A super easy way to transform any glass jar by making them look “dipped” in paint. They’re stunning filled with flowers, lit with a candle, or just used to store odds and ends around the house.
Last Mother’s Day we were on a pretty tight budget (I feel like we’re always on a pretty tight budget). I wanted to do something sweet though with the kids for my Mom and Nana, something that would be nice for Mother’s Day, but that they could also use throughout the year. The kids and I were walking around the local craft store and we saw these jars and thought they would look great with some flowers in them.
A plain jar didn’t seem like the most heartfelt gift though, so we decided to paint them. I’d seen enough painted cans and jars at Homesense (HomeGoods or Marshalls to you in the US) to know that I love the look when it seems like they’ve been dipped into paint. Now, dipping a jar into paint was not a mess I was looking to experience with three kids, so we figured out our own way to make painted dipped jars. Spoiler alert: it’s ridiculously easy. So easy that I’ve been doing them all year round, including the one you’re going to see below, which took me less than 5 minutes.
This is all you need: a jar, some premium acrylic paint (I like a satin finish), a container to pour the paint into, painters tape or masking tape, a sponge to dip in the paint, and some newspaper to save your sanity. Stained white kitchen table not required, or recommended.
Now, you can just paint the entire jar if you want, but if you’re going for that painted dipped jar look, you just need to run a piece of painters tape or masking tape around the jar. For this one, I did a straight line. For our Mother’s Day jars the kids did rougher lines so it looked a bit more rustic. Just do what you like.
Next, just start sponging the paint on the jar. I LOVE these Martha Stewart foam pouncers. You get 6 different sizes for less than $5, and they clean SO easily. You can absolutely just use a sponge brush or something similar though.
And… that’s basically it, your jar is done.
Just take off the tape while the paint is still wet, and you’re painted dipped jars are done. Well, they still have to dry, and don’t rush it, give it a day so it’s not tacky any more. I even painted the lid from this one (It’s just a jar from the grocery store that had some pickled cabbage in it), and it’ll soon be on a shelf in the office holding my chalkboard labels and pens. I just did one coat on this jar, so it’s a bit more translucent (a nice option for a candle too). On the Mother’s Day ones we did three coats.
Back to my Mother’s Day jars – I finished them off by wrapping some twine around the top of the jar, and hanging a little wooden chalkboard tag off the side. Oh, and the flowers, I filled them with flowers too. This was such a simple little technique, but like I said, I use it all the time now! I’m going to get pictures up of the girls bathrooms soon and you can see all the cute little jars and containers we did to hold brushes, hair ties, toothbrushes, and towels.
Products Used:
Glass Jar
Craft Sponges
Premium Acrylic Craft Paint
Painter’s Tape
Twine (optional decoration)
Wooden Tags (optional decoration)
Painted Dipped Jars
Ingredients
- glass jar
- premium acrylic craft paint
- craft sponge
- painters tape or masking tape
- container to hold paint
- newspaper to work on
Instructions
- Use the tape to create a line around your jar. This can be a straight line for a cleaner look, or a squiggly one for a more rustic feel.
- Pour a bit of paint into your container (you can always add more), and use the craft sponge to apply to the jar. You can do one coat to have a more opaque look, or two or three coats for a more solid appearance.
- Remove the tape while the paint is still wet, then let dry overnight, until no longer tacky to the touch.
- Looks beautiful filled with flowers, lit with a candle, or just used as storage. For an added touch, wrap some twine around the top of the jar to finish it off.
Let me know below!