to hold the moon.

i see the moon and the moon sees me

the moon sees somebody i want to see

god bless the moon and god bless me

and god bless the somebody i want to see

there are endless songs about the moon... pink moon, yellow moon, blue moon, harvest moon, moon river, moondance. there's something magical about the moon. for me, that magic is told perfectly in this nursery rhyme... which to aiden and i is actually a song. i have no idea where i first heard it but i've always loved it. i made up a tune for it years ago when aiden was very little and ever since, we sing it when we catch sight of the moon. its a quiet song... i see the moon and the moon sees me. the moon sees somebody i want to see. the magic of the moon is that no matter where you are, there it is. the magic is that the people i love that are far away can look up and see the same thing i am seeing and that connects us even if its just a little bit.

i saw these amazing things called sunjars in a european online store one time. you may have seen them too. i loved them so much i considered for a (very intense but quickly fleeting) moment paying like 45$ and crazy overseas shipping for one. (im actually not at all sure how many american dollars it would have translated to... but everything had that L money symbol next to it and more than one number and im pretty sure it would have ended up being a lot, jolly ol chap) i then resolved to put it on my wish list for 'one day' when i have a bunch of extra money. the same list that has actually traveling overseas on it... in which case i could just pick one up, right? 

anyways, i didnt give up on them... i did a little research (thanks again, google) and whaddayaknow... you can make one. even better... you can make moon jars. and that makes my heart happy. so guess what... i made some. 

the supplies you need are basic:

garden solar lights

jars

frosted glass spray

the internet would like you think its super easy... and parts of it are... like spray painting the jars.. thats easy. the internet tells you 'then simply take apart the garden light'. oh. that's all? ok... uh how do you get into this thing? i found ways... but i plan on getting the correct tools for this in the future... something that cuts metal, and maybe possibly a screwdriver that, i dunno, fits the screws. 

so once you have defied odds and freed the insides of the garden light, all wires still intact, one ... you will feel pretty good about yourself, and two... you're ready to attach the solar light to your jar! i didnt think this part through before i started. the internet's version of this project is truly magic i think because it simply says 'place the solar light inside your jar lid'. well i have gravity at my house, so i had to find a way to attach it. i found a glue gun and went with that... i ran a bead of glue along the outside edge and used a bamboo skewer to move the glue between the solar panel and the glass.

finally after your jar lid has dried, place it on your jar and find it a happy home on a window sill or a patio table where it can feel the sun. just like the moon in the sky, it cannot light up with out the sun. the sun will give it energy to light up at night. 

i plan to make more moon jars and customize them... i will show you what i mean when i do. all finished, they feel like we caught the moon's light and can hold it in our hands.

if you would like one for yourself or to give to someone you love i could make one for you to hold, too.