DIY Mercury Glass

Like I promised, here's a quick little tutorial

on how to DIY on how to simulate mercury glass.

Mercury glass seems to be all the rage,

especially in the "wedding scene".

Problem is, it can be pricey and difficult to find matching pieces.

So how do you solve that problem...create your own

cheap, matching mercury glass.

 

Here's what you will need:

 

Your glass pieces you are going to turn to mercury glass

Krylon Looking Glass Mirror spray paint

Spray bottle

White vinegar

Water

Soft rag

Newspaper (if needed)

 

Here's how you do it:

1.  Make sure that there is not too much humidity in the air.

     Ideally, you probably want it to be around 70 degrees (or warmer).

 

2.  Find a glass piece(s) that fit your need/style.

     I found mine at Snowline Hospice for next to nothing.

     Be sure to wash and dry the glassware.

 

 

 

3.  Make sure you are in a well ventilated area.

     If needed, protect your flooring from over spray.

     I did my project outside, so there was no need.

 

4.  Take your clean glass and spray it with a mixture of

     1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar.  Make sure you have the spray

     nozzle set to mist.

 

5.  Lightly spray your Krylon Looking Glass spray paint

     over the water/vinegar coated glass.

     Some instructions I have read say to spray the inside of

     the vessel, I chose to spray the outside because at

     some point in time I will put flowers in it and I don't want

     to ruin the paint job.

     You can turn your piece upside down if you like,

     I, however, wanted to paint it standing right side up.

I'm a rebel!

 

6.  Let your piece dry for about a minute, then lightly dab with your cloth. 

     If you want your piece to look more distressed,

     you can rub and remove paint in areas of your choosing.

7.  Repeat the steps above until you achieve your desired look.

     I found it took about 4 separate passes to get the

     color and coverage I was looking for.

 

 

You can see with the larger piece that it is still

somewhat transparent (can you see the candle?).

You could probably get creative and see how

this project turns out with colored glass and the mirror spray on top.

I imagine it might turn out like this.

 

Via

 

I can image this DIY project being used in a wedding or a bridal/baby shower.

 

So what do you think?

Pretty easy right!

Go ahead, get out there and give it a try.

Thrift Store Challenge Outcome

Oh hey, it's been a minute!

Why?

Being honest, I was burned out.

I was sick for a couple weeks,

the kids came home for a week,

and I really had nothing to blog about

because it has been a really mellow (boring) few weeks.

The weather has been rainy,

so many of the projects I've been wanting to do/finish

have been put on hold until the weather clears up.

 

One project that I was able to complete was the

$10 Thrift Store Challenge.

If you are unfamiliar,

let me fill you in on the details.

You spend $10 on thrift store treasures

and use these treasures to create

some sort of Spring vignette.

That's it...so easy.

 

I found the challenge fun,

and really had to limit myself on my purchases.

When I originally started looking,

I had a shopping cart full of goodies

(a little over $10...hehehe).

 

In the end, I chose things that

would represent Spring,

but were not too "Springy" to me.

I used things I had laying

around the house to finish up the look,

so technically my Spring vignette

 is not 100% thrifted.

 

So, without further ado,

here are a couple of pictures of the finished project,

 

 

My thrifted Spring Vignette.

 

 

 

I spent $10 creating this look.

 

How did I do it?

I first visited Snowline Hospice.

I had never actually shopped at this store,

as Salvation Army and Goodwill are closer to my house.

I figured I would give it a shot, and I wasn't disappointed.

I purchased the two vases there,

the larger vase cost $3.50, and the smaller one $.50.

However, they were clear class when I bought them.

I then visited Goodwill where I purchased the

picture and the wooden basket.

The picture cost $3.00 and the basket $3.00.

Total = $10.00

 

I had the two cute little birdies, the wooden ball,

green grass, candle and silver paint on hand

to help finish off the look.

I'm very happy with how it turned out,

and I'm thinking I want to try and do one of these

challenges each time the season changes.

 

If you are wondering how I turned

two plain glass vases into Mercury Glass,

I will be posting a DIY shortly.

 

So what do you think?

Did you find any treasures you want to share?

Do you like my Spring vignette?