Transformation Thursday!

Here is a great idea for all those jars that you have laying around, 

or in your recycle bin! 

This is a great idea and will add a fun touch to your 

up coming holidays and if I was to 

renew our vows this would be a touch I wouldn't think 

twice about using!!!

Materials:

Various glass containers 

Spray bottle

Water

White vinegar

spray paint that has the look of glass spray 

( I got mine at wall mart for around $3.50)

Paper towels

Newspaper or other protective covering ( I used a pizza box) 

The one catch to this tutorial is the fact that you'll really need to look for the specific looking glass spray. I was able to find it in more than one of our local craft stores, but if you are at a loss, you can find it online. While I haven't actually tried any other sprays, I did read in a few other Pinterest tutorials from people that did who wish in retrospect they had gone with the Krylon looking glass spray (just tyring to save you all a little time, money and frustration here).

Cover area outside (or in an extremely well ventilated area) where you plan to spray with newsprint or other protective covering — we used cut up grocery bags that we had on hand for projects like these. 

Thoroughly clean and dry all glass pieces you'll be working with — you want to make sure the glass is clean in order for the spray to fully do it's thing. Fill a spray bottle with 1 part water to 1 part white vinegar and shake to combine. 

Set nozzle of spray bottle to it's finest mist setting. Put on any protective gloves or masks you wish to use and let's get started!

*Note about spray: if you are like me, you read all the directions and warnings on the looking glass spray before using, so you know it requires lots of shaking before and between use and recommends using on the inside of the glass 

— this is where you need to trust me — I used it on the outside of the glass. I did this because I wanted to actually be able to put things like flowers and candles inside the containers and the end result was good for me, so I'm just putting it out there.  

Allow to dry for just a minute and apply another fine mist of water/vinegar solution — then let them sit. Here's what our glass containers looked like as they began to dry with both sprays applied — notice the fine beading from the water/vinegar solution creating variations in the mirror spray: 

Allow to dry for about 2 minutes, then gently blot the beads of water/vinegar with your paper towel — they should lift off areas of the mirror spray in a varied pattern. Don't rub very hard as the metallic finish will streak, though you can apply gentle pressure in various places to achieve a more realistic and varied mercury glass look. Don't worry that the glass is still see-through at this point, since you'll be doing several thin layers to build up the look over time.

Just repeat the same process over and over, and rotating between resting your glass container on its base versus its top so you get full coverage.  All in all I probably went with between 3-4 coats in total.

You want to go with several thin and even layers of the spray to avoid runniness and splotching trust me, the end result is worth the patience.  Keep building up your layers until you are happy with the overall look and feel of your containers. Then allow for them to dry for at least 4 hours until bringing them inside or off the protective covering; you want them to set and seal.  
After your container is completely dry, now you are ready to style them the way you want to... If you think an area needs a little more or less coverage you can simply spot treat with more spray or spray with more water/vinegar and continue to blot away the treatment this is where you own craftiness and style come into play.
So what do you think —  would you try this?  What piece of glass would you transform  with fun diy this finishing technique?  I am totally going to try this with my wine bottles!  I have a very nice area outside I would like to decorate  a art project with the wine bottles, white lights, and the spray paint. Something alittle Italian themed maybe? I also want to try the chalk paint method for container for my bathroom. I think the little ones would be great sweet on a shelf with my cotton balls, q-tips, and make up brushes. Living with two boy men and a big man I have to try and make it a little girlie, right?! :)