Decorating Glass, like Votives, I need HALP!

OK, so i the information that i have to go on is VERY limited. I saw like the last 10 seconds of a a woman that won a decorating show (I think) that is on HGTV. I know her first name is Jennifer, she won the show probably 3-4 weeks ago I'd say. Her "craft" is that she took stemless wineglasses and votive candle holders and decorated them. They were very classy. She somehow put people's names on them in cool fonts and on the stemless wineglass she was able to put a more elaborate snowflake pattern on it. She mentioned something about how she let the patterns dry and then "baked" the patterns on and then ran them through the dishwasher. So it sounds like it's long lasting.

 

I cannot find information on this ANYWAY online. I've spent a few days browsing and searching but can't find cool idea. If you have done this before or know what I"m talking about I'd LOVE to hear from you.

 

Thank you!

Hi there,

A couple of years ago I painted glass votive candle holders with flowers for my sister's wedding shower. I never put them in the dishwasher but they aged very well. I used glass paint from a craft store (like Michael's) and after they were dried painted a clear sealer over the design. I hope that's helpful.

 

:-)

Lori

That sounds like a great idea. From the further research that I'm trying to do I think I can also etch designs onto glass? I like the idea of painting and sealing, it sounds much easier! Thank you!

What you are talking about def sounds like glass etching. Just google it, you will get tonnes of links to products and tips. You can get the etching cream and stencils at any craft store. Its really easy, the results are permanents and looks really nice and professional. Hope that helps!

It sounds like she used acrylic enamel paints, which my aunt uses to paint wine glasses all the time. I used them on a porcelin platter to make a guest signature platter. In order to set the paint you either bake them or let air dry for 21 days. Then they are safe to put in the dishwasher. Let me know if you have any more questions!

I saw some really nice snifter type glasses at Pottery Barn the other day and they just had one big star on them. After reading your post, I think they might just have been etched on there. Hopefully mine can turn out as nice! Thanks for the tips.

Man, I didn't realize it has to air dry for 21 days!! I think I'll take the baking route. Do you remember how long and at what temperature you had to bake them?

Look for glass paint. It's what we used to make my shower favors. All you have to do is follow the directions on the package. You use like normal paint.

 

Be sure to turn the glasses upside down (with the stems facing up) on a baking sheet. You might even want to line it with parchment paper. We did them in batches. Put one set in to bake and cool and worked on the next set. By the time the first ones were cool enough to take off the tray, the second ones were ready to go in!

Awesome! Thank you so much for the advice. This past week I tried my hand at two different projects as holiday gifts...they didn't turn out so well! For one I painted the inside of a votive holder with a blue metallic acrylic paint and then used stencils and silver leaf glue to make a floral pattern design on the outside. it looked cool except for the fact that i super stink at using stencils. Then i tried to paint a giant letter "F" for my sister as her engagement gift. The paint was fine but my brushes were cheap so they kept losing hairs in the paint. I had to keep picking them out and then repainting the area. I then used a different stencil with a silver metallic fine point marker but it seeped underneath the stencil and made big blotches. I guess I'm not really cut out for crafty things!

wow, this sounds awesome. I made some Christmas balls as gifts and I didn't know how to do the writing, finally I just used a silver marker (it can be washed off, but who washes Christmas balls?). But I wasn't overly happy with how the writing looks. I still have my own to make and I would like to do something better. I want to use a stencil.

 

Can some of you post pictures of the projects you are talking about?