Monday, July 25, 2011

Etceteras: cranberry glass

DIY Faux Cranberry Glass

I am obsessed with painted glass bottles and jars. I have seen so many beautiful projects lately; simple spray painted bottles, white paint inside of the glass resulting in a milk glass effect and Mod Podge and blue food coloring inside of the glass which makes beautiful sea glass.

DIY Faux Cranberry Glass
I decided to try to make cranberry glass. True cranberry glass is an art and the glass is typically hand blown.  My cranberry glass is made from everyday jars.

DIY Faux Cranberry Glass

I used the Mod Podge method to make these. The amount you need will depend on the size of your jar. To make the largest jar, I used:
  • 2 Tbsp of Gloss Lustre Mod Podge
  • 1-2 tsp water
  • 2 drops blue food coloring
  • 3 drops red food coloring
DIY Faux Cranberry Glass

Mix your ingredients and pour into your jar. Swirl the mixture around and continue swirling as you pour the mixture out. Make sure the entire inside of the jar is coated. Most of the tutorials now say to place your jar upside down on newspaper or wax paper and to wipe the opening of the jar every now and then. I found that the Mod Podge pools and makes a huge messy clump around the top of the jar. I came up with these drying racks made out of strawberry baskets.

DIY Faux Cranberry Glass
Note the color of the Mod Podge – as it dries it becomes darker and translucent. I used varying amounts of food color to get the three different colors on my jars.

DIY Faux Cranberry Glass

I embellished the jars because the color wasn’t quite even around the neck of the jar where the Mod Podge dried thicker.  

 DIY Faux Cranberry Glass

The jars are purely decorative. Because Mod Podge is waterbase, you can’t fill these with water and use them as vases.

Tips: I’ve tried this project a few times and here’s what I’ve learned.

1. Some tutorials say you can use white glue but I found that the Mod Podge works better.
2. The more water you add the more translucent your result will be. Too much water and the glass will not coat evenly.
3. Make sure the inside of the jar is very clean or the Mod Podge will not adhere correctly.
4. Be patient – don’t touch the inside before it’s completely dry. Trust me on this…

DIY Faux Cranberry Glass
And if you’re not happy with your results, soak your jars in water and start over.


94 comments :

  1. These look really great. I can't wait to give it a go myself :)

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  2. So beautiful, I love the variation of color and the embellishments you chose:)!
    Beth

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  3. These are just beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

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  4. The color is beautiful, I like the embellishments too!

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  5. So pretty! I have to add these to pinterest too! and it was so great seeing at Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop!

    creativecarmella.blogspot.com

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  6. very pretty! I've seen tutorials and even wrote up my own method using alcohol ink - but I haven't seen this color yet, and it's beautiful.

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  7. gorgeous! and thanks so much for the advice on this one! it seems that all the projects involving painting the inside of glass jars are decorative only, even the ones apparently using oil based paints are also not appropriate for use with water......of course, you can always put a smaller jar inside and fill that with water! thanks for sharing on Craft Schooling sunday!

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  8. How pretty! You could even do this with old vases right?

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  9. very pretty! such an easy special occasion (or seasonal - I'm thinking Christmas!) accessory. Yours are so pretty. And goodness knows I've got plenty of jars :)

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  10. This is my kind of project - impermanent! Thanks for the great tips!

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  11. Gorgeous! I've done this but with only blue food coloring and modge podge to create the vintage mason jar look :) will have to try with the pink! Also, you can paint it on the exterior in order to be able to use as vases with water...however, it doesn't look as neat and even as it does with your method! :)

    http://sweetsongbirdofmine.blogspot.com/

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  12. I've been admiring the jars but this is the 1st tutorial I've actually read. You make it sound so easy & the jars are beautiful!

    -caroline @ c.w.frosting

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  13. How very clever-getting the look without the price!

    Hope you will please drop by and enter my $50 Overstock.com Gift Card Giveaway!! Hometalk has said if I get 500 entries, they will increase the Gift Card to $100.
    Honey

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  14. They are beautiful! I would like to feature them on my "Friday Found" post, with a link and a wink back to you of course. Let me know if that's okay with you!
    xoxo,
    Tasha

    www.frugaliciousme.com

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  15. Jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Pinned, stumbled, tweeted, etc...

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  16. These are so pretty! I love the cranberry color! So far, I have only seen blue and milky painted jars. What a neat idea!

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  17. I'm loving the diy color jars! I'm stopping by from the Tip Me Tuesday party. I would love for you to link this up to My Favorite Things party! It's going on all week,
    & be sure to check out my giveaway too!
    Thanks
    ~Iffy~

    www.stayathomenation.blogspot.com

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  18. Beautiful! Thanks for the tips on what you observed doing this project.

    Pinned on pinterest. :)

    Cheers,
    Tracy Screaming Sardine

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  19. I love it

    Can't wait to try this thanks for telling us how to get the effect cranberry glass done

    Janice

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  20. What awesome jars those are, and something that can be customized to any color scheme too!

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  21. No way. Mod Podge and food coloring? What a great way to reinvent and re-purpose jars.

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  22. This is the prettiest version of this I've ever seen! Love it!!

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  23. These are beautiful! I love how the different colors turned out. I might have to give this a try.

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  24. They're going to look great in my sunny kitchen window!

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  25. Beautiful! and thanks for all the tips, Carolyn! I haven't tried this technique yet, but I'm lovin' it!

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  26. Looks great! I'm visiting from New Nostalgia! I'd love for you to share this with my {re}create into something new blog party too at http://notsosimplehousewife.blogspot.com/2011/07/recreate-into-something-new-3.html

    Hope to see you at my place soon!
    Kaitlin-The Not So Simple Housewife
    http://notsosimplehousewife.blogspot.com

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  27. Oh how neat!! I love these jars and love how simple it can be to create this look! Thanks so much for sharing!

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  28. These are beautiful. Thanks for the great idea.

    Rhonda @ The Messy Roost
    messyroost.blogspot.com

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  29. Carolyn, these turned out beautiful!! Great job!
    Thank you so much for linking this up to {nifty thrifty sunday} last week! I will feature them tomorrow!!
    xoxo,
    Vanessa

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  30. I am always looking for new ways to use glass jars and I haven't seen the Mod Podge method. Definitely have to give this a try! Thanks for sharing at this week's BFF Link Party.

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  31. This is GENIOUS! I can't wait to make a bunch, thank you! Would love to have you link to my party this weekend too! http://designergarden.blogspot.com/2011/07/vip-party-21.html

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  32. These look fantastic! Thanks for the tutorial, I would have never thought to do that.

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  33. Such gorgeous results from such a simple technique. Incredible! Definitely a must-try for me!

    Carolyn, you bring a quality and style to "A Little Birdie Told Me..." that kicks the whole party up a few notches! Many, many thanks!

    Jenn

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  34. What a lovely idea, thnaks for sharing!

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  35. lovely cranberry glass gift..i really like this..this gift will look awesome.. thanks for this post..

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  36. Do you think that if I put a layer of sand in the bottom, I could put tea lights in them? They are so lovely.

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  37. Jen,
    Thank you for your comment. I'm not sure you could use tea lights in these because I don't know how the Mod Podge would react to the heat. You could always get those little battery operated tea lights.
    FYI - your profile is set to "no reply - comments" so I'm answering you here. If you would like to receive email responses to comments, you would need to change your profile settings. Thanks again. Good luck with the jars.
    carolyn - homework

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  38. Found this via Pinterest. Been looking for a way to do just this idea. Thanks so much for sharing.

    I'd love for you to add it to my weekly blog party, Thrifty Thursdays.

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  39. These are lovely and I'm trying them now. How long is the drying process?

    Mary :)

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  40. Thanks for the great project and additional tips too. =)

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  41. Could you do the outside, by just dipping the jar into the solution?

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  42. Wondering if you could paint the jar on the outside so that you could still use the jar for a vase or put snacks on the inside? I thought maybe that you could do it with a sponge paint brush.

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  43. So I started this project about 4 days ago. Using the proportions of food colouring in this blog post I realized mine were going to be really purple, so I did another coat which I thought was much redder. They are finally drying, hopefully will be fully dry tomorrow (day 5)and they are quite pale and still very much more purple than cranberry. Will try this again after xmas with WAY more red and just a tiny drop of blue and see what I get. I was not expecting them to take so many days to dry.

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  44. How is this method when the glass is going to be outside with the weathering?

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    Replies
    1. I don't think it will hold up to outside conditions. Any moisture will not be kind to the Mod Podge since it's water soluble. Best to keep these indoors.

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  45. Cute! Love the colors! Found this on Pinterest!

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  46. Finally tried this in a light brown color! Tricky tricky to get mostly right! Thanks again for sharing =) xo

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  47. Hi Carolyn I'm now a follower, just found your blog tonight. I am so envious of your "real" cranberry" glass jars. I can hardly wait to try to make the "faux" ones. You have a great blog and I'll look forward to coming back many times to see what fantastic projects you've been making. Happy days to you.

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  48. Hi! I tried this yesterday afternoon and after 24 hours, the solution is still not dry. I have read other tutorials that have said to put the jars in the oven for about 30 minutes. So, I put mine in the oven about 15 minutes ago, but now I'm nervous they will come out TOO translucent. Guess we'll see!

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  49. Thanks Carolyn for linking up to the Best of Your Best at Miss Information, I especially love your drying racks!

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  50. So simple, wish I would of thought of that! So many new crafts so little time :) Laura from Real Momma stopping by to say thanks for linking up in the Best of Your Best Blog Hop!

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  51. This is such a neat idea. I like how easy it is too! Thanks for sharing.

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  52. So beautiful.... Thank you so much! Making the for a wedding. La vie en rose!!!!

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  53. Love them! Going to try it right now!!! Very clever idea!

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  54. Love love love this!!! This is the first time I've seen that you could make these yourself. You've done a fantastic job. I'm sure if I tried they wouldn't look half as good.

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  55. Absolutely love this idea!! Do you think it would be okay to light a tea light candle inside?

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    every one be capable of easily understand it, Thanks
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  57. Nice and informative Blog regarding Homework Assistance this is really helpful for people who interested in Online Education. Thanks and Keep Continue to share useful information with us.

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  58. This is the great art to use these jars in such a way.

    American Patent Agent

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  59. How about outdoor lights made inside? Will it get too hot?

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    Replies
    1. Hi,I'm not sure what type of outdoor light you mean but I think any type of light may be too hot for this.

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  60. Nice article! I wonder where can get one of these jars? I came across this great website for Homework Help. Just thought to share..

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  61. I'm going to try this. Great idea. Thanks.

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  62. Hi Carolyn:

    what a beautiful project. I love it and I will try this next week. I painted them inside with Lowe's sample paint. messy but lovely, you are right, the top is messy so the lace or chain is a good idea.
    I'm your new follower, would you follow my blog? thanks

    Martha

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  63. Hi Carolyn,
    I have been wanting to do this for ever and just did it yea..... now waiting for results. Not sure if mentioned how long till its done. But thats OK I'm n no hurry ツ
    I did want to share with you what I did.
    To drain I just tipped them n another jar. Of course I made sure they didn't reach (touch) the bottom of such jar.
    Kinda like you was draining from one to the other.
    If hard to understand I did take a picture.
    Now the hard part.
    WAITING.
    Have a bless day.

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  64. I came across your blog via Home Talk. These jars are just beautiful. Love the clear Cranberry color. These are by far the nicest ones I have seen yet !!!! Thanks for sharing on how to make these. I am going to give this a try today !!!

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  65. Lovely! I followed your instructions and made some today! What type of glue did you use to hold the embellishment jewels on the jar? Thanks for your wonderful blog!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jules,
      I like E6000. It holds like crazy and dries clear. Hope you had fun making faux cranberry glass. Thanks so much for visiting homework.

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  66. What a beautiful yet simple idea. Can you tell me your food coloring formula/ratio for say, beach glass green or blue.

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    1. Here's the formula I used for the cranberry glass:
      2 Tbsp of Gloss Lustre Mod Podge
      1-2 tsp water
      2 drops blue food coloring
      3 drops red food coloring
      For blue/green beach glass I would try 3 drops of blue and 2 drops of green. It's sort of trial and error and each piece of mine has turned out differently. But it's fun to experiment and see what happens. Have fun!!

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  67. Could you put tea lights/candles in these?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Maura, you could definitely put a small battery operated tea light in the jar but I think a real flame would melt the Mod Podge/color. Thanks for visiting and asking.

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  68. The tip about the strawberry baskets for drainage is brilliant! Thanks also for including the color formula. So often it is hit n miss to acquire a particular color effect if you're not 'mix' savvy. Great post! Thanks for sharing! Repinning!

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  69. Love the color. My Mom had a collection of cranberry glass that got blown away in a tornado 30 years ago. It blew my husband and I right down to Arizona. Love it here and I tell people that it was the greatest blessing God gave us. We feel we are living in God`s country!! Now that you have shown me I can make cranberry glass I really am a happy camper. Have you used this technique on etched glass...inside or out?? I manufacture etchall, the glass and mirror etching creme. I cannot wait to try this and see how it looks. I will let you know. If you want a jar to try, send me your address (barbobiz@aol.com) and I will send you a free jar to experiment with. Thanks again for sharing....<{{}}><

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  70. WOW....You tried it! I love the little milk jug you created using the etchall I sent you. Thank you ! Your step-by-step tutorial was great!! I cannot wait to make cranberry jars and then decorate them by etching them on the outside with all sorts of Holiday/Christmas designs. What a team....CRANBERRY (OR ANY COLOR) GLASS AND ETCHALL!!! Thanks!!

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  71. We are really grateful for your blog post. You will find a lot of approaches after visiting your post. Great work read this .

    Homework Help

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  72. Hi Carolyn....very nice!!! I wondered if, once they jars are completely dried on the inside, whether you could coat the inside with a sealer of some sort to make them waterproof.

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  73. Couldn't be written any better. Reading this post reminds me of my old room mate! He always kept talking about this Assignment help

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  75. WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..more wait .. !There are certainly a lot of details like that to take into consideration. That is a great point to bring up. I offer the thoughts above as general inspiration but clearly there are questions like the one you bring up where the most important thing will be working in honest good faith. I don?t know if best practices have emerged around things like that, but I am sure that your job is identified as a fair game clearly. Both boys and girls feel the impact of just a moment’s pleasure, for the rest of their lives.

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  76. What a creativity!!! Here we can see some well painted glass bottles and jars. I wish to learn bottle painting and these incredible works inspired me a lot.

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  77. Love these, do you think I would be able to add some glitter to the formula or not?

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