Moroccan-Inspired Painted Jar Lantern DIY

Since I had finally tinted a jar (See tinting tutorial here), I needed to do something with it.  I ran across a photo I liked on Pinterest.  This was my inspiration, a lovely moroccan-inspired painted jar lantern for sale on Etsy by Lit Decor.  Since this would be my first time trying this (and since it was an item for sale with no instructions), I knew I'd need to start with a much simpler design.  This one is so lovely though.

Time to make my own lantern.  Here's what I did.

First, gather the supplies.
- Tinted jar
- Metallic puffy paint
- Transparent tape (optional)
- Dry-erase marker (optional)
- Pencil and paper (optional)

At this point I skipped ahead and wired the jar for hanging.  If I do this again, I'll do this step AFTER I finish decorating the jar.

If you want to draw out a pattern beforehand, do that at this point.

You can use the tape to guide you in making straight lines.  I used the dry-erase marker to draw along the edges of the tape for straight lines.  Next time I'd probably not use the marker, but it's up to you.  It comes off easily, so if you do it and don't like it, no big deal.

I also added some large dots to places where the design would peak, so I could keep them somewhat even.

Then I got started with the painting.  Just gently squeeze the bottle and lift away to form little dots with peaks.  Follow the lines if you have them.  Any mistakes can be cleared away with a Q-tip as you go along.

As the design starts to fill the surface of the jar, it gets easier and easier to smear.  Occasionally through the process I dried it with a hairdryer set on low/cool, just to help with that problem a little.

After I finished the painting, I finished off the wiring for hanging, and let it dry.  All done, and pop a votive candle in, and enjoy!

Here's the finished project.

No-Streak Dark Tint for Jars

Streak-free / dark tint

This was my very first attempt at tinting jars, and it was easy and fun!

Here's what I wanted to achieve:
- No streaks
- Easy
- Inexpensive
- Dark tint

From what I'd been reading, to get a really dark tint you might have to go with a glass paint, but it can be expensive and complicated.  Not for my first try, thank you.  I also read that if you use a food coloring method, the darker you go, the streakier it gets.  Not pretty.  So I tweaked what I found and came up with this.

Step 1: Protect your work surface.  I found these disposable changing pads in my son's room while I was cleaning it out over the weekend.  Since he's five now, I think I'm safe using them for crafting now.

Step 2:  Gather supplies.
- A dry, clean, clear jar (this is a spaghetti jar with label removed.)
- ModPodge Gloss
- Food coloring (I used the least expensive food coloring I could find since it was for crafting and not consuming.)  You could probably use gel or liquid coloring.  I used liquid.
- Plastic cup or bowl
- Spoon
- Ignore the paint brush in this photo.  Didn't need it; didn't use it.

Step 3:  Mix it up.  I DID NOT add any water to the mixture.  This was one way my version differed from others I'd seen.  I just poured about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of Mod Podge into a plastic cup and added a lot of food coloring.  For this project I used green with a little blue.  Stir and and add coloring until you get the desired depth and hue.

Here's the color I got.  Remember it will get quite a bit darker after it's heated.

Step 4: Pour the mixture into the glass.  Don't use a paintbrush.  That could cause streaks.  I just dumped it into the jar, but next time I'd kind of drizzle it down the sides and use a spoon to cover the entire inside.

Step 5:  Swirl the jar around until it's all covered, allowing excess to fall back into the cup.

Step 6:  Set the jar upside-down on paper towels or waxed paper to dry.

This part is key. Everything I read just suggested putting it into the oven at this point.  Don't do it.  Let it dry for 24 hours.  I know it seems like a long time, but I think this is part of the key to avoiding streaks.  Know why?  LOTS of the mixture will drain out, even if you think you have a thin layer inside.  You don't want that running around in there while you're trying to set it.

Step 7:  Heat oven to 175 degrees.  Place jar in the oven for 20 minutes.

This is when it will start to become transparent and dark.

Check on it after 20 minutes.  Mine looked good at this point except for a couple of still light opaque spots near the bottom.  So I flipped it over and let it go about five more minutes, which cleared it right up.  Don't worry about the green on the rack in this photo.  It's just a reflection from the glass, not a stain from the process.

Step 8:  Remove jar from oven.  USE POTHOLDERS, because it will be hot at this point!
Now you're all done.  Not too bad for my first try, I think.  I got the dark color and streak-free finish I hoped for, and it was super-cheap to do!