Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Chalk Painted Mason Jars


Last week I shared with you the decorations from a recent baby shower I helped to host. The theme was "What are little girls made of?". If you missed that post, you can catch up here. I'm tickled to say the decorations for the shower cost me $5.00 for a piece of lace-stamped burlap, and then my mother spent about $10.00 on fresh white mums and baby's breath. I also spent $3.00 on a bottle of paint, but I ended up with three blue jars for flower vases. Not bad, huh? 


Mason jars and burlap helped add to the Southern feel of the shower. I pulled three jars from my stash and used a little paint to make these. It was really simple and I like them a lot. Today I'll show you how to make them.


All it takes is three things - clean mason jars, nail polish remover and glass paint.


OK - I have to admit that what I bought is not what I intended to buy. Not sure why I didn't see that this is actually a CHALK FINISH. I guess I was looking so closely for the words "glass paint", that I somehow missed the other part! There are other glass paints that actually make it look more like colored glass. That was what I was going for, but I'm actually very happy with the way it turned out.


I picked this up at Hobby Lobby and actually paid full price for it.
I was using my 40% off coupon for something else that day!


Begin by mixing equal parts paint and nail polish remover. I mixed it in a plastic cup with a straw so I could easily throw them both away. No cleanup! I used about a quarter of the bottle for each jar, and mixed them individually as I went. That way, I didn't waste any paint.


Pour the paint into clean Mason jars. Be sure that they have been wiped clean. Any dirt or fingerprints will catch the paint and show up.


Slowly turn the jar, swirling the paint up the sides of the jar toward the top.


When you get to the top, slowly pool the paint in the rim and turn slowly so it will coat without spilling. I should have poured my excess back into the plastic cup for reuse. I figured that out on my second jar!


I turned them upside down on a paper plate for about 15 minutes to drain and evenly coat the sides.


Then I carefully wiped the rim and set them right side up on a clean paper plate to dry.


The directions on the paint say to let them dry for four days before baking them. I made them on Friday and read the directions on Saturday. Oh well. I baked them Sunday morning and then let them cool while I got ready for church. They did fine!


When they are dry, place them in a cold oven and heat to 325. Bake for 20 minutes, and then turn off the oven and crack the door. Allow them to cool completely.


Here's one last look at them. They did great! Baking them sets the paint and it didn't come off when I put water in them. I used them for a few days at home until the flowers died, and then washed them and put them away for another day!

Such a simple and inexpensive craft! You could paint anything really...pickle jars, jelly jars or simple vases from the Dollar Tree! What will you paint?

I'm so glad you stopped by my neck of the woods!
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