Have you priced vintage blue canning jars lately? Wanna make your own really cheap?

I bought these probably five years ago at an antique/consignment store. I think I paid about 12 dollars for a set of four.  Now you can expect to pay at least that for just one.

Last night I was cruising around the internet and happened upon a link to a tutorial using mod podge and food coloring to make your own. Cool! In the original tutorial, she experimented with a few different methods and colors to get the look she was after. She had some problems with brush strokes showing up in the finished product.  I think she had the best luck using undiluted mod-podge, painting it on then stippling out the brush strokes with the end of her paint brush.  She used the jars as hanging garden lanterns, with tea light candles. Just lovely!

This afternoon I decided to play around with some mod-podge and food coloring myself. I'm thrilled with the results.  First I gathered up a few jars, some mod podge and blue and green food coloring.

Just pour some mod podge into one of your jars. I didn't measure, I just pored in about 1/4 cup.

Add a few drops of water to thin down just a bit. So it's the consistency of.... oh I don't know, slightly thinned mod podge. Then squirt in a few drops of food coloring- to your liking. I tried a few different combinations. I think I liked a 3:2 ratio 3 blue drops to two green. But you do what makes you happy. Stir it around to get a uniform distribution of color, then start swirling. Swirl around to cover the inside and pour the remainder into the next jar you want to color. Keep swirling and pouring to your hearts content or until you run out of jars or you need to mix more- which ever comes first.

You want to get as much of the mod podge mixture out of the jar as possible so you don't have a big glob of dried gunk in the bottom of your lovely jar.

This is how it will look wet.

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere about heat setting paint on glassware by baking it at a low temp, so I set my oven on the lowest setting it would allow, 150 degrees and popped them in.

I took this after they had cooked for about 20 minutes.

And for the finished product, drum roll please.....

Not too shabby, eh? They look very much like the real deal and since no brush was used, there are no brush strokes.  I don't imagine they are food safe. I wouldn't drink out of them or store food items, but they work great for showing off some pretty flowers.

You'll notice there's no water in the jars. I was impatient to take a picture, but I want to let them stay in the oven for a few hours to really set the mod podge. The label says once dries, it doesn't come off.

Edited to add***

OK, I've searched and searched for info about water and mod podge. After reading the FAQ page on the Mod Podge website, I don't  think they will hold up to having water in them.  I wonder how a clear spray sealer might work??? I'll have to give it a try tomorrow. Or you could just use the same method, but use paint made for glass, maybe something like this or this.  Or just don't put water in them and they should hold up just fine.

I used a gloss finish mod podge, just because that's what I happened to have on hand.

I'm linking this up to Funky Junk's Saturday Night Special. Go there to see a load of pretty stuff and great ideas and plan to be there a while. Don't say you weren't warned.

Comments

[Amber]

So pretty - I love the result!

[Joni]

Gosh, how CLEVER! Love the results and I love the real thing, too! your projects always look so sweet!
xoxo
joni

[Joy]

Very Pretty!! Thanks for the tutorial.

[Vicki]

What a great project! And I couldn't believe how the jars looked after baking. Very thrifty, and we're all looking for that these days! Thanks~ (: Vicki

[Lisa]

Amazing look! I had no idea you could bake modge podge. I wonder if you could do it to the outside of the jars instead ? Maybe then you could put water on the inside? I dunno. You did the research you would know better. But I really LOVE the colour and the look. Fantastic project.
Lisa

[Carol]

Autum I am so glad you are back!

[anina]

That is amazing! One more thing to put on the to do list.

[Natasha]

First it is good to have you back. I always visit your blog and it feels like comfort food. You were dead on in your post about blogging. I feel so much the same and have many long absences. I just do not like the pressure of not living up. I have decided, like you, that it is what it is and it is essentially for me. I am glad you feel better as well. That must have been a difficult time for you.

In other thoughts. Thank you for this terrific idea! I just saw in a decorating mag the cooles pic of blue bottles inverted on long sticks in the garden. It was beautiful but the antique blue bottles they used are too expensive and hard for me to find. This is the perfect solution. I cannot wait to try it out. Thanks again for the idea and for your comforting insight into this vast blogging spiders web.

[Stephanie Lynn]

These are stunning! Love the color. This is going on my to-do! Simply fabulous! Hope you are enjoying your weekend! ~ Stephanie Lynn

[Doonie]

Lovely colours! I might try something similar with some chunky jars I got for the garden, as candle holders.

[sabine]

Hi Autum, glad you´re back. Love what you share. Thanks so much.
So for the heat setting of the mod podge... I´m sure I did it before but I don´t remember lol..
Is it degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit ?

[mijk]

OK! I hate to change rooms. i don't do changeand still whenever you go around doing your stuff with a paintbrush I get itchy...

I don';t have one coffeetable by the way. And I am looking for one for ages. I cry about one I didn't get two months ag0

[Mod Podge Amy]

Beautiful! And just so you know, they won't hold up to having water in them. So for anyone that wants to do that, you should Mod Podge the outside. The sealer won't help - Mod Podge is a waterbased product. They are wonderful either way! Love!

[TracyKM]

Great way to get colours that match your decor (I've always had blue and yellow kitchens and our new house has a dark turquoise counter...does NOT go with all my blue stuff!). My first thought would be the Plaid "stained glass" paint set that I have as it is waterproof. You could probably do some neat cracked glass effects with the Mod Podge since the glue would hold the glass together?
(I just Mod Podged my trombone case and I was in a panic recently when we had threatening weather during an outside concert, LOL)

[Myflarelady..]

Pretty much amazing!! I just bought my first antique BALL jar at a garage sale yesterday for 3 bucks!! I am so excited I can now make my own!!

[Michelle Baker]

You are amazing!! You always have the BEST ideas. :) So glad you're blogging again. I took a year off myself..didn't even read any blogs, and now that I've renewed my Bloglines subscription, it feels like I'm chatting with an old friend. ;)

I'm totally going to try this. Thanks!!

[Brenda Kula]

What a wonderful and clever idea! Love how they look now.
Brenda

[Elaine]

Your results were beautiful!

I have some aqua canning jars but I inherited mine from various aunts, grandmothers, etc. attics and sheds.

I had no idea they had gotten so $$$Pricy$$$

[somedaycrafts]

This is awesome! I love that look. I will feature this at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com tomorrow night! Grab my "featured" button.

[Ann]

Just gorgeous! Love the translucent color and this is super simple and easy. I will definitely be doing this to my glass jars, thanks!

[Pam]

That's a great idea - thanks for sharing!

[jackie]

Love the painted fireplace, and did you get your beadboard wallpaper at Home Depot? I am going to put some up in my laundry room, and I was not crazy about what I saw at Lowes. I really want to try the Mason Jars. What a neat way to transform them. I saw the same tutorial. Everything looks great. Jackie

[Amanda@The Hand Me Down House]

OH I love what you did! I used the same tutorial and did it differently -- but I will definitely be trying your way of baking them -- WONDERFUL!! :)

[Laura]

What a fabulous tutorial. Oh the possibilities! I'm hosting a giveaway and I'd love it if you stopped by!

Laura @ along for the ride

[Maryann @ Domestically-Speaking]

What fun! Thanks for the great tut!