A Strip of Gauze Is All These Empty Mason Jars Needed: After Dark, the Reason Becomes Clear
Empty Mason jars can become Halloween decor without paint, carving, or permanent changes to the glass. Gauze wrapped around each jar hides most of the clear surface while leaving enough space for light to pass through.
Homedit creator Brittney Smart used white gauze, double-sided tape, googly eyes, and jars in several shapes to make a group of mummy candle holders. Different jar sizes and uneven wraps keep each face from matching the next.
Battery-operated votives reveal the part that matters after dark. Light passes through the gauze, turning the wrapped jars into small glowing figures that can sit across a mantel, table, shelf, or Halloween display.
Double-sided tape gives the gauze a starting point
Cut a piece of double-sided tape close to the width of the gauze, then press it onto one end. This creates an attachment point without coating the jar in glue.
The removable connection also leaves the glass intact for another project once Halloween ends.
Press the gauze onto the glass
Attach the taped end near the top of a clean Mason jar. Gauze with an open weave works well here because parts of the glass remain visible between its threads.
Leave the fabric flat enough to stay against the jar without pulling it tight across every curve.
Wrap across the jar at an angle
Take the gauze around the jar, allowing each pass to overlap part of the previous layer. Changing the angle creates the crossed-bandage look associated with a mummy.
Perfect spacing isn’t needed. Small gaps and overlaps give each jar its own pattern.
Cover the glass without hiding it
Continue toward the base until the sides are covered, then cut the remaining gauze. Enough transparency should remain for a votive placed inside to show through later.
Secure the loose end with another small piece of double-sided tape rather than adding adhesive across the glass.
Extra layers change the shape
Another pass of gauze can build up selected areas and soften the jar’s original outline. Wide jars become squat figures, while taller containers produce a different silhouette.
Wrapping several jar shapes creates variation without changing the basic method.
Googly eyes turn the wrapped jar into a face
Place small drops of hot glue on the backs of two googly eyes. Matching sizes create one expression, while mismatched eyes give the mummy a more exaggerated face.
Only the eyes need permanent adhesive since the gauze already forms the body.
Set the eyes into the gauze
Press both eyes onto the front, using a section where the fabric sits flat enough to hold them. Their position can change the expression without adding a mouth or other details.
Two eyes are enough to turn the wrapped glass into a recognizable Halloween figure.
Different wraps create different mummies
Finished white gauze leaves the jar recognizable beneath the fabric while breaking its smooth glass surface into overlapping bands.
A loose strip near the rim adds another layer without covering the opening, which needs to remain accessible for the light.
Brighter wrap creates another version
Athletic wrap can replace gauze for a denser finish. Its tighter weave produces a more solid surface and supports larger googly eyes.
Thicker material blocks more light, making it better suited to jars where the wrapped exterior matters more than the glow.
Mixed sizes make the group work
Short, wide jars can sit beside taller containers without requiring a matching set. Alternating white and bright wrap also keeps the group from reading as copies of one design.
Even the eye sizes can change from jar to jar, giving each mummy a distinct face.
Battery votives reveal the final effect
Place a battery-operated votive inside each open jar. Warm light passes through the holes in the gauze and exposes the overlapping bands that look almost solid in daylight.
White gauze lets more of that glow escape than the thicker wrap, so material choice changes how each mummy looks once illuminated.
After dark, the jars become part of the Halloween display
Light turns the gauze from a simple covering into part of the effect, outlining the eyes and revealing each wrapped layer. Several jars together create a small group without requiring identical containers.
Would you recognize the empty Mason jars underneath if you saw these glowing on a shelf first, or would the gauze and two eyes fool you?