What could be prettier than colored glass?
With this tutorial, I'll show you how to easily turn any
ordinary glass jar into a colorful work of art with just three
supplies that are available at your local craft store.
Ready? Let's go!
First, gather your supplies.
Here is what you will need:
Glass jars. Any size or type will do.
The jar above is an 8 oz. standard jelly jar.
The jar below is a larger standard shaped canning jar.
Make sure your jar is clean and dry!
Food coloring. I used gel icing color from Wilton in Rose, Teal, and Violet.
Mod Podge Gloss
Note: You can use Mod Podge Matte for this project but be advised
that once it dries the results will be semi-transparent, or cloudy.
Use the Mod Podge Gloss for a transparent, stained glass look.
A paper plate or large piece of waxed paper. Craft sticks for mixing your mixture.
Directions for coloring the jars:
Note: The amount of Mod Podge that you use will depend on the size of your jar.
The directions below are for a standard medium-sized (8oz) jelly jar.
1. Pour about 4 - 6 Tablespoons of Mod Podge Gloss into your jar and using a craft stick,
mix in a small amount of food coloring, adding more food coloring until desired
shade of color is achieved. I used about 1/8 teaspoon of food color in an 8 oz. jar.
Mix well, until the food coloring and Mod Podge are completely combined.
Be careful not to mix so vigorously that you create air bubbles. Easy does it!
2. Your mixture will be opaque while it is wet, but will dry transparent.
3. Once mixture is completely combined, remove the craft stick and slowly roll
the jar with your hands to distribute the mixture over the entire inside of the jar.
Do not use your craft stick or a paintbrush to help spread the mixture.
Allow gravity to do all the work.
4. Once the inside of the jar is completely coated, pour out the excess mixture
and wipe away any drips around the mouth of your jar. Turn the jar upside down
and onto a paper plate or piece of waxed paper to allow any remaining mixture
to drain from the jar.
5. Once the excess is drained from the jar (I drained mine for about an hour),
turn the jar right-side up and set aside to dry. Drying time varies depending
on your room temperature. I worked next to a hot pellet stove, so my jars
dried in about 4-6 hours. In normal or damp conditions, it could take 24-48
hours for your jar to completely dry.
Finished jar made with teal coloring
Didn't like your results? Simply soak the jar in warm water
to remove the color, wash the jar and try again!
Use jar as a candle holder by inserting a glass votive with a candle inside the jar
(do not put candle directly inside the jar.) Because the color is water-soluble, you
can only use this as a vase if you insert a liner.
Finished jar made with violet and rose coloring
(above and below)
The dark areas on the jar above were still drying.
Finished jar made with rose coloring
Wait! Come back!
Be sure to check back soon for the second part of this post,
where I'll show you how to decorate your jar with wire and beads!
What do you think?
