DIY We Bare Bears Jars

We Bare Bears is pretty much our favorite cartoon right now. We simply can’t get enough of Grizz, Ice Bear, and Panda’s silly antics. Whether they’re snagging chicken and waffles at the hottest new restaurant or figuring out the pros and cons of using tote bags (#totelife), they always manage to keep us laughing.

Their awkward adventures are super relatable, so we thought it was time to whip up a craft inspired by these precious bear bros for fans that are just as obsessed as we are. Here’s how you can make We Bare Bears DIY Jars that will be guaranteed to make everyone on the internet want to be your friend. (But don’t hold us to that.)

What You’ll Need:
– Acrylic Paint (White, Black, and Brown)
– 3 Small Jars (We used 16 oz. wide-mouth Mason Jars, but any rounded jar works)
– Sponge Brush (A regular paintbrush works too)
– Hot Glue Gun
– Craft Foam Sheets (White, Black, and Brown)
– Scissors
– Black Sharpie or Paint Marker

How To:

1. Make sure your jars are clean and dry. The paint won’t stick correctly to wet jars and you definitely don’t want dirt to get stuck in your paint. This is definitely the step where Grizz would get too excited to make his jar and skip it and cause a huge fiasco. Show more restraint than Grizz.

2. Pick up a jar and find the smoothest side. Using the Sharpie/Paint Marker, draw the faces of Grizz, Panda, and Ice Bear on each jar. (If you mess up, some rubbing alcohol on a Q-Tip should help it come right off so you can try again.)

If you’re like us, you might not be the very best at drawing. No worries – because we found an awesome solution to this problem! Trace the faces of the bears onto a sheet of paper, and then stick the paper inside the jar. Since the jars are clear, you’ll be able to see through them and trace the faces onto the front of the jar with your Sharpie. Easy peasy!

3. Since Grizzly and Ice Bear are only one color each, they’re the easiest to start with. Pick up the Grizz jar and use your sponge brush to paint the entire inside of the jar brown. (If your brown paint is a little dark, lighten it up with a little splash of white paint to match Grizz’s color better.) Set the jar aside, and then paint the lid as well. Repeat with white paint for your Ice Bear jar. Let these dry while you get to work on Pan Pan.

Since Panda’s body is white with a few dark gray accents, you’ll want to paint his accents first. You’ll need to lighten up your black paint, otherwise you won’t be able to see his eyes once you paint the round spots that go behind them. Add a little bit of white paint to your black on a palette (or scrap paper) and mix until you’ve matched the color as best you can. Then, paint a small stripe at the bottom of the jar below his face (to represent his body stripes) as well as the two spots that go behind his eyes. Since Panda’s ears are also dark, we painted our lid black too!

You’ll need to wait for the stripe and spots to dry before you paint the rest of Panda’s jar white. This can take up to a few hours depending on how thick of a coat you painted. While you wait for everything to dry, Ice Bear demands you watch a few We Bare Bears episodes, but we demand you move on to the next step.

4. If you haven’t already, plug in your hot glue gun. While you wait for it to heat up, grab your craft foam sheets and cut out a small rounded piece with a flat bottom. (We found working from the edge of the foam sheet was easiest.) Then, starting at the flat bottom, cut out another small rounded piece – sort of like making a super awkward looking rainbow. (See above for reference) These will be your bear ears. You’ll need 2 of each color. Brown for Grizz, Black for Panda, and White for Ice Bear.

5. Once they’re cut out, put a small dab of hot glue (be very careful and ask a parent for help!) on one of the ends and then pull the two ends together and overlap them. Hold them together for a few seconds while the glue dries. Now your ears actually look like ears!

Figure out where you want to place your ears on the jar, add a small blob of hot glue, and then carefully place the foam ear and press it against the glue. Since you’re gluing on a glass jar, it’s really easy to peel off if you mess up, so don’t worry. Now set everything aside so it can finish drying.

6. Once everything is dry (Remember earlier when we told you not to pull a Grizz and get impatient? We didn’t listen to our own advice and totally messed up our lids they weren’t fully dry and the paint started to peel!), screw on the lids and check to see if any spots need any touch-ups or if you need to add an additional layer of paint. Once any additional layers finish drying, you’re ready to start using your jars!

7. Your awesome bear jars can now be used! Get creative with it. Stack your jars to create an awesome bearstack or use your jars as a cute decoration or useful storage device! It’s up to you. Keep the lids on to hide stuff from your younger siblings or leave the lids off and use them as a pencil holder.

Now that you’ve whipped up the coolest craft of all time, take our We Bare Bears quiz to find out if you’re most like Grizz, Panda, or Ice Bear!