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!

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.

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:

     

 

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!

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