I have a confession to make. Lately I've been having painted jar envy. I know it's not right to covet what others have, but seriously, every time I see a beautifully painted Ball jar on Pinterest I want to reach through the computer or iPhone screen and snatch it for myself. But since I don't want to pay for a new screen for any of my devices {and also because I probably shouldn't steal...}, I did the next best thing and created my own. 😀 I had a bunch of smaller glass jars sitting around my house, so I grabbed a couple of them and got to work!
Here's what I used to create these pretty little painted jars:
- Rubbing Alcohol & Cotton Balls
- Glass Jars
- Acrylic Paint & Paint Brush
- Nail File
First, I wanted to make sure my jars were really, really clean. Glass is a slippery surface, and if the paint was going to stick at all, I needed to remove all the grime. I used cotton balls and rubbing alcohol to wipe everything down so it was nice and shiny!
Next, I started painting! I painted the whole outside of the jars, being careful not to let any of the paint pool in the tiny crevices. I let the paint dry completely before doing a second coat. {If I would have tried to do a second coat before the first coat dried, it would have pulled off some of my paint. Not that i know that from experience or anything...}
Then came the hard part: I had to be patient. I'm not good at being patient, but I also wanted my jars to look pretty, so I let them dry overnight before using a nail file to "distress" them. I was afraid sandpaper would chip off too much of the paint, and the nail file actually ended up working perfectly!
The distressing totally makes it, right?! You can see the difference here-- the right one is distressed; the left is not.
Next I added some baker's twine for a touch of pink, popped in some ombre tissue paper flowers, and they were ready for display!
And since I was setting the jars up for pictures, I figured I should probably just make my whole coffee table look pretty while I was at it...
I am just loving my little owl friend. I was shocked when I found him on clearance at Target for 2 or 3 dollars. You'd better believe I snatched him up before anyone else could get to him! 😉
And while I was busy satisfying my need for painted glass jars, my super awesome Get Your DIY On co-hostesses were whipping up sweet projects of their own:
DIY Wood Plank Headboard by Mandy, The Hankful House
LOVE Scrabble Tiles by April, House by Hoff
DIY Starfish Stamped Pillow with Piping by Christy, Confessions of a Serial DIYer
Valentine's Day Mantel by Krista, The Happy Housie
We are so excited to be hosting our monthly themed link party this Sunday, February 2nd at 7 pm EST! The theme will be "Simple Decor Projects We Love," and I know you have one (or 100) of those in your archives, so come join the fun! Hope to see you there!
Pssssstttt... In case you missed it last week, right now I’m offering a FREE PDF to all of my newsletter subscribers with detailed screenshots and instructions on how to create your own adorable printables! If you already subscribe to our newsletter, you should have received this information already, so check your email! If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do so here! {PDF is sent within an hour of subscribing. 🙂 }
Have you created any simple home decor lately?
I link up at these fun parties!
They look beautiful!
Thank you so much, Megan! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
Okay so now I have jar envy! Got to make me some of these pretties!
~ Ashley 😉
So pretty! We have a ton of mason jars. But... we actually use almost all of them for canning in the summer and the fall. Maybe we can spare a few? 🙂
Ok, and now I have to ask: how long did your coffee table stay pretty? Your Caleb is very close to my kiddo's age, and I know I can't decorate anything within his reach because it gets moved, hidden, or destroyed. 😛 I'd love some tips in that department!
Lol! I was fending off the boys the whole time I was taking these pictures! The light was just perfect on the coffee table that day, though, so I had to set it up there! When I want stuff to stay "styled" long-term, I have a couple spots that are out of their reach-- the shelves that I show often, on top of the Expedit that holds all of their toys, and on top of my china cabinet. Maybe someday I'll be able to have permanent decor on the coffee table, but that day has not arrived yet! 😀 Hope you're having a wonderful weekend, Kim!
~Abby =)
Abby this is a great tutorial. I tried to paint some jars awhile back and it literally peeled right off- oops 🙁 These are super cute!!
Thank you, Mandy! I was afraid of that, too, but it seems to be staying for now! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend, friend!
~Abby =)
I want some too, now! I have been eyeing them around the blogosphere for a while now also, but yours really make me want some...they're my favorite color! 🙂 Have a fantastic weekend! XO
Aw, thank you friend! You are the queen of pretty painting projects, so I'm sure yours would be stunning! I hope you're having a great weekend!
~Abby =)
I love these, too! And the color you choose is just perfection! Thank you for sharing with us.
Thank you so much, Amy! You are so sweet! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
I am IN love with how you've decorated your coffee table! Love the jars, too!
Thank you so much, Carrie! You are the sweetest! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
They look SO good on your coffee table! And would even look great on your pink and aqua V-day display ;). So pretty, Abby!
I do seem to have a thing for aqua these days! I've even found myself wearing it more often, lol. Must be a phase! Thank you so much for your sweet words, Miss Amy! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
Your painted jars turned out great. Love your whole coffee table vignette!
Thank you so much, Lisa! I'm so glad you stopped by! Have a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
These jars are soooo pretty! Love the blue with the pink!
Thank you so much, my friend! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
So pretty Abby! I LOVE the color (surprised?) and the distressing. They look adorable with the twine wrapped around the top. Pinned. Happy weekend!
You are the queen of aqua! I always love the way you incorporate it! 😀 Thanks so much for the pin! Have a great weekend!
~Abby =)
Do you have a blog post about how to create the paper flowers? I'm looking for an easy paper flower project. (Love the jars, too, though!)
Thanks, Bridget! You can find the tissue paper flower tutorial here: https://justagirlandherblog.com/tissue-paper-flower-tutorial-style-1/. The ones in the tutorial are just white, but it's the same technique. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
Nice photos, nice tutorial. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Cyndi! I'm so glad you stopped by! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
Adding LOVE was such a nice touch in the label section of the jar.....it's the little details that make projects like this really special!
Thank you so much, Jamie! You are the sweetest! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
These are simply gorgeous. Great color and they seem pretty easy to make!! PS- I love your living room especially the owl 🙂
Thank you so much, friend! You are the sweetest! Hope you're having a great night!
~Abby =)
These are so wonderfully beautiful and dainty. I love them, Abby!
Thank you, Tasha! Hope you have a great week!
~Abby =)
I love these painted jars Abbey. I am throwing a wedding shower soon and something like this would be perfect!
Thank you so much, Corey! They're super simple, too! Hope you're having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Your project is beautiful and the post is done so well, Abby! I'm pinning and visiting from blogtalk today!
Thank you, Marty! I'm so glad you stopped by! Thanks for the pin! Hope you're having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
These are adorable! I thought at first that they were pricey vases!
Thanks, Heather! I'm flattered! 😀 Hope you're having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
So pretty! I love your jars.
Thank you so much, Virginia! Hope you're having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
These are so sweet. I love the addition of the ombre tissue paper flowers. I hope you'll link this up to our All Things Thursday Blog Hop going on right now. Have a great week.
Blessings,
Nici
Thank you so much, Nici! Hope you're having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
This is so pretty, Abby!!! Love the baker's twine! It was the perfect touch!
Thank you, Selene! You are the sweetest! Hope you're having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
These are so pretty and I love the color you chose! I've had painted jar envy for quite some time too now, and can't believe I haven't painted any yet! It's on my to do list so hopefully I will get to it sooner than later, especially after seeing yours 🙂
Thank you, friend! I couldn't believe I had waited so long either! It ended up being so simple! Thanks so much for stopping by!
~Abby =)
Hi Abby,
What a cute project! I love it so much that I decided to feature it in our roundup of mason jar crafts! Check it out here: https://www.favecrafts.com/blog/fc/mason-jar-craft-ideas/
Have a great day!
Thank you so much, Julia! I'm honored to be included! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
I love the jars as well as every one else. Could you please let me know what kind of paint you used? You said "Acylics", but there are quite a few kinds now. I'd appreciate it.
Thank you.
Cathey D.
Thanks so much, Cathey! I just used the regular old Martha Stewart craft paint! 🙂 I hope that helps! Have a wonderful Sunday!
~Abby =)
sooooooooooo pretty! i love the color you chose 🙂
These are so gosh darned gorgeous, Abby! I'm a sucker for all things mason jar...but seeing that pretty blue in conjunction with the pink baker's twine and tissue paper flowers, well, it's a match made in DIY heaven. Pinning!
Thank you so much, my friend! You are the sweetest! Enjoy your week!
~Abby =)
Abby, beautiful workmanship. I just saw this posted on the FaveCrafts website and most definitely will try it. BTW, would you know of an acrylic paint thinner? I can't afford the Pebeo thinners and I wanted to know if this was something more inexpensive out there to use. Thank you so much......