If you visit Pinterest on a regular basis, you know there’s no shortage of ideas for painting on jars. I had experimented with glass stain paint before when I made this Beach Flag Sun Catcher.
These paints give a similar result to the much more expensive and tricky process of doing stained glass. But this time I wanted to try something a little different and see how these paints performed when used in a way that was other than instructed.
One of my favorite aspects of these glass stains is that they dry transparent but don’t lose their gorgeous colors.
Doing a stained glass type design on a jar would take forever due to the drying time needed for the glass stains. Because a jar is rounded, you would have to do one small piece at a time over a series of quite a few days. So instead, I experimented with some rough brushing.
I really love how pretty they turned out. They are truly lovely in a window with the light shining through them! You could use them in various ways, such as:
- vases for pretty flowers you’ve picked
- fill them with plastic utensils for a summer barbecue
- lovely luminaries in your garden
- use them in your craft room to hold buttons, beads and more
Painting on Jars with Glass Stain
Note: some links below are affiliate links. That means if you happen to buy something, a small percentage of that sale goes back into this site, which enables me to continue to bring you free tutorials such as this one. So, thanks!
As always, a full printable supply list and instructions are at the end of this post.
For this project you will need the following supplies:
- DecoArt Glass Stain in colors of your choice
- Recycled jars (jelly, mayonnaise, etc)
The glass stains come in quite a few colors, so let your imagination and creativity run wild!
It’s not technical. I just kind of slapped the stain on the jar with a paintbrush, not truly smoothing it out or taking any care with the design. I wiped excess back and forth with the brush until it took on a slightly tacky feel.
Then I used another color and (again, roughly) added a few patches of alternating color.
After a 24-hour drying period I am happy to report that I think they came out beautiful!
If you give this project a go, I’d love to hear about it! Hope you can glean some inspiration from this post.
One of my favorite projects using these glass stains was this Faux Stained Glass Mosaic Luminary. It lives in my living room and is still as beautiful as it was a year ago when I originally made it.
If you would like a quick demonstration on how to use these fun glass stain paints, check out this video from DecoArt!
Painting on Jars with Glass Stain
Supplies
- DecoArt Glass Stain in colors of your choice
- Recycled jars jelly, mayonnaise, etc
Instructions
- Paint the stain onto the jar with a paintbrush, not truly smoothing it out or taking any care with the design. Wipe the excess back and forth with the brush until it takes on a slightly tacky feel.
- Use another color and (again, roughly) add a few patches of alternating color.
- That's truly all their is to it. Allow them to dry 24-hours before using.
- Ghost Candles - October 4, 2024
- Halloween Luminaries - October 1, 2024
- Coffee Can Scarecrow - September 27, 2024
evie says
Can the jar be washed? Say if it was used for food storage.
Robin Robinson says
Is it possible to get a solid color over the entire surface? I am wanting to stain some glass telephone insulators and want full coverage
Amanda Formaro says
Yes, I used brush strokes for this effect. If you want a more detailed answer I’ll refer you to the manufacturer as I’ve only used this product a couple of times. Here’s their website https://decoart.com/products/
Bonnie says
i am going to try this, i love doing thing like this.
Amanda Formaro says
Hope you have fun with it!
Rowan says
I had a glass hanging lamp (yes, that long ago lol) that I used to redo with glass stain to match whichever room I put it in. I never really thought about using it for anything else. Thank you so much for reminding me to be creative ;-)
rode van aswegen says
LOVE this idea!
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks so much Rode!