It’s officially Craft-mas season!  Once Halloween is over and I start receiving the holiday Pottery Barn catalogs, I get a little extra pep in my step.  Well the Pottery Barn catalog not only got me excited for the holidays, but inspired my next craft..

I got this idea in my head about candle holders that spell out NOEL and have a mercury glass finish.  The only problem was that whole mercury glass finish stuff.  Luckily I found this great article on how to do the finish yourself to any glasses!

DIY Mercury Glass Candle Holders

What you’ll need:

• Glass candle holders (I got mine at the dollar store)
• ‘Looking Glass’ spray paint by Kryton
• White vinegar
• Water
• Clean spray bottle
• Paper towels
• Sticker letters (only need these if you’re spelling something on the glasses)

Make sure the glasses are clean and completely dry — apparently the paint doesn’t stick well on greasy surfaces.  Put the letters on the glasses where you want and made sure they’re on well (you don’t want paint to seep under the sticker).

In the spray bottle mix 50% water and 50% white vinegar.  Claire, the expert, recommended 1/4 cup of each, so that’s what I went with.  I made a little spray paint area (aka I cut up a Trader Joe’s bag and set up outside) and got to work.  It’s recommended to do one glass at a time since everything dries quickly and you have to move somewhat fast.

Lightly spray a glass with vinegar / water mixture — spray as in little beads, not running down the glass.  Probably a good point to say check what kind of spray is coming out of the bottle before dousing a side in the mixture (oops).  It’s not a big deal if it does, but the drip look isn’t as pretty.  Immediately spray a thin layer of Looking Glass spray, giving the glass a light coat on the outside.  After a minute, dab the outside with a paper towel to give it the distressed look and remove some of the excess paint.  Let it sit another minute before repeating.

Repeat as many times as it takes to get the color you want, but turn them right side up the last 1-2 times so you can get the lip.  I did 4 coats on mine, let them sit for a few minutes and then removed the sticker letters.

I also let them dry overnight closed off in the bathroom with the fan on since it was getting quite chilly outside and condensation was starting to form (didn’t want it to mess up the finish) and the spray paint / vinegar smell wasn’t appealing.  The finished product:

They’re not perfect, but I like the imperfections and for only $15 I’m happy!  Now I just need to add some real candles, cranberries in the bottom and decide when it’s acceptable to bring out the holiday decorations!  I’ll definitely be doing this finish again.. Like here where I made mercury glass ornaments!