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Monday, July 30, 2012

Everyone is doing it....so I may as well!

Well, I have wanted to try this project for a while now but had other things going on so it got pushed down the list of projects until recently when I decided to just do it!



So here it is.....my version of DIY mercury glass.

First off I saved two small glass jars for this project and made sure they were thoroughly clean inside AND out. I had to use some Goo Gone on the outside to take off the remaining glue from the label and then I was ready to get started.


So first things first-here are the supplies you will need for this project:


Note: I had a VERY HARD TIME finding the Krylon Looking Glass mirrored finish spray paint in KC but luckily Hobby Lobby had it and it was on sale last week so I got it for about $8 but it usually retails for about $12 and I barely even used it for these two jars. A little goes a long way and hopefully more places in your city carry this paint.

In my water bottle I added distilled vinegar to it hoping it would help me achieve the look I was going for but I THINK plain old water would probably work just as well.

Now take your water bottle and spray inside your jar so the water beads up around the sides then lightly spray the Looking Glass spray paint like so-




The next step is critical to achieving the look you want- and I learned the hard way with my first jar....the trick is take your paper towel and rub some of the paint/water off the sides of the jar. You should do this immediately after spraying the paint otherwise your jar will not look as distressed.


After this just keep layering the water mixture and paint and continue wiping random sections inside the jar with your paper towel to achieve the distressed look real like real mercury glass has.


Here is my first jar and it looks only lightly distressed. I let the paint dry for a minute before wiping so it was stuck on there except where the water bubbles were, (see the bubbles?) so that is why it has more of a mirror finish with less distressing than my second jar.



The second jar below was distressed more with my towel and looks more like what I had set out to achieve.




All in all I am happy to have FINALLY tackled this project and now I have a list of things I would like to try this technique on! :)


Here are both of the jars again on my entryway table. They look great with the beachy look so that is where I currently have them displayed.



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So there ya have it...my version of faux mercury glass and I love it! It is such an easy and fun project and I hope you have a chance to try it for yourself! :)

Jennifer



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10 comments:

  1. They look fantastic! Thanks for the tutorial, I have them on my list too.....

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  2. Did you try Walmart? I found some there for $7. I can;t wait to try it out. And I think Jars or a vase would be great to start with.

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  3. Looks like a project I want to try!
    Thanks,
    Deb@LakeGirlPaints

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  4. No way! Those look great. I tried to find that can of paint here in Canada a while ago with zero luck. I might have to take up the search again.

    Thanks so much for leaving a nice comment on my blog.

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  5. I tried Walmart and the nearest one that had it on hand was roughly 40 minutes away and Hobby Lobby here in KC only had a few so as you're out looking for it, be prepared to do some searching. Its sooo worth ith though and a little goes a long way with this stuff. Its a bit different than regular spray paint. I barely even used any of it to do these two jars so I could easily do another project or two with my one can of spraypaint so its very much worth giving it a try!

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  6. awesome! I will try it. It looks super easy, I have to do it.

    Thanks!

    xoxo

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  7. These are STUNNING! I love a good old glass jar naked but add the mercury effect and now that's even better. I hope I can find the spray here in NZ as I just have to try this out!

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  8. They came out great! I have been experimenting with the looking glass paint, too! Love yours!

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  9. I still haven't got around to trying this... I really must. Thanks for linking up at Shabbilicious Friday.

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  10. Great tutorial! I am currently in love with Mercury glass!

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