Primitive Grubby Jar With Primitive Candy Canes

I have been extremely busy the past few weeks making and selling my holiday crafts. One of the items that I have been making and selling 'like hotcakes" LOL has been my grubby glass jars with primitive candy canes inside them.

Here is how I have been doing them.

I used glass mason jars or vintage Hershey Syrup Jars and grubbied them up in the Primitive way. You can find several instructional sites online to tell you how to do it...here are some easy instructions ---> HERE I always do two coatings on my jars and then finish up sealing it with Matte Mod Podge. I just prefer the matte finish but if you like high-shine...you can use the gloss finish.

I then drew out my own candy cane pattern. Mine measures 7 1/2" tall by 2 1/2" wide at its widest point. Your candy cane pattern doesn't have to be perfect. I coffee stained my muslin fabric. Using a 1/8" seam allowance, I machine sewed my candy canes together, leaving the bottom unsewn. Flip them right side out and stuff FIRMLY with poly-fiber fill. I hand sew my opening shut using a blind stitch.

Note: You can coffee stain them after you have them constructed and the longer you let them sit in coffee stain or the more you spritz the stain onto them, the darker they will get.


I then painted the stripes on them using a dark barn red acrylic paint. Once dry, I spritzed my candy canes again with the coffee fabric dye. Once dry, I added coarse German Glass Glitter to mine. The way I like to do it is:

1/4 cup of Matte Finish Mod Podge with 1 teaspoon tap water...mix it with your foam sponge brush. Brush a thin layer of it onto your candy cane...then sprinkle on your German Glass Glitter. I then hang them to dry. The Modge Podge makes the glitter stick to your canes and helps to stiffen your canes so that they hold their shape.


I have also been making some of my jars with faux peppermint sticks inside them. (just omit the looped candy cane top from your pattern and make them stick shaped.


You can use the candy canes on wreaths, hang them on your holiday tree, attach to packages, string them together for a holiday garland or place them in primitive baskets, crocks or grubby jars.