Coastal chic tutorial

There’s lots of exciting things going on here this week and I had hoped to share the big one with you today. . . but it’s not quite ready. . .  so I’ll keep all the surprises for next week.

Meanwhile, I’ve got a quick tutorial for you. Do you remember my coloured glass candle lanterns I made for the market?

 

I painted the glass jars and gave them a coastal chic look with some handmade jute netting. . . perhaps that will be a tutorial for another day. They were a huge hit on the day and I sold out of them quite early.

Anyhoo’s, I’d seen tutorials all around blogland for making faux sea glass and coloured glass using Mod Podge, so I gave it a go. To be honest, I wasn’t all that thrilled with the results. The main problem is Mod Podge is water soluble. . . so washing your jar results in your coloured glass disintegrating. Also, it’s hard to get a handle on what your final colour will be like with the cloudy appearance. . . plus it has a tendency to run when painted.

After several attempts I had an idea. . . why use Mod Podge when I could use All Purpose Sealer which is clear and won’t wash off. I decided to give it a try and was thrilled with the results. For my candle lanterns I wanted a pale green glass so added a couple of drops of green food colouring to about 1/4 cup of sealer. The consistency of the All Purpose Sealer is thicker and less likely to run. I used a foam brush to apply the coloured sealer and left to dry upside down. . . but there were no drips. The lanterns dried streak free with a lovely green tinge.

This is what I used, Jo Sonja All Purpose Sealer, but there are other brands of sealer out there you could try. This is an artist medium and can be purchased where art/craft supplies are sold.

Now I’m working on some gorgeous Christmas themed painted jars with equally good results. . . but you’ll have to wait for ‘Simply Christmas’ to get a glimpse of those little babies.

Hugs ~ Kerryanne

I’ll be joining in with the  link parties this week.