There is this super cool site called Roadkill Rescue that it is all about sharing great ideas for recycling, upcylcing, and re-purposing items, many of which normally would be discarded, and making them into something new and useful! I found the site last summer after they found my Nautical Vase made from a plastic pretzel container and featured it on their site. To see that project click here.
Well I have been following them ever since and last week they featured this darling candle jar created by a blog named Curly Made. The candle holder is actually made from a spaghetti sauce jar...isn't it the sweetest thing? So I decided to try this little project. I happen to have several glass jars lying around just waiting for a craft like this one to come along. I did have to make a few trial runs before I got it down, but for just a few pennies in paint and some jars which would have landed in the recycling bin anyway...I thought what the heck if I mess one or two or even three of them up!
What is needed to create this candle jar...
One glass tomato sauce or salsa jar cleaned and dry
painter's tape...I used Frogger tape
black spray paint in a matte finish
paint pen in white
about 10 inches of thin ribbon
Step one:
Making your Heart Decals
Using a clean jar with the label's adhesive tape completely removed, apply your heart decals. I made mine by taping 4 strips of painter's tape about 3 inches long side by side. Then I folded the tape in half so the the non sticky sides were touching. Beginning at the fold draw a half heart on the sticky side of the tape using a marker or ink pen, and then cut out the heart shape. I applied the heart to my jar and then went ahead and made a few more smaller hearts for the back of the jar.
Step Two:
Spraying your Jar
Place the jar upside down on a protected surface and begin to spray the jar with quick squirts holding the can about 8 inches from the jar. The one thing you don't want are drips so spraying the jar in this manner will help you avoid that problem. Let it dry and then repeat the spraying process again until the jar is completely opaque. Let dry for about an hour after your last coat of paint has been applied. ( I put on 3 coats of paint)
With the first jar I made the mistake of spraying the jar while it was sitting upright...needless to say I ended up spraying paint all over the inside of the jar. Don't do that!
Step Four:
Removing the Painter's Tape
Carefully peel off the painter's tape to reveal your hearts. When I did this I found that some of the tape's adhesive kind of stuck to the jar. Using a teeny tiny bit of paint remover (I used Goof-Off) and a Q-Tip I was able to remove the residual glue.
Also if you look at the top of the jar below you can see my fingers where I didn't get enough coverage with the paint. Once the tape has been removed it is hard to correct this problem so really make sure you have good paint coverage before you remove the tape.
Step Five:
Paint on the White Stitching
Using a paint pen or white nail polish, draw your stitching on around each heart. This gives a really cute quilted look to your candle jar.
Finally drop in a faux tea-light to illuminate your candle jar
Happy St. Valentine's Day
XO
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