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Create Summer Fun Décor with Common Everyday Items You Have at Home!

Let the kids craft cute table decorations with everything from pickle jars to seashells this summer

By Tracie Ysaguire, Publisher for Macaroni KID New Iberia June 26, 2024

Summer is in full swing in New Iberia! 

As we head into the summer heat of July, our craft this week on Good Day Acadiana gives you something super easy and super fun to do with the kids for cool, inside creative entertainment! This week Alex Worstell and I crafted these cute summer table top decorations using everything from pickle jars to wine bottles and seashells.

Check out our post on the Macaroni KID New Iberia Facebook page to see what we created: 

I promise this craft is simple and will keep kids of all ages entertained. I scoured our pantries, living room, and my craft station for items to use and came up with the following: 

  • Mayo jar
  • Pickle and jalapeño jars 
  • Used glass candle holder
  • An empty wine bottle
  • Seashells from out last beach trip 

It's an odd collection but then again those are the ones that seem to work best when you are crafting. Each item can be used together or independently for this craft, and allows your child, no matter their age, to create something fun for summer. 


Image by Mia Barletto

I am not sure which one of the crafts we made is my favorite, because I really liked them all! 


I created one with my granddaughter in mind since she loves mermaids, one was themed for the 4th of July, and I turned and old wine bottle into a center piece that could hold a few flowers. 


This is an old mayo jar that we turned into the perfect decoration to fit for any Independence Day celebration. You can easily make a few of these to hold plastic utensils or napkins for your 4th of July barbeque. 


Find out what you need to make these at home with the kids! 

How to Create Your Summer Décor Craft 

First, make sure to clean your glass jars or bottles thoroughly. We had to let ours soak in soapy warm water overnight to clean the inside and pull off the paper and tags from the outside. Make sure to let them completely dry too. Here are a few other items you will need: 

  • Decorated paper napkins 
  • Mod Podge 
  • Paint and brushes 
  • Scissors 
  • Ribbons or bows 

Paint your glass jar or bottle your desired color. Let that dry. 

Next, pull apart your paper napkin to separate the backing from the decorated part. It should pull apart easily. I grabbed three different packs of napkins from Dollar Tree for our craft and they worked perfectly! If you have leftover paper napkins from a birthday party or the holidays, you can use those. 




Image by Tracie Ysaguire 


Once the backing of the napkin is off, then begin to cut your decorated napkin in pieces as you like. If you napkins have words, you can cut the different words or phrases out. You can cut the shapes to any size to fit your glass jar, using piece from different napkins for one craft. 

Now that your glass jar is dry, place a small amount of mod podge on your jar, take your cut pieces of decorated napkin and press them in place around your jar. 

Once it's in place, then brush a small amount of Mod Podge over the entire napkin piece on your jar. It will look a little funky at first, but the Mod Podge will dry clear, giving your jar a bit of a shine. 

You can create a themed jar for any holiday or let the kids come up with their own themes depending on the napkins you have. For example, you can use napkins that have their favorite cartoon character and they can make something for their room. Or, grab your empty wine bottles and make it a mom's craft night with your best girlfriends! 



Join us next time on Good Day Acadiana on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, from 7:00 am to 9:00 am for more fun, inexpensive kid's crafts you can make at home. 

You can also catch the live stream of News 15 Today online. Or, catch up on our past crafting segments with Alex Worstell on News 15 KADN on their YouTube Channel

  Happy Crafting Acadiana!    



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Children's Crafts