Alyice on July 21st, 2010

Stained Glass Folk Art Jar

When I was a little girl, my aunt-in-law, Becky, created beautiful stained glass ornaments. Once, she even took me to see where she worked. It was a small shop in the back of her boss’ home. There I watched her cut the glass, design her piece, then solder the glass pieces together. It was delicate work—and if I might say a little scary.

Image Copyright 2010, Alyice Edrich
Stained Glass Heart © Becky Tomren, 1978

Years later, when we purchased our own home, I wanted to create beautiful stained glass pieces in my own home. Unfortunately, I was still afraid of the glass cutting so I went to the hobby store and found “stained glass window paint”.

That evening, I created an abstract design on my kitchen window.

The next day, I looked at that window and the memories of the day I spent with my Aunt Becky came flooding back—good memories, indeed.

Last year, I bought some more window paint but instead of designing a window, I designed a blue and brown candle holder.

Then one day, as I was browsing the Internet, I read that food coloring can be mixed with Mod Podge to create a lovely stained glass look. And my brain began churning…

The one problem I had is that Mod Podge has a tendency to peel off glass, and so I tried to put the idea out of my head. Still, I couldn’t help but be intrigued with the idea so last night I decided to cave.

I pulled out my glossy Mod Podge, yellow food coloring, Fabric-Tac, paint brush, an old food jar, my hand painted paper, and some twine. And I came up with this simple yet stunning folk art-style jar.

It was so easy to create, too!

How To Create A Stained Glass Folk Art Jar

Clean the glass so that no fingerprints remain. Mix a few drops of food coloring into the Mod Podge, then paint strokes (from top to bottom) onto the jar. Let dry.

Next, cut out a heart from your scrapbooking paper (I used hand painted paper.) and cover the back with Mod Podge. Adhere the heart to the front of the jar, hold it into place with your fingers until it sticks nicely. Let dry.

Once dried, apply a top coat of clear Mod Podge to the heart. Let dry.

If you like streaks, you’re good to go.

I, however, wasn’t too fond of them so once dried, I dipped my brush back into the colored Mod Podge, then gently dabbed the Mod Podge over the entire jar and let it dry. (I just love the texture!)

But wouldn’t you know it, as I applied the Fabric-Tac to the top of the jar and began winding the twine, the Mod Podge began to lift and peel. It was so disheartening! (I heard there is an “Outdoor” Mod Podge, I am going to try that next.)

I stopped dead in my tracks, grabbed my DecoArt Triple-Thick Brush-On Glaze and a sponge paintbrush and dabbed it onto the jar. Once dried, I returned to wrapping the twine around the top.

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One Comment

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Mod Podge Amy says:
This is so cute! I love your little heart addition!
Posted at 10:12 pm July 21st, 2010

AlyiceEdrich.com
I'm a freelance writer, mixed media artist, SMVA, and the owner of The Dabbling Mum.

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