If I’m in town, Sundays are my crafting days where I get a bunch of projects done and just get crazy with different ideas I have.  Last Sunday was for exactly that — starting lots of projects before I left for Thanksgiving.  I had pinned a few ways to make sea glass-esque jars, and decided to finally give it a try.

Dyed Blue Glass Bottles

What you’ll need:

• Clear glass bottles
• Food coloring
• Mod podge
• Dish soap
• Sponge brush
• Paper cup
• Clear spray sealer

I have been starting a collection of random glass bottles that were different sizes and shapes — Some have been bottles of olive oil or balsamic vinegar, mason jars, pasta sauces, etc.  Seriously, the whole gamut. The goal has been to make some of them shades of blue so I have a nice eclectic mix of vases, and this was the perfect project for that.

First, you need to make the mixture you’ll apply to the glasses.  In your cup, mix some mod podge, a drop or two of dish soap, and food coloring (I did 16 drops of blue).  Stir all of that well until you have a blue-ish mixture.

Note: Food coloring is key here.  The first time I used regular paint and it showed the brush strokes really bad.  Luckily you can just wash it off and start over.

When the mixture is the color you want, apply a light coat to the bottles to the outside with the sponge brush.  Since these were going to have water inside and become vases, I painted the outside.  Otherwise, you could paint the inside.  Completely cover the bottle, but again try not to apply it too thick or it’ll be uneven (I did on one, oops).

Once all the bottles are covered, let them dry.  They’ll slowly get lighter and more translucent.

After 24 hours, this is what I was working with.  Not quite the frosty sea glass look I was expecting, but I wasn’t disappointed either.

When they’re dry, decide if you like the color, or want something a little darker.  I opted for a few more coats to get a bolder blue color (and to try to blend out some of the brush strokes).  Paint another coat, let it dry, and repeat until happy.  I ended up doing 3 coats to get a darker color, which looked like this:

Once they’re all dry and you’re happy with the color, it’s time to seal them in.  Use a clear spray to coat the paint and make it more permanent (otherwise, washing them will wipe the paint right off).  I had some Krylon clear gloss sealer on hand so I used that, but a clear matte finish might be better for the sea glass look if yours are frostier.

When they’re dry for the last time, you’re done!  Now you have some fun dyed glass bottles to use around your house.

The best part is you can make these any color you want, just mix up the food coloring to your taste!  I bet you’re going to see these blue vases make appearances around the house as I decorate for Christmas.. just a hunch.