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How to: Make Glowing Firefly Jars

by on Jul 12, 2011

My birthday is on June 17th, which, when you’re a kid, is a pretty great day for a birthday. You never have to go to school, the activity options are endless, and your party can always include a squirt gun fight.

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But, each year I also get another special, seasonal gift. Even now, among the good times with families and friends, I always see the first fireflies of the year on my birthday. It started with those outdoor parties and cookouts as a kid, and continued through the bonfires of high school, the theme parks of college, and now, a quiet evening walk with the people I love the most. Perhaps I don’t notice them in the days before, but every year, it just happens: the lightning bugs come out. So, as you can guess, I kinda love them, in that six-year-old kid sorta way. So, I do feel a special sentiment towards these firefly-alike Mason jars.

Unfortunately, they seem to be one of those internet phenomena where things get passed around, and no one seems to know the original source. Therefore, there aren’t any specific step by step directions, but if there were, I’d imagine they’d go like this:

“Flick glow-in-the-dark paint onto the inside of a mason jar. Allow to dry.”

Make ’em. Tonight.

Update: Cyndee, in the comments below, was able to locate a how-to from what seems like the author of the original photograph. Check it out here.

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4 Comments

  1. Hi

    We like your jam jars.

    But we were wondering how long does the glow paint out of the glow sticks last once flicked inside the jam jar?

    We are making them for a school project and wondered if they would last for a few days and then not glow anymore?

    Thank you

    Miss Scott and 7H

  2. firefly jars were on my 14 yr old daughter’s Wanelo Christmas list- I purchased glow in the dark paint at Michael’s, some brushes and putting them in a box with mason jars with this post! wish me luck !! Merry Christmas !!

  3. Where can I get glow in the dark paint? The cheapest I can find it is $50 for a 500ml tub. Thats really expensive and I am 16 and can’t afford it. These are the perfect Idea for my best friends birthday and I was going to suprise her but I just can’t afford the paint. Does anyone have anywhere that I can get some?

  4. Hayley,where do you live?
    We have a craft store called Mochaels or a JoAnn fabric.