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Stained Glass Folk Art Jar

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010 by Alyice

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.

Keep Creating

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A Little Texture Please

Friday, May 28th, 2010 by Alyice

I really love the “ancient ruins” look I give some of my jars—so much so that it’s often hard to part with them—and those that I have parted with have become my “signature gift”. In the past, I kept to more traditional colors like greens, browns, and tans. But lately I’ve been playing with colors and adding subtle imagery and/or words to the smooth areas.

In the jar below, I applied joint compound, then I ripped pieces of old napkins that were once used to clean paintbrushes and placed them into the wet compound. Once dried, I applied several layers of paint, then I applied another coat of joint compound and let dry. Once dried, I painted the new layer. Then when the last coat of paint dried, I applied a high gloss glaze.

On other jars, I’ve included smaller birds, branches, and beads. On one jar, I even wrote out the word “Love”. And the cool part is that at first glance, you only see the texture. Then as you look closer, you can read each letter. Going from left to right, you can then make out the word. It was so much fun!

Keep Creating

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How To Create A Recycled Bird Planter

Thursday, May 27th, 2010 by Alyice

Supplies:

Recycled Metal Can
Fake Silk Flower Bouquet
Paper cutouts: tree, bird, leaves or flowers
Miniature flowers: silk or paper
Wiggle eyes
Buttons
Moss or fake grass
Shredded paper
Wallboard Joint Compound
Acrylic paints
Paint brush
Sponge brush
Artist’s spatula
Wire cutter
Krylon black outdoor spray paint
Elmer’s glue
Aleene’s Jewel-It Embellishing Glue
DecorArt Triple Thick Glaze
Clear Acrylic Sealer

Directions:

Draw a tree, leaves or flowers, and a bird on a sheet of acid-free copy paper. Cut out images.
Paint can with black spray paint: inside and out. Let dry.
Use spatula to spread joint compound over entire surface of can.
While joint compound is still wet, gently press cutouts into joint compound. Let dry for 48 to 72 hours. (Avoid putting any compound inside or on the bottom of the can.)
Paint the outer surface with acrylic paints. Let dry.
Sign the bottom of the can. Let dry.
Spray the painted surface with clear acrylic sealer. Let dry for 24 hours.
Use sponge brush to paint a thin layer of glaze on the entire outer surface. Repeat, after first coat dries for 1 hour, if necessary. Let dry for 24 hours.
Use Jewel-It to adhere miniature flowers on tree, then adhere buttons in center of flowers. Add a wiggle eye on the bird.
Use wire cutter to cut individual flowers from the silk flower bouquet.
Fill the can with shredded paper.
Pour Elmer’s glue on top of shredded paper.
Place moss on top of shredded paper while the glue is still wet. Gently press the moss into the glue so that it adheres properly.
While the glue is still wet, push the individual flower stems through the moss and shredded paper. Let dry.
Spray the moss and flowers with acrylic sealer. Let dry.

Keep Creating

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

Copyrights

All material on this blog belongs to Alyice Edrich, unless otherwise noted. No project, artwork, or text may be reproduced or displayed elsewhere without the consent of the creator. That includes making derivative works for resale. Please use project tutorials for personal use and/or gifts only.