. I used my Silhouette to cut out my numbers.

Luminary Advent Calendar, diy advent calendar, christmas crafts, etching cream  projects, candle advent calendar, baby food jar craft

Apply a very thick layer of Martha Stewart Etching Cream on the entire jar. This is the thickness that worked best for me. I tried some jars with a little less and they turned out a little spotty and I had to go over them again. This seemed to be the perfect amount.

Wait 15-30 minutes and then rinse them in water, removing the brown cream and number. You will be left with a frosted glass and a clear number.

For the embellishments, I cut a 1.5″ Red Burlap Ribbon into 4 strips. I wrapped the ribbon along the edges and secured it with a dot of hot glue. Then, I made little snowflakes with my Silhouette and cut them in white and gray. I used a thin piece of string to tie them onto the jars.

Place a tea candle inside each jar.

Luminary Advent Calendar, diy advent calendar, christmas crafts, etching cream  projects, candle advent calendar, baby food jar craft

Cute little frosted jars during the day…

Luminary Advent Calendar, diy advent calendar, christmas crafts, etching cream  projects, candle advent calendar, baby food jar craft

And a Luminary Advent Calendar by night!

As you light a new candle each night, let it be a reminder of the true reason of the season and a time to give thanks for everything good in our lives.

Here are a few other fabulous advent calendars made by a few friends of mine. I love seeing how everyone counts down the days until Christmas!

Family Photo Advent Calendar by Making Lemonade ¦ Advent Tree by The Space Between ¦ Chalkboard Advent by Our Fifth House

Will you be making a new advent calendar this year? Or do you have a fun family tradition already in place? Feel free to leave a link to your project in the comment section!

About Taryn Whiteaker

Taryn Whiteaker is the voice of style behind TarynWhiteaker.com (formerly Design, Dining and Diapers) ! Taryn is a previous PR/Marketing professional who got back to her creative roots after becoming a mom and now shares her passion for home decor and design for the world to see. Taryn lives in the greater Seattle area with her husband and three kids and loves coffee, the outdoors, and exploring with her family.

Filed Under: ALL POSTS, Christmas, Crafts & Sewing, DIY Home Decor, DIY Projects, Seasonal Decor & Crafts Tagged With: Christmas Projects, crafts, Dollar Store Craft, gift ideas, repurpose, tutorial

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carmel says

    November 12, 2012 at 6:09 am

    This is such a creative way to reuse baby food jars! These are so pretty!!

    Reply
  2. Carrie says

    November 12, 2012 at 7:02 am

    Taryn, it’s gorgeous! What a beautiful way to countdown to Christmas Day.

    Reply
  3. Leslie Stewart says

    November 12, 2012 at 7:47 am

    this is such a great idea! Love it!
    Leslie

    Reply
  4. Robynn says

    November 12, 2012 at 7:58 am

    Love this idea…now to figure out where to score baby food jars….

    Reply
  5. Sarah Hearts says

    November 12, 2012 at 8:18 am

    This is so cute! I’ve been wanting to try the MS etching cream. Thanks for the tips!

    Reply
  6. Karah @ thespacebetweenblog says

    November 12, 2012 at 8:21 am

    I absolutely love this!! I have looked all over for etching cream and can’t find any on this island. :( I have no idea what I would do with it, I just love the look. Your advent is awesome!!

    Reply
  7. Ashley C. says

    November 12, 2012 at 11:03 am

    Are you kidding me?! This is SO cute and creative Taryn – I LOVE it!

    Reply
  8. Anne says

    November 12, 2012 at 6:34 pm

    I love this idea. Looks so pretty.

    Reply
  9. Julia says

    November 12, 2012 at 7:31 pm

    What a creative and beautiful idea! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  10. LO says

    November 12, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    So many great and inspiring ideas for the holidays! I gotta get on my decorations! I’m your newest follower :)

    Reply
  11. Angela at A Typical English Home says

    November 13, 2012 at 1:23 am

    I love advent calendars and thought I’d seen every possible idea, but this is really original! Pinned :)

    Reply
  12. Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted says

    November 13, 2012 at 4:02 am

    What a great idea! These turned out SO lovely : ) I’m pinning!

    Reply
  13. Kristy Life-n-Reflection says

    November 13, 2012 at 5:55 am

    these are darling!

    Reply
  14. Heather M says

    November 13, 2012 at 7:09 am

    Great idea – they turned out wonderfully!

    Reply
  15. Becky says

    November 13, 2012 at 8:03 am

    What a gorgeous idea, I can’t wait to make them x

    Reply
  16. KCoake says

    November 13, 2012 at 8:23 am

    I love this idea! I’ve been doing my fair share of glass etching these days…it is fun. I love the results, it is so fun!

    Reply
  17. Jill Flory says

    November 13, 2012 at 10:48 am

    How totally cute! I love it!

    Reply
  18. Fearon @ For Heart and Health says

    November 13, 2012 at 1:45 pm

    I am also a lover of advent calendars. I can’t help but stop whenever I see one in a store or craft fair.

    Yours is so unique and absolutely adorable!! Love it!

    Reply
  19. [email protected] Here Comes the Sun says

    November 13, 2012 at 5:50 pm

    This is so creative! Great job! I can’t wait to make my advent calendar this year.

    Reply
  20. Amanda says

    November 13, 2012 at 6:09 pm

    Beautiful! Love this idea! I remember the advents with the chocolate, too! Just saw them at Michael’s and almost bought them for my kids…maybe I’ll go back and do just that:)
    Amanda

    Reply
  21. April says

    November 14, 2012 at 11:09 am

    What a wonderful idea, love the step by step tutorial, this would be a fun project!

    Reply
  22. Stacy says

    November 14, 2012 at 12:12 pm

    You are so talented! These are absolutely beautiful!!!

    Reply
  23. Loretta | A Finn In The Kitchen says

    November 14, 2012 at 8:56 pm

    I love how simple this is! Well, I’m craft-impaired, so I probably shouldn’t say ‘simple’, but it seems possible…!

    Reply
  24. Samantha says

    November 15, 2012 at 2:46 am

    Those are adorable!

    Reply
  25. My Shabby Chic Home says

    November 15, 2012 at 1:36 pm

    Love this idea!!!!

    Reply
  26. Trina @ afewmineradjustments.blogspot.com says

    November 15, 2012 at 5:43 pm

    Those are beautiful! Kinda makes me wish there was a baby around here again, so that I would have the jars. Kidding…no more babies around here! But I do wish I had the jars!

    Reply
  27. [email protected] says

    November 15, 2012 at 7:14 pm

    I love this idea! I need to get some baby food jars asap :)

    Reply
  28. Debi @ Adorned From Above says

    November 15, 2012 at 8:48 pm

    These are so cute. What a great holiday craft. I have a link party and would love to have you share this and any other posts. It is called Wednesday’s Adorned From Above Link Party. The link to the party is
    http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2012/11/wednesdays-adorned-from-above-link_14.html
    I hope to see you there.
    Have a great week.
    Debi @ Adorned From Above

    Reply
  29. Justine Abbitt says

    November 16, 2012 at 5:22 pm

    I love the reverse effect you used with the etching cream! I tried it by etching in the stencil and it didn’t show up very well. This really looks great.

    Reply
  30. Kim @ Sand & Sisal says

    November 16, 2012 at 9:29 pm

    Beautiful idea! I’m sure it will look amazing when they are fully lit!

    Reply
  31. Mary Beth @ Cupcakes and Crinoline says

    November 17, 2012 at 7:15 pm

    So lovely ~ just perfect!

    Reply
  32. Kristina says

    November 17, 2012 at 8:05 pm

    Beautiful job! I am in that stage of life where collecting baby food jars is easy-never tried etching cream or advent calendars but always wanted to, I think I’ll pin to hopefully try this season-thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  33. [email protected] says

    November 18, 2012 at 4:07 am

    I love this idea ! So pretty :)

    Reply
  34. Michele says

    November 19, 2012 at 11:16 am

    Hi Taryn,
    Love these! The red wrap and paper snow flakes are wonderful. Pinned! I posted “dolled up” to Craft- o- Manic Monday. Following you now and shared a like to Facebook.

    Reply
  35. SheilaG @ Plum Doodles says

    November 27, 2012 at 9:13 am

    What a fun way to count down until Christmas! Your jars look wonderful, love the etching.

    Reply
  36. gail says

    November 29, 2012 at 3:35 pm

    love the jars! great job Taryn, they are so pretty.

    gail
    ps catching you this week

    Reply
  37. Hilani-Handmade by Hilani says

    November 29, 2012 at 6:54 pm

    Oh My Gosh, I just saw these on The Frugal Girls and loved them so I clicked over here…Great Job Taryn! I have several Glass Baby Jars I now want to spell out Joy with! have a great week.

    Reply
  38. Betsy @ Anna Nimmity says

    November 29, 2012 at 8:43 pm

    What a beautiful and fun upcycling project!

    Reply
  39. Kimberly says

    December 1, 2012 at 6:42 pm

    This is gorgeous! I don’t need an advent calendar, but I think I am going to make these for the New Year and just make four – 2 0 1 3. Thanks for the idea! :)

    Kimberly

    Reply

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Taryn Whiteaker

Hi and welcome! I'm Taryn and the voice of style behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. Recent transplant from Seattle to Dallas. Sharing our journey of modernizing our European style home. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list to get all the latest updates! Read more...

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