Nov. 3: Painting project

I’ve been meaning to write about a project I recently attempted; unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures of the process or the finished product. Then, when I saw today’s blog challenge prompt (“paint”), I thought of a great plan: I would steal the photo someone else took of my project! Ta-da!

glasses

Photographer credit goes to Sherilee. She was the recipient of four of these stem-less goblets, which I painted with fancy paint. I also made a set for Tina, and I forgot to take a picture of hers too.

anthro hack I kept seeing these glasses as an Anthropologie hack on Pinterest, but my brain wheels had been turning ever since I received a hand-painted glass on one of my first visits to Val’s house. There are lots of options for painting on glass, but for the most durability and longest life, I recommend paint that’s made especially for glass—people say regular ol’ Sharpies work but they don’t. Martha Stewart makes a beautiful selection of styles and colors of glass paints, and DecoArt is another good option—check Michael’s and JoAnn’s. I chose a type that could be baked so the items would be dishwasher-safe—again, a life-extender. (I avoid kitchen items that can only be hand-washed. I have a huge china cabinet full of them and that’s enough for this girl.)

Here are my thoughts on the glass-painting process:

  1. The best stores I know of for plain glass items (drinking glasses, vases, pitchers, plates, serving pieces, etc.), cheap, are IKEA, Ross, and TJ Maxx. There goes my secret, Sher and Tina. ;)
  2. Plan to practice with different types of painting tools until you get the look you want. In the photos below, it’s obvious that some projects will require more than just a paintbrush tip, which is what I used for my project. Pens are great if you can find the right colors and types, but if you want to draw tiny designs and have a steady hand you’ll go far with a small paintbrush.
  3. Elevate whatever you’re painting to eye level or your back will be killing you for days. Trust me on this.
  4. If you’re not naturally steady-handed, at least plan to be sober.
  5. The eight glasses I painted took most of one day. This is not a quick gift you can throw together on the way to the birthday party.
  6. It is really, really hard to fix mistakes when you’re painting designs close together. Be extry-careful, or plan to work mistakes into your design.

Here are some other Pinterest pins I’ve collected for my “painted glass ideas” folder:

painted flutes  painted jars  painted plate 

painted vase  painted wine glasses

I love, love, love receiving handmade gifts, and therefore love giving them too. This month I’ll try to post more do-able ideas. Christmas is cooooming!

jen

Yep, I’m doing another blog challenge. This one is photo-riffic!

5 comments:

  1. Those glasses are so pretty! Definitely going to keep that idea in mind for a rainy day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this! I think I can do it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love these love these love these! You rocked the DIY, girl! xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. The glasses were the envy of everyone at the party!

    ReplyDelete
  5. how to do the purple wine glasses? can't see a link or instructions!? thank you!

    ReplyDelete

Hey, please don’t leave an anonymous comment.
Select “Name/URL” below and you can use whatever name you want. No registration required.
Thanks! –Jen

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails