Alphabet Chandelier from old baby food jars

Our glass recycling bin was becoming full of baby food jars and in need of being dealt with. I knew I could just run them to the recycling center, but it saddened me to get rid of so many cute little jars – there was so much potential! So after several days of pondering and pinteresting {yes, that is a word} I came up with… an alphabet chandelier! I am in love with alphabets and I had seen a few pictures of baby food jars being used as votives in chandeliers, and so I tried to search for some one who had combined the two for inspiration. No such luck. That was ok with me though, I love trying out my own ideas. My next search was for the just the right letters to use. I wanted them to have a vintagy/not typical type feel and I was delighted when I found the PERFECT letters at the handmade home. And so begins my tutorial…

First I sorted through all of my jars to find the cleanest, least
residuey candidates. {We run all of ours through the dishwasher, but
sometimes there’s still glue left over.} I went with a combination of
large and small jars to keep it interesting.

I converted the PDF files into PowerPoint and printed off the letters
using the “handout” option – two squares for the large jars & three
for the smaller ones.

Next, using some homemade mod podge I placed the letters on the jars. To enhance the “aged” affect of the jars I applied a THIN layer of the glue on top of the labels, but if you’re going for a cleaner look this wouldn’t be necessary.

After the labels were attached, I coated the entire jar with the glue mix to give them a “frosted” look.

The next step was to create wire hooks {I got the cheapest, 30 yd black
copper wire from JoAnn Fabric.} I did two loops around the opening and
then twisted the end up the uncut wire source. I then created a loop and
cut the wire to size, leaving enough extra to twist up the other side. 

My next step was creating a base. I found a lovely purple colander at Target and broke off the handles {I tried to undo the bolts, but had no luck.}

Using the same wire as before, I created an interweaving web through several of the
center holes and then added a loop by twisting the wire on top of
itself several times in a circle.

To get the base high enough off the ground, I ended up
hanging it in out front closet with a hair tie & hanger.  Then
working from the middle, I added my jars making sure the whole structure
was balanced as I went.

I used a standard hook from target {$2/2} to mount to the ceiling, and then hung the chandelier by the loop I had made earlier.

And this is the view from across the room, which by the way is also a work in progress {so don’t judge! :)}