Gold Polka-Dotted Paper Mache Glass Jars

August 5, 2013 Lindsey Campbell

When I was growing up my best friend and I loved to spend our sleep-overs watching old shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show and I Love Lucy. Nothing beats these perfect comedies. We laughed and dreamed that our future relationships would be as funny.

A few weeks ago I remembered a certain skit from one of these shows and turned it on for the first time in years. Now I can't stop watching! The good, clean humor from those old series still applies to the everyday problems and insecurities we have 50 years later. Rob and Laura remind me so much of my favorite people! I wish I could tell my younger self that life really is as fun and happy as it appeared in our favorite shows.

Also, unrelated to my thoughts above, but if you have some old, ugly pickle jars lying around and want to turn them into something beautiful, just follow the steps below!

Materials

Glass Jars (Mine are Pickle Jars!)
Brown Paper Bag
Paper Mache = Flour & Water
Gold Paint Marker
Circle Stencil
Gold Leaf

First, clean your jars as much as possible and rip your paper bag into strips. Mix up some easy paper mache with 1 cup of flour and 2 cups of water in a bowl. Dip your strips into the mixture one at a time and lay them over the glass. Work your way around the entire jar, folding the ends into the mouth.

Let your jars dry for 4-6 hours so that the paper is hardened and no longer damp. The jars turn a nice, lighter color that remind me of ceramic - if you want to leave the jars simply like this, then you're done!
If you want to add some type of design, like polka dots, use your handmade stencil to paint gold polka dots around the glass bottles.

The gold paint pens dry very fast so after they are all painted go back and gold leaf each one. First use the stencil to lay a thin layer of glue within the gold dots. Let it dry for ten seconds to get more tacky instead of liquidy. Take one piece of gold leaf at a time and lay it down on the dot. The stencil will help the gold stay within the lines of each dot.

Also, don't forget to come back to visit on Thursday for my next refashion post! This week's tutorial is still one of my favorite tops to wear!