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La joie c'est le partage
{ the joy is in the sharing }

Friday, November 4, 2011

Make Your Own Mercury Glass and.....a Lamp Re-fashion

I love mercury glass but it can be expensive. 
I decided to make my own and I think it turned out pretty close to the real deal!
I'm going to tell you how I did it!  Here is my version of this DIY project:

First, you're going to need a can of this Looking Glass spray paint.  It's made by Krylon and I found mine at Hobby Lobby.  You will also need a few cotton balls and a bottle of black acrylic paint.  Lastly, find a clear glass vase or candle holder.  I forgot to take a picture before I painted mine, but it was just a plain glass vase that I bought at Walmart.
There are only a few steps involved and it is very easy and quick. 
First, spray the INSIDE of your container with a very light coat of the mirror paint.  It will appear dull at first but as it dries, it will become really shiny.  Repeat with very thin coats of paint until you have 5 coats applied.  When it dries, put a bit of black acrylic paint on a cotton ball and gently rub in a circular motion randomly around the inside of the glass.  This will remove bits of the mirror paint leaving an antique looking finish.  If you find that you have removed too much {which I did} you can just spray another really light coating of mirror paint around the inside of your glass container. 
 
Once it's all dry, put a candle inside and there you have it, your own DIY mercury glass container!
~ ~ ~
While I had the mirror paint out, there was another thing I wanted to try.  I've seen this done on Pinterest too, and loved it!  This lamp here was my inspiration.  It is the Haley lamp from Crate and Barrel.  I loved the finish but wasn't as crazy about the modern shape so I decided to try and find something a bit more traditional.
Off to the thrift store I went to see what I could find.


This is what I found at the Salvation Army store and it was a mere $2.50.
Perfect!!

I sprayed it with the same mirror paint from above.  5 very light coats and a linen drum shade...

a few wicker picnic baskets from Goodwill...

and you have a fun vintage-y tabletop display!

Have a good weekend!

xo and God Bless,
Kathleen

15 comments:

ANNE said...

I love that finish, it looks fabulous.

Unknown said...

gorgeous and frugal! oh my..two of my favorite words! :)

Blondie's Journal said...

This is amazing! I love mercury glass and you are right, it can be expensive. Thanks for the directions. I love your lamp, too and the suitcases are wonderful!!

XO,
Jane

Dee ⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️ said...

Who knew it could be that easy!
I'm going to try this.

Thanks,
Dee

fleurcottage said...

this looks great! & easy to do as well...wonder if HD has the paint?

Patina said...

Okay...I am in shock...mercury glass is my absolute favorite thing to decorate with...this is fabulous...I had no idea this was such an easy DIY project...just bought two small votive holders today...wish I'd waited...your awesome...thanks!!!!

Heaven's Walk said...

Ok.....LUVING this!! Thanks for a great tutorial on a beautiful project, Kathleen! :)

xoxo laurie

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for posting this. I love mercury glass and wanted to know how to do my own. I am excited to try this. Have a great weekend. Wanda

Julia said...

A friend just told me about your blog! Love it! And I love this project! Will try this one for sure!!!

Robyn @ ItsRobyn.com said...

I love your little vignette. I gotta get me some of that mirror paint {adds another thing to list of projects I never have enough time to do-lol}.

momdrinkstea said...

Following you now! Gotta try that paint...LOVE your projects!!!!

-momdrinkstea
www.stackedstonefarm.blogspot.com

Anita at Cedar Hill said...

Love your project on the mercury glass. I am a new follower, and shared this project on Cedar Hill's Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cedar-Hill-Ranch/194162480629331#

Unknown said...

...wow!! i just won the "diy club" krylon's spray paint contest and the prize was ~ can you guess??!
spray paint! i chose a few cans of this facinating spray paint to play with, and after seeing your tutorial, i am no longer intimidated by it:)
this looks so lovely! thank you for sharing with us.
xo, Rosemary

Marya@parttimehealthnut.com said...

Your site is beautiful. I'm doing a long-overdue makeover on my living room and need to update some lamps (and LOVE mercury glass). I'm going to give this a try today. Thanks! Oh, and I see painter's drop cloth curtains out of the corner of my eye on your sidebar. I'm heading there next!

Tante Mali said...

Hi Dear,
thank you so much for the great DIY! I love it. It looks fabulous! Have to try it soon!!!
Best wishes from a snowy Austria
Elisabeth