St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, but there’s still time to get your rainbowy/gold/leprechaun/shamrock crafting on! I like this project because it’s a festive craft that’s pretty easy to accomplish without investing an obscene amount of time. It’s also a great way to practice your stenciling, which I find to be a pretty handy DIY skill for everything from home decor to party crafts to handmade jewelry.
Supplies
plain glass or jar
shamrock stencil
glass paint in green, pink, orange, yellow, blue & violet
sponge pouncers
masking tape
silicon craft mat (optional)
Directions
Clean and dry your glass or jar, place your shamrock stencil, and secure with masking tape.
Squirt a small amount of glass paint in your desired color onto a crafting mat or other resuable/disposable surface. If you’re using nonadhesive stencils like me, you have to be careful during the painting process. It’s easy to mess up non-adhesive stencils and get paint under them, ruining the pattern.
Tips for Success with Nonadhesive Stencils
- Always remove excess paint from your brush before applying paint to your surface. Too much paint is the number 1 way to mess up a stencil project.
- If your desired paint color is too light after applying one layer of paint, add one or two more. Allow each layer to dry for just a few minutes (3-5) between layers.
- Remove your stencil from your surface while the paint is still wet, but do so carefully to avoid smudging the paint.
- Try to wash all stencils, crafting mats* and brushes/sponges while the paint is still wet to be able to clean them fully.
*See all the stains on my mat? That’s what happens when you leave paint on it too long. Since it’s just a crafting mat, I’m super okay with it.
For the glass I made today, I simply reused the same stencil for each of the 6 shamrocks you see. To accomplish this on your own, just remember to let each shamrock dry completely before applying a new one, and clean all supplies fully before reuse. Also remember to let your sponge or brush dry after washing before using them again – if they’re full of too much water, you’ll dilute your glass paint, and it will affect the finished project.
The pastel colors were so hard to get a good snap of, but I hope you get the idea from these shots! I think I’ll use this cutesy glass as my go-to whiskey chalice on St. Patrick’s Day next week. This would also make a super cute votive holder – how would you use this fun DIY?
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