DIY Mecury Glass Votives

So lately I have been trying to make a few things off of Pinterest. If I see an idea and I like it (and it fits the budget) I have just been jumping in with both feet. So far its been an absolute blast! I found a project to make your own Mercury Glass items. While I am not a big fan of mercury glass, (the imperfections drive me bonkers), I saw that my mom had liked it, and I though that it might fit in well with her style. With my parent's anniversary coming up, I thought that I would try to make them a present that they would like. The candle holders seemed like a great idea.

Supplies

I gathered up all my items. Pretty much that meant scouring the house for clear glass items. I wanted a way to test out the technique first, so I found two old clear candle holders that had previously held  candles but had been cleaned out. I also found a couple of small glass vases to try out the mirror effect. I pre-washed all of the items, since they were not brand new. I just hot water and dish soap and let them air dry.


So, just to be clear and simple, here are the supplies:

• I used clear candle holders that I had gotten from IKEA.  Cost-already owned.
• I got the Krylon Looking Glass Spray from Amazon. Cost- $13 
• I used blue painters tape to tape off the outside. Cost-already owned
• 50% Vinegar Spray. Cost-already owned




First coat

After cleaning the votives, I taped the outside with blue painters tape. I did this because I tend to get into spray painting and it gets everywhere. By taping down the outside of the class, I would not have to scrape off extra paint later. Also, I started the tape just below the top, so that the rim of each votive would have a nice silver look. To spray paint them, I did one coat at a time really lightly. Then I would gently spin them around until the paint had stopped making a puddle on the bottom. This way spread the paint around better and conserved the really expensive looking glass paint. The paint is really thin and likes to run down the sides, so turning it helps it keep the sides coated.




Sprayed with the Vinegar Solution

After spraying a coat, you let it dry for about a minute, and spray again. I just sprayed my votives one after the other and the timing seemed to work out great. After applying 5 coats, you then want to spray it with a 50% vinegar solution. I took 2 cups Vinegar and 2 cups warm water and mixed them into a spray bottle. I practiced a light mist a few times and then sprayed the inside of each votive. I tried a couple of different waiting times, but it seemed that the longer you let the vinegar sit on the paint the better the removed spots looked. Ten minutes seemed to work great. To remove the spots, wet a paper towel down with the vinegar solution and rub in small circles on the paint on the inside of the glass. Sometime to get a spot started I would scratch at it a little with my finger nail.


Puppy helper Tesla

I did this whole process outside, so I could get messy with the vinegar. Tesla really liked to steal the wet paper towels and rip them to bits when I was busy. I am telling you, that puppy was a big help in the process. If I had any spots get too big, I would gently wipe out the rest of the vinegar solution and lightly spray a couple of layers on the inside of the glass, let them dry and then repeat the vinegar part again. I got the hang of it after a couple of tries.

All finished and drying outside on a beautiful day

Several blogs I read, said not to let the paint dry too long, or it gets really hard to remove the paint with vinegar. Also, it took some wrist power to get the spots scrubbed out, more than I thought it would. Some people went back over the spots with one light coat of paint, or some black/gold acrylic paint, but I liked the look of just clear spots. I figured the candles would have a nice warm glow coming from them when lit. All in all, the project was really easy and relatively inexpensive. I sprayed a couple of vases with the mirror paint while I was at it, and I love the sleek mirrored finish. My Mom really likes the candles and it was a lot of fun to make her a nice gift.

The finished product-Candle Holders