Lighted Glass Pumpkin Decor

Clear glass pumpkins with LED lights are all the rage this fall, but you don't have to break the bank to get the look.

Check out this quick tip and be on trend in minutes.


Every now and again, I pop into the thrift store for a little me time break and find something truly outstanding. Of course, by outstanding, I mean a cute trinket that costs less than five bucks and is in relatively good condition.

The bar really isn't that high.

However, since the prices for second hand items in my community thrift shop are often on par with brand new ones at Marshall's and HomeGoods, it's rare that I leave with a find.

Well, last winter, sometime in early January, I found this adorable glass pumpkin for half price. It was obviously not the proper time of year to display pumpkins, so I tucked it away for the winter.

I knew that when spring or summer came around I would circle back to it and turn it into something super fabulous.


I already had one orange pumpkin cookie jar and I used it all the time for different decor purposes throughout the fall. I was thrilled at the prospect of having another around the house.

Occasionally, on the edge of sleep, I found myself scheming and dreaming about that glass jar. I was going to dust it off, clean it up and hit it with paint.

The plan was to have the big guy spray the outside orange, a la my faux milk glass...or give it a light tint of orange on the inside with alcohol inks, like the beauties I'd seen at my friend Sadie Seasongoods.

Either way, it was getting a major makeover.

Then spring and summer rolled in and out and I was busy with a bathroom renovation and chasing the girls around from performance to performance when they released their songs. Believe it or not, I forgot all about that little glass pumpkin.

I barely had time to paint my nails, never mind anything else. It was way off the radar map.

It didn't pop back into my brain until one day I went to get the mail and I saw these lighted glass pumpkins featured in a catalog. I believe it was Bed, Bath and Beyond. I was smitten. What a great look.


I had seen these same glass pumpkins in Pottery Barn, as well. Just gorgeous.

The only thing I didn't like about them was the price. They ranged anywhere from $19.99 to $69.99 depending on the store and the size. Whoa. That's when I remembered my glass thrift store treasure.





The ones featured in the stores were either cloches or came sealed with a switch on the bottom to activate the lights. As I said, mine is a cookie or treat jar, perfect for this project, since I needed a way to get the lights inside.

I didn't have them on hand, so at first I tried a candle, but it didn't have that same magic. I wanted the look I saw in the catalog.


It was different than candlelight, very elegant, sparkly, but warm and charming. So, after I opened my jar up, cleaned it out and removed all the stickers I headed out to search.

Luckily, those tiny battery operated LED lights are so popular now, they were easy to find - a bargain at a local overstock retailer. It was the only time this fall I was happy to see Christmas decor displayed so early.

I grabbed a pack, took it home, added two batteries and dropped the string inside. It doesn't get any easier than that. No makeover needed. It was perfect just the way it was.


An ideal evening accessory for dark fall days, and appropriate from the beginning of October right through to Thanksgiving.

The LED pumpkins in the flier seem to have the batteries concealed in a white puck that sits in the base. Mine are not quite as camouflaged. The battery pack is clear plastic, but the batteries themselves have a colored covering.

Next year, I may take more time and order the kind with the hidden pack, but for now this one's fine. During the day the batteries are obscured by the ribbing in the glass.

At night all you notice is the light. Besides, for what I paid for mine versus what they cost at the stores, I'm willing to deal with a fleeting glimpse of those energizers.


The camera seems to zoom in and highlight them, but in real life it's just lovely.

Small twinkles of light cast from a plain glass pumpkin in my kitchen.

Just perfect without any paint at all.

And way better than anything I was conjuring in my crafty dreams.


Have you found anything of interest at the thrift stores lately?