DIY Aqua Ball Mason Jars

OK. So I’ve been on the hunt for Vintage Aqua Ball Jars! There hard to find… and even harder to find at a decent price! Vintage sellers want anywhere from $7 to $18 PER jar. Even Goodwill charges an arm and a leg for them! And finding them at a garage sale or estate sale, yea right. There a HOT commodity.

Imagine my delight when Julie over at Julie Ann Art reminded me of a post I had bookmarked last year, (from Kristin over BridalBuzz) by posting her version of staining these amazing mason jars!

Seriously. It really is that easy. Get the vintage look by using some glass paint. 

That was it. No more bookmarking this brilliant idea. 

I immediately went to Michaels and picked up the supplies.
A glass paint called Vitrea 160 in Turquoise and in Pink and then some Vitrea 160 Thinner (to give it a more transparent look). 

That’s it. All you need to achieve your vintage-look-a-like jars!
It’s probably one of the easiest DIY project’s I’ve encountered.

Here’s how:
◦ Just drop a dab of paint and a dab of thinner, mix in a plastic container. 

◦  Flip your jar upside down and paint thin-even strokes, top to bottom using a sponge brush. You barely need any stain. (really, the thinner you put it on, the less streaking you will have.) 

◦  Let the stain dry for 24 hours and then cure in the oven @  325 for 40 mins.
Note: I did not let mine dry for 24 hours. I think the 24 hours on the bottle is referring to those that are staining something with a lot of paint. If you set your jar out in the sun for a few hours… it should be completely dry and you should be able to cure it the same day. Don’t quote me on that tho. HAH.

You’re done! 

If you are worried about your brush stroke lines (like I was), DON’T. The curing process pretty much diminishes them (as long as you don’t put the stain on super thick)
*Kristin does recommend not using this method if you plan on putting candles in the jars. She suggests using these jars as vases, as the water helps drown out the brush strokes that didn’t “cure” themselves out.


Head on over to Julies blog to see her tips. And for even more detailed instructions, go check out the post over at BridalBuzz.

Don’t you just love the pink mason jar? They would be perfect for the floating candles.

Hope your having a GREAT weekend.

# kristanlynn
xoxo 

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