Faux Mercury Glass Pumpkins

The other day on Twitter someone was wishing they could afford the mercury glass pumpkins from Pottery Barn. The truth of the matter is that they are 1) sold out and 2) cost a little bit more than my grandpa's dentures.

So for the broke and loving it... here's a little faux mercury glass pumpkin magic.

First take a faux pumpkin. I had no patience when I came up with this idea to go buy a fake pumpkin so I just stole one of the mini real pumpkins off my mantle. Now I love the result that I got but will have to throw it away in a few weeks or it will be mercury glass via the old and moldy route next year when I pull it out of storage. So please start with a faux pumpkin if you want to keep it. They have faux pumpkins at the dollar store just in case you really want to break the bank.

Beside the faux pumpkin you will need gray paint, white paint, silver paint and a little black paint and magic glaze or diamond glaze.

I started with a foam brush just dabbing different shades of light silver and gray (from mixing it with the white) and dabbling it all over the surface. Use a lot of silver on this layer. The look we are going for is wild and crazy, right up my alley. Add lots of silver splotches all over this is what's going to give it dimensions in the end.

Next we're going to add some darker elements. Mix several different of dark gray shades using the gray and black and do several different random splotches, add a little bit of silver to all these colors as well. Then I used a skewer to do really dark gray specks. Don't totally cover the light gray and silver layer... just add a little to the top.

 Really you want to make sure at this point that you have a good mix of light and dark and it to have a little sheen over all. The pattern to making the faux mercury glass work will be a light silver layer, then darker layer and finally a lighter matte layer.

So now we need to add the lighter matte layer. Up to this point everything has been pretty shiny so leave the silver out of the picture this time. Mix up some gray and white paint and dab over the top using something with some hard edges.

 I used a Ziploc baggie scrunched up but I think something like aluminum foil would be better. I was out because my children like to unroll it to make spaceships.

 

Now as the final step, coat the top and sides with Diamond Glaze.  For those of you who don't know what Diamond Glaze is, it's a type of clear adhesive that will dry hard and give you incredible glass like shine. You could use other clear shiny adhesives if you can't find Diamond Glaze. I found it at Hobby Lobby.  You just need some type of thick hard drying glaze.

Don't coat the bottom or you will never be able to get it off your table. I actually set it on top of the diamond glaze jar to dry.

24 hours later and you have this:

Beautiful.

If I do it again I will do two things differently.

1) use a faux pumpkin

2) use something with sharper edges for the light matte layer

3) try to get more dark details in there.

4) do more than one!

I have to get to bed now so I can rest up. Tomorrow I have a big day of teaching reading and counting to young minds.  Aren't my kids lucky?



Freezer Paper Stencils

Sometimes it's hard to find a dinosaur shirt for girls. I know that might sound pretty crazy but it's true. It was a great day when I stumbled across Freezer Paper Stenciling. It's easy and quick and a great way to make personalized items.

To start, gather a roll of freezer paper, Tulip Soft Fabric Paint, an iron, a paintbrush, and a tshirt or other fabric surface to paint.

Step 1: Draw or print out the item that you would like to use as a stencil. You can print directly onto freezer paper if you cut it down to paper size and remember to print on the paper side. Do not print on the wax side or you will have a huge mess. Just trust me on this one.

Step 2: I decided to make Princess Girly Girl a kitty cat for her tshirt. This one was a little tricky because I wanted the lines be the painted areas. I'm used to cutting on lines like we learned in elementary school so I kept cutting straight through the white parts that I needed intact in order to get to the lines. I had to redraw this cat a few times before I was able to cut it out correctly. If this is your first project, just choose a large shape such as the dinosaur on Princess Goofy's shirt. That will be easier to cut out and get the hang of.

                                                    

Step 3: Iron the freezer paper directly onto the tshirt. It will stick to the shirt. Place a piece of cardboard or cardstock inside the tshirt to keep the paint from bleeding through once you start painting.

                              

Step 4: Now you're ready to start painting! Do three light coats of paint, letting each one dry for awhile in between.

On a random note, this was the cleanest project that I have ever completed in my life! Look at that paint! Not a drop of it got on the table or any other surface. I was so proud.

Step 5: Let the shirt dry overnight and then peel off the freezer paper. Toss in the dryer for a bit to heat set the paint and then wash and wear as normal. If you are one of those freaks that likes to iron everything, do not iron directly onto the paint. Turn the shirt inside out before ironing.

The girls loved their shirts and the dinosaur shirt was the perfect shirt for Princess Goofy to wear when we took her to the science museum to see the dinosaur fossils.