Sunday, October 17, 2010

Altered jars: candle holders!


This is my challenge this month over at s4a, and I'm FINALLY getting around to posting my examples! I had fun once I could get to embellishing them...the hardest part is waiting for the layers of Mod Podge to dry!

Here's what you do: start with an old spaghetti sauce/jelly/whatever jar. Obviously, wash it out first, and remove all of the label. Take a piece of tissue paper and adhere to the jar using your favorite decoupage glue (or, try this, a tip from a fellow DT: take regular Elmer's glue and add a bit of water to it until it is as smooth as you want it.) Be careful, as the tissue paper rips when you are brushing over it. I found it easier to adhere the paper in strips, rather than leaving it intact, but this method is great if you want the wrinkles to add a stained glass effect. Smooth out any air bubbles/creases as you go. When it is dry, add another layer of glue. Add a third layer, and then when it is dry you are FINALLY ready to add embellishments :)

On this one, I used spiderweb tissue paper I found at Target, an orange satin ribbon, Stickopotomus letter stickers, and my Stretch Your Imagination Cricut cartridge for the adorable spider.

For this one, I used regular orange tissue paper, a border sticker at the top as I had run out of green ribbon, and the same Cricut cartridge.

Make sure you put down a nice layer of glue before sticking anything to it, and then brush over the top of it when it is down. I found for these silhouette images, pouncing the glue on rather than brushing sticks it down better without having it slide all over the jar. Finish it off with another couple of layers of glue, and you are DONE!

This is too easy! The possibilities are endless. You can make one to match your home decor, make a candle holder for every holiday, or even give as gifts! I have a feeling I won't need to buy anymore holiday candle holders. This was too much fun...I can't wait until it gets dark, when I will insert my tealights and see them in action :)