Turn your old glass bottles and jars into beautiful pieces

April 28th, 2010 → 10:00 am @ Maria

23


credit: MarthaStewart.com

I absolutely love this little project Martha Stewart features on her site. Basically she takes recycled glass jars, bottles, and vases and gives them a whole new life with glass enamel. What a great green and affordable way to reuse discarded materials to decorate your home! I decided to tackle this little crafting extravaganza myself and made a quick tutorial that you can follow below. Enjoy!

What you will need:

Supplies

  • A glass container
  • Glass enamel paint (I used PermEnamel, you can find it at most crafting stores)
  • Surface Conditioner for glass (same brand)

Step One:

First off, you will need to clean out your bottle and remove any labels (unless you prefer leaving it on). I soaked the bottle in hot, soapy water for about 10 minutes and then used my nails to take off the label (hence my cracked manicure!).

Step Two:

Once you bottle has been dried out, pour enough conditioner into it to lightly coat the entire inside. Close the cap, and swirl the liquid around until it’s been fully spread. Pour out any excess conditioner, and let it dry for about an hour.

Step Three:

Once your bottle is dry again, pour in the paint. Place the cap back on, and swirl it around until it full covers the inside surface of the bottle. I added a few drops of water to help the process go quicker. Pour out any of the excess liquid. To yield the same colors Martha did in her bottles, use a white paint – depending on the level of green color in the glass, the darker it will appear.

Step Four:

Place the bottle upside down on an old towel you don’t mind staining. Allow it to dry for about 48 hours. Once it is dry, you’re done!

My finished product! It looks great on my mantle.

You can choose any color of paint you’d like, but remember, look for clearer glass to get a purer hue. Mine just had a hint of green to it, and it turned out this pretty robin egg blue color.

Is this a project you would try? How would you transform yours? Are you an avid recycler? Let me know!

Random Posts