How to Make a Highlighted Cross Nightlight
From Spaghetti Jar to Lighted Nightlight
This is a simple and creative holiday project.
Rated -- Easy for beginners.
Materials List
- 1 glass jar. We used a glass canister, the kind usually used to store flour, sugar or uncooked spaghetti noodles.
- 1 Can of spray paint, we chose "Chrome"
- I Self adhesive shipping label
- 1 spring clip night light with cord or holiday string lights
- Optional: 1 LED night light bulb
Tools List
- 1" diamond core bit for glass
- 1 drill or drill press
- Scissors
This project turned out even better than we expected. We repurposed a clear glass canister with a screw on lid that we already had. This was a tall cylindrical glass canister. The kind that you might use to store uncooked spaghetti noodles. You could use any large jar or bottle.
You can find a large assortment of glass jars, canisters; cookie jars etc, at garage sales, flea markets and local thrift shops.
Inspect your bottle for any chips or scratches. If there is a bad side, put it to the back. Using a drill or drill press, drill a 1" hole through the back side of the canister. A diamond core bit works best. We used a wet sponge to keep the drill bit and bore hole wet.
If you're using holiday string lights instead of a nightlight fixture, you can use a smaller drill bit, such as 3/4".
When drilling with diamond core bits remember to:
- Use a slow drill speed of 1500-2500 RPM
- Use light drill pressure
- Keep the drill bit and the glass wet
For more drilling tips, visit the “How to Drill Glass” page on our website and download your free copy of the Glass Drilling Guide.
We did a Google search for an image of a cross. You could also use a Star of David or virtually any symbol, picture or clipart.
We're going to try this project again at Valentines Day with a heart.
We printed out the cross image onto the self adhesive mailing label. We used the scissors to cut out the image. Our first attempt failed. We used an image that was too intricate to cut out with the scissors. We found and printed a much, much simpler image.
We peeled the back off of our self adhesive cross and placed it on the front of the canister, opposite the drilled hole. Now we spray painted the canister. We did not paint the bottom or the threads for the lid. This allows a bit of light to show at the top and bottom. You can paint the bottom and the threads for the jar lid for a more dramatic effect. We allowed the paint to dry for 10 minutes then we peeled off the cross. It left an outline of the cross unpainted on the front of the canister. This allows the light to shine through in the shape of the cross.
Place the night light in the hole you drilled in the back. The nightlight fixture came from Hobby Lobby. I see that a large number are sold on Amazon.com. You are done.
Plug it in. A great looking accent light or night light for your kitchen, child's room, den, foyer or front porch.
A word of caution. We recommend using LED lights. Regular incandescent lights will generate a tremendous amount of heat in a short time, especially if they’re enclosed in a bowl or jar. If you do use non-LED lights, check it often for heat buildup.
I would love to see variations on this glass canister project. Instead of the nightlight you can use a string of holiday lights. Instead of a cross, you could use a Star of David, outline of letters of the alphabet, a teddy bear, write out a child's name, etc.
If you have a drilled glass or tile project, we’d love to feature it (and you) on our website and blog. Please email a short description of what you do, how you do it and a few pictures or a short video. We can only publish pictures and descriptions of original work.
