How-to: Radioactive Jars

As a Teen Librarian, I read a lot of teen books, and the hottest trend in teen lit right now is dystopian settings. (So like, The Hunger Games, Divergent, or the TV show Revolution – anything set in a future world where the future ain’t so bright.) Today’s project was inspired by all of the dystopian books and shows I’ve been devouring. These bottles glow in the dark and feature weathered radioactive symbols, plus you can fill them with neon liquid if you want to make them extra radioactive looking. They also make the most of Outdoor Mod Podge‘s weather-resistant properties and are designed for outdoor use.

Supplies

radioactive symbol picture
computer printer
several glass bottles, cleaned & without labels
sponge brush
paint brush
wet rag
Antique Matte Mod Podge
Glow-in-the-Dark Mod Podge
Outdoor Mod Podge
neon paint (optional)

Directions

Print out one radioactive symbol per bottle you’ll be making. Carefully tear each symbol from your paper by hand. Since you’re tearing them out to make them look more weathered, it’s ok if you tear into the symbols themselves a bit.

Paint a layer of Antique Matte Mod Podge onto your bottle, place your radioactive symbol over it, paint another layer of Antique Matte Mod Podge over the top of your symbol, and then use a wet rag to wipe excess Mod Podge from around the symbol. Let dry. (I used a paint brush for this step because it’s easier to keep the excess Podge around your symbol to a minimum, so you don’t need to spend time wiping away tons of excess Podge. FYI.)

Using a sponge brush paint a layer of Glow-in-the-Dark Mod Podge over the entire outside of the bottle. Let dry, and then paint a second layer of Glow-in-the-Dark Mod Podge all over your bottle. Let dry again.

Paint 3 thin layers of Outdoor Mod Podge over the whole bottle, applying one at a time and letting each dry for 15-20 minutes in between applications. When all layers have been applied, let your bottles dry for 72 hours before placing outdoors.

The above image was edited to show the glow-in-the-dark factor, which is basically impossible to photograph (not enough light). 

If you want to fill your bottles with radioactive-looking liquid, you can dilute neon paint in water and fill your jars with them. You’ll want to plug up your jars with corks to avoid neon spillage before putting outside.

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This post was brought to you by Plaid & The Blueprint Social.

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