7 Spooktacular Halloween Ideas Using Mason Jars

by: Pon & Mary

Hey there, Ghouls and Goblins!

It may not seem like it with the heat, but Fall is sneaking up fast! The nights are getting colder, the first few leaves are already beginning to change color, and, most importantly, everything pumpkin spice is back! If you’re ready to up your festiveness this year, then Mason jar accessories are a fun, easy, and ecofriendly way to do it! We’ve put our heads together and come up with some creative ways for you to enjoy the season even more (because let’s be honest, Halloween is more than just one day!).

1. Warm & Cold Seasonal Drinks
2. Halloween Treat Tables and Party Decor
3. Spooky Soap Pumps
4. Glowing Lanterns
5. Frightfully Good Favors
6. Slimy Mason Jar Monsters
7. “You’ve Been Boo’d” Bark

Whether you’re a pumpkin spice aficionado or think it’s all a little overkill and like to keep it simple with a classic Americano, Mason jars are perfect for all your Fall beverage needs! Our silicone sleeves, straw hole lids, and variety of straws keep your favorite cold beverages insulated and safe on the go or in the office. Or wrap your chilly hands around a handsome faux leather sleeve (in two sizes) with a silicone drinking lid and stainless steel band. We also have some adorable straw hole lid inserts just for Halloween, along with festive paper straws!

Plus, Mason jars and our accessories can be used over and over again, so there’s no need to worry about paper cups and plastic straws when getting your daily fix!

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We all love our seasonal drinks and cooler weather, but we all know what the real best part of Fall is… Halloween! Whether you’re decorating for the occasion or stocking up on sweet treats and candies, we have some fun ways to incorporate and decorate your Mason jars into this spooky holiday season!

Spice up treat jars with these creepy-cute Halloween accessories by Jar Jewelry and keep your candies fresh and away from eager little hands by storing them with convenient MJL stainless steel or plastic storage lids.

You can always use these adorable accessories to create the perfect tablescape or candy buffet for your next haunting… I mean get together! Use a frog lid to add some fall colored leaves or flowers to complete the look.

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Even your bathroom doesn’t need to feel left out this Halloween! Pair a charcoal black soap pump with an orange, Glossy Enameled Soap Pump Dispenser Lid Adapter on your favorite jar (here we used a Mason jar painted with chalkboard paint) for a hint of the Halloween spirit.

If you use a clear, Mason jar, then you can fill the jar with plastic spiders, eye balls, or other creepy toys before you add the soap or hand sanitizer for a good clean scare!

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Pumpkins turned into jack-o-lanterns aren’t the only way to add a warm glow to your cool evening. Light up your walkway for Trick-or-Treaters or party guests with Mason jar lanterns and our Solar LED String Light Lids or turn one into a handheld lantern with Tea Light Candle Holder Lids (I use remote controlled votive candles for instant ambiance!).

Want to make your luminary even more spectacular? Mason jars are easy to decorate in many ways from simple painting to complex vinyl cut outs. You can also turn them into mummies with gaze, mod podge, and googly eyes or into beautiful fall luminaries with seasonal napkins and mod podge!

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If you’re having a Fall or Halloween party or get-together, homemade treats or seasonal candies in a Mason jar are a great “thank you” to send home with your guests.

We have some adorable lid inserts (in two different colors / styles) you can even write names on and personalize the treat inside for that friend. Or if you’re sitting down to share a meal, use the favor to double as a place card – it’ll brighten up your table with seasonal colors and charm. Now don’t you look thoughtful and all put together!

Many crafters already know how useful Mason jars can be for our projects, from storing our supplies like googly eyes and glitter with convenient, repurposed spice and grain lids to organizing our increasingly chaotic workspaces with flower frog lids and caddies and even turning the jars and accessories into works of art in their own right. The possibilities are truly endless!

But if you’re having trouble coming up with ideas for a project this Halloween (don’t worry, we’ve all been there!), Mason Jar Lifestyle has got your back! We’re going to walk you through how to turn your jars into cute, slimey Mason Jar Monsters with an easy to make (Borax free!) recipe! Or “Boo” your friends and neighbors with Halloween Bark – keep reading for details and recipes!

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To get started, here’s what you’ll need to make your own Mason Jar Monsters:

1. White Glue(6oz)
2. Baking Soda(¼ tbs)
3. Contact Solution(1-2tbs) Note: must contain Boric Acid
4. Measuring Cup and Spoons(scale optional)
5. Stirring tool
6. Food Dye
7. 4oz Smooth Regular Mouth Mason Jars
8. A Bowl
9. Scissors
10. Pen/Pencil
11. Decorations – pipe cleaners, craft foam, construction paper, googly eyes

Before we begin, remember to wash your hands! We don’t want any extra icky-stickies to get into our slime!

Now, with clean hands, get your bowl ready and measure out 6oz or about ¾ cup of white glue then carefully pour it into the bowl. A silicone spatula can help scrape the glue off the edges of the measuring cup, but don’t worry about getting it all. It doesn’t need to be exact.

Next, choose your color. I want to make a pumpkin so of course we’re going with orange!

Mix it until the dye is distributed evenly and the glue is one smooth, solid color.

Once you have your desired color, add ¼ tbsp of baking soda and mix until combined(for stretchier slime, you can add a tablespoon of water at this point as well, but it’s not required).

Now, this is where the magic happens! Starting with one tablespoon, add the contact solution to your concoction. As you stir it in, the mixture should start to become stickier and start lifting from the sides of the bowl. At this point you can start kneading with your hands.

It can take five or so minutes of manipulating the slime for it to stop sticking to your hands, but if it’s still clinging too much you can add up to another tablespoon of contact solution.

Once you’re satisfied with your creation, set it aside and grab your craft supplies, it’s time to work on decorating our jar! For the pumpkin, I’m using black and green adhesive craft foam, pipe cleaners, and a regular mouth, green painted band.

Using the flat lid that came with the jar as a stencil, trace and cut out a circle from the green foam. We’ll insert this in the painted band to be the top of our pumpkin. Next, mark the center of the circle and cut a slit, then feed a green pipe cleaner through, making a little knot on the underside to keep it in place. Lastly, using a pen or pencil, curl the pipe cleaner into a spiral and cut it to size to make a cute little stem!

For the face, trace whatever shapes you want out on black foam, and simply cut them out and stick them on. Now just plop the slime into your jar and voila! It’s alive! Your very own slime pumpkin!

Mix up other colors for all sorts of other creatures to bring to your very own Mini Monster Mash! Leave out food coloring entirely for a spooky ghost, green makes for a great zombie or Frankenstien’s monster(with added pink slime on top for a jiggly brain), and black for a creepy-cute bat! Or is that Dracula? There are so many possibilities!

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I don’t know if this is a “thing” in your neighborhood, but being “boo’d” is definitely a Halloween trend in Colorado. Being “boo’d” is basically a chain letter / ding-dong-dash hybrid with candy…and it’s gotten pretty popular!

Here’s the basic idea: someone (sometimes anonymously, sometimes not) drops off goodies with a note on your doorstep, rings the bell, and runs. Then, it’s your turn to do the same to two (or more) other people. It’s a simple enough idea, and during the pandemic, it was a fun way to spread cheer, especially with so many people not trick-or-treating. I’ve already seen a few people being “boo’d” this year (in September!), so I think it’s a tradition that’s here to stay.

Anyway, we got wrapped up in boo-ing (I can’t stand getting a gift and not reciprocating) and at the same time I was inspired by a recipe post by The Pioneer Woman to make Monster Bark. This looked easy enough to make while being super cute (two of my favorite things – cute and easy!), so the kiddos and I decided to give it a try. The Pioneer Woman has actually a BUNCH of similar recipes that I’ve since checked out – you can see them HERE – to get even more inspired!

Since I’m all for using what I already have and hate running to the store just to make one recipe, I cruised my pantry shelves and found the ingredients on hand that I used for the recipe in this post.

I think you could do a lot of variations with it (see above linked post for ideas), like changing out the flavors of melted chips or candies used. Just go batty!

Once I had my festive bark made, I needed to distribute it, and, of course, we used Mason jars! At Mason Jar Lifestyle, we carry a ton of cute Halloween Mason jar tags, labels, decorations, and accessories, so you’re sure to find something that fits your taste and jars.

Here’s my easy and most likely already-in-your-pantry recipe for “You’ve Been Boo’d” Bark:

1. 16-18 graham crackers
2. 11 oz semisweet chocolate chips
3. 11 oz white chocolate chips
4. Halloween sprinkles and/or candies

I put a silicone mat in the bottom on a sheet pan to catch drips and assembled my ingredients. I never really have a lot of chocolate overflow but I figure it’s best to have the silicone mat there just in case.

Then I lined the bottom of the pan with graham crackers. You don’t have to do this totally edge to edge, but I try to get it pretty close. You want all the graham crackers touching so you don’t lose chocolate in the cracks.

Next, melt the chocolate on about 50% power in the microwave in 30 second or less intervals. Be sure to stir and check often to keep the chocolate from scorching – especially white chocolate with its lower melting point can overheat quickly and is unsalvageable (I learned this from my professional baker friend!). If you want to use a double boiler, you totally can. For something small like this I don’t feel like it’s worth the effort, but you do you!

I made this Halloween Bark at the MJL warehouse kitchen (it’s nice, right?!) to share with the team. However, I didn’t realize until I got into the project that we didn’t have a spatula or a toothpick for more neatly and artistically spreading my melted chocolate so I improvised with a butter knife. Check out The Pioneer Woman’s recipes if you want more artistic ways to spread chocolate on your bark, but mine worked just fine and EVERYONE loved the taste.

Spread and mix the melted chocolates to close to the edge of the graham crackers, then I started with the larger candies (I picked mini candy corns and Halloween M&Ms). Once the candy was in place, I added Halloween colored sprinkles. Then put the tray in the fridge for about 15 minutes to set up. Once it’s all hardened, you can break the bark apart into whatever size chunks will fit into your jars.

Then tie a cute tag or put on a sticker and get ready to spread some Halloween cheer to all your ghouls and goblins!

We hope you enjoyed our Halloween ideas and feel inspired to pull out your Mason jars and try an idea or two. Got a great idea we didn’t cover? Find us on social media and share it with us 🙂 We LOVE to hear from you! Join the conversations going on right now on our Facebook business page, Mason Jar Lifestyle, or Facebook group, Living The Mason Jar Lifestyle! We are also on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. Looking forward to connecting with you soon!

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