I found a picture of an old milk bottle, with love written on it with a hot-glue gun, and spray painted white. I thought it'd be a fun project for my wife, so I did one. Painted it green with "love" and a heart glue-gunned on it, then painted the heart white. Did another one, this time blue with "dream" and a cloud, painted the cloud white, and made a how-to complete with pictures. Here you go:
Supplies:
- Old vase, bottle, candle jar, etc.... Something with plain smooth sides, anything with “designs” on it will take away from your created accents.
- Spray paint. I’m using Valspar from Lowe’s. They’re $3.98/can. I’m also using Satin finish, just because I like it.
- Hot Glue Gun. Hot glue is forgiving too, so if you don’t like how you wrote the word, peel it off and do it again. Also remember that it probably won’t stick with a dishwasher/scrubbing from hand washing, etc....
- Acrylic paint. Only if you plan to have an accent color. Any kind from Wal-Mart. I’m using Privateer Press, simply because I have it readily available from my other nerdish hobby pursuits.
- Some cheap paint brush for the acrylic paint.
- Xacto knife/razor. (Not pictured.) This is to remove those stringy things from the hot glue.
- Non-permanent marker to “sketch” the words/designs/whatever onto the glass.
Optional Supply:
- Krylon Matte Sealer. I’m only using it to try to give an extra thin layer of protection to the paint. If you do use this and you bought gloss spray paint, the matte sealer will render it matte. If you choose to go the sealer route and want it to look glossy, pick up some gloss sealer instead.
- Wash the glass. Sometimes oils from your fingers will keep paint from adhering. (I’m choosing not to prime the glass prior to painting which could or could not increase the durability of the paint...most times it helps.
- Take your marker and sketch/draw out your design. Keep in mind writing with a hot-glue gun is less precise than your marker so make the letters larger than you think you should write them. For this project I’m writing “dream” onto the glass and I’m putting a “cloud” accent.
- Do your best to now put your design down onto the glass. Once again, it’s hot-glue so it comes off easily if you jack it up. Also take note that you are leaving those spider-web string things all over the place when you lift the hot-glue gun. After you’re finished give the glue a few minutes to set. Now remove the strings and any other offending errors. Sometimes you can roll up the stringy things with your finger, sometimes that pulls the letters up off the glass. For the more tricky parts use your xacto razor carefully.
- Once you’re satisfied with the design, paint it. For the “dream” project I’m using a light blue. Note: there will be overspray, so paint outside, or set up a home-made paint booth made of boxes. I still have lots of cardboard from moving so that’s what I have. Don’t forget to shake the fool out of the can before beginning and give a test spray onto the cardboard or your neighbor’s fence. Be light with painting. We are going to do MULTIPLE light coats, not one big thick coat. One coat will leave you with drips and puddles. Light coats gets it more even. I rarely ever stick my finger down on the can and paint without letting up. Use short bursts and keep your arm moving side to side. Paint a bit, not too much that you get drips. Let it dry, do it again. Let it dry and do it again if needed until it’s all covered with your primary color.
- After you’ve painted the glass and it’s dried, paint the accent with your acrylic craft paint. I’m painting the cloud white. Thinning the paint with a bit of water might help with smoothness, but I’m painting straight from the pot on this one, which resulted in quite lumpy/clumpy paint up close.
- After you are satisfied with your results and if you choose to, put a light coat or two of the matte sealant onto your project. I threw the coat of sealant on there and there is no discernible difference with the finish.
- Now it’s done.
I have no clue as to what I’m going to do with these other than decoration. Make yours the way you want to. Copy this idea, which I found a picture of somewhere online, sans the how-to. I will say that I don’t recommend washing these things in a dishwasher and if you “need” to clean them, be careful not to break off the glue. Either way, if you’re feeling crafty, I’ll share my antics.
