How to Make Candy-Colored Glass Jars for Valentine’s Day
How to make candy-colored glass jars for Valentine’s Day. Last summer, I did a post on How to Make Colored Glass Jars to Get the Vintage Look, and I received so much positive feedback from you about how much you also enjoyed making them. So a few days ago, when I saw the Valentine’s conversation hearts at the grocery store, I thought, why not make some candy-colored glass jars for Valentine’s Day?
It’s a perfect DIY craft to do with your kids and use them as teacher gifts (with a gift card inside), or just make them yourself and use them for table settings, votives, dried flowers, or parting gifts for your guests.
I was happy to see that the glass jar colors were almost a perfect match with the colors of the candy hearts – light pink, light green, purple, and even yellow. It’s an easy DIY project and the perfect way to repurpose your favorite old glass jars and create something fun with them. And they do make such great gifts.
There are so many fun ways to use these jars. Whether you use them as eclectic flower vases, tea lights, candle holders, or quirky storage containers, what I find most fun and rewarding is taking everyday ordinary items and repurposing them into cherished little treasures. The best part is using your creativity to make something that works for your home.
Here is what you need for the perfect Valentine’s Day craft project
- Old clear glass jars in varying sizes and shapes are easily found in thrift stores.
- Mod Podge (you can buy it on Amazon or at local craft supplies stores)
- Food color gel (I used this kit that comes with a set of 15 gel food coloring bottles)
- Small glass bowl for mixing paint (one bowl for each color you plan on using)
- Kraft paper to cover and protect your work surface
- Basic popsicle sticks (or chopsticks) for glass jars to rest on while drying
- A preheated 200-degree oven for baking
- Baking sheet
- Disposable gloves (optional)
Here is how to color a glass jar for Valentine’s Day
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
- Add a spoonful of Mod Podge into a glass bowl.
- Add a few drops of food coloring.
- Add a little bit of water to thin out the mixture (you don’t need as much paint as you think) and pour it into the jar (it needs to be runny enough to coat the sides of the jar when swirling)
Note: Don’t shake the bottles; gently swirl and turn to cover the inside of the jar. Shaking creates bubbles that will leave an uneven surface when drying and baking.
- Pour excess paint back into the mixing bowl, turn the jar upside down, and place on two popsicle sticks so that any excess paint drains; let the jars dry upside down (you don’t want excess paint to dry in the bottom of the jar)
- Once the jars are completely dry, turn them right side up, put them on a cookie sheet, and place them in the oven for about 40 minutes to an hour.
- Once the jars are clear, remove them from the oven
Another note: I would recommend dried flowers if using them for vases. The paint is not water resistant. When water is added to the jars after baking, the paint becomes cloudy again. However, once the water is removed and the jars have had a few hours to dry, they become translucent again.
When I first did these colored jars last summer, I used small clear glass bottles and cups inside the bottles to hold water for flowers inside the jars to prevent the tinted glass from becoming cloudy. Next time, I may consider using slightly larger jars to accommodate a larger cup or bottle inside for flowers.
Use the jars for a fun tablescape with floral dinnerware
Floral plates, linen napkins, wine glasses, and twine crate are all from Terrain.
A suggestion from a reader
A reader recently wrote and suggested that by applying the Mod Podge/paint to the bottle’s exterior, you might be able to use water on the inside when using them as vases. I haven’t tried that yet, but it’s a good idea. I will try it soon and let you know if that also works. I always appreciate your thoughts and feedback.
