Glass Vases with Oh- so Pretty Stencils!

Today I am working on decorating some glass bottles, vases, jars with some Martha Stewart silk screen stencils and some paints that would look beautiful with some fresh summer flowers for a wedding or engagement party or even a baby shower!

Find some glass jars and bottles in pretty shapes and and different that you would like to paint run them through the dish washer to get them sparkly clean and free of any debris. While that is going on you can go to Michaels craft store and pick up some stencils in the Martha Stewart section. They have a very nice selection to choose from and choose your paint colors. I picked the wedding cake and ballet slipper translucent frosted glass paint for this project.(Note: The glitter paint does not work well for the stencils, the glitter clogs the stencil) Pick up a small paint brush that is wide and flat, there is a nice Martha Stewart paint brush package in the aisle there as well. There are other tools that you can use a dabber, and they also have a small type of squeegee square any one of these will work.
Before painting you can wipe the outside of the jar with an alcohol wipe or glass cleaner it takes any smudges or remaining film left on and removes it. the alcohol dries immediately on the surface. Drying with a paper towel will work as well. Just do not apply the paint to a damp surface or it will smear and get runny.

You will adhere the stencil on to your clean glass jar and once the stencil is lying flat you add a dap of paint to the center and work your way out to the edges. Peel the stencil off from entire right side to left side in one smooth sweep. Your not looking for total perfection here in this project some patterns will be perfect and then some will have a little smear to it or the paint runs over in the pattern by a small pinch you will see as you do this. Any mistake you can take a damp paper towel and wipe off the paint to start over!

After each use you have to rinse the stencil out and pat dry or you will get paint on the glass when you place
the stencil back down on your glass jar. Each stencil will last about 5-6 times.

Allow your paint to dry over night and you will have a gorgeous looking set of vases to put out for your next party! Well, heck don't wait for a party put some fresh flowers out and they will make you feel happy.

Little things seem nothing, but they give peace, like those meadow flowers which individually seem odorless but all together perfume the air.

Georges Bernanos