My Beach Cottage Dream: Painted Beach a Votive Jar

Painted Beach Votive Jar
(No Silhouette needed!)

I got this idea from a jar made by sisters-in-law, Kerri and Julie, of SnippetsofCreations, and I was excited to put my stamp on the whole painted jar trend that is all over blogland. I posted about it as it came to me, and I'm probably going to do that a lot. My intent is to transform my home and use this blog to keep ideas and motivation flowing. I may not have the time, energy, or desire to follow through with every idea I share.

Painted Beach Votive Jar Tutorial

First you need a jar. For both shape and content deliciousness, let me suggest this. This jar does come with salsa or queso which are also rather tasty. I like the wide mouth and the height of this jar. Ball jars are great, but it's easier to escape 3rd degree burns with a Tostitos jar, and I can still use my Swan Creek votive candles instead of tea lights.

Of course, this step necessitates this one:

(Substitutions allowed)

and this

and, finally, this one...

Now that you've had breakfast (and washed the jar), you're ready to go!

You need to assemble your supplies:

jar
spray paint
initial cut from vinyl (No Silhouette- Print initial, tape the paper to Contact paper, then cut around the letter. The font I used was Forte which would be easy to do without a Silhouette.)
hot glue gun
rafia
3 tiny shells
WD-40
rubbing alcohol
paper towel
painter's tape (optional)
piece of scrap paper (optional)

Don't be fooled by those clear labels, because they peel right off. Then prep the glass with WD-40 to remove the label gunk, of which this jar has plenty.

The good news is that WD-40 will do all, and I do mean a-l-l the work, so spray it on, rub it around to cover, then give it a minute before wiping the jar. That glue will be gone faster than Harry Potter can say, "Evanesco"! Then wipe off that residue with rubbing alcohol and a paper towel. Let the jar sit 10-15 minutes before painting to make sure it's 100% dry. Give it an extra look for numbers stamped directly on the glass, too. Alcohol takes those off but only if you see them before you paint.

Now apply your initial, making sure there are no gaps or creases. If there are, paint will get under there, and you'll be using knifes, fingernails, Qtips, or something I didn't try, to clean it. See the pucker in the middle of my "M"? Don't do that. (No Qtips were harmed in the making of this votive, but fingernails...)

Time to spray!

This is where the optional tape comes in. You can use tape or cover with a paper plate, chunk cut from a cereal box, aluminum foil, or fill it with newspaper. You just don't want the paint to get in the jar.

I used the paper to turn the jar without touching it. I thought it was clever . . . until I dislocated my shoulder patting myself on the back.

I did light coats that dried quickly. I carefully peeled off the vinyl to check how it looked,

painted another coat, and I had this:

Time to beachify it. Yeah, that's what I said, "beachify".

I lined up 3 strips of raffia, cut the ends off to give me a clean line for glueing, then hot glued that end to the top of the jar. I wrapped the raffia around the top about 3 times and tacked the top edge down all the way around the rim.

I used a dollop of glue at the end and trimmed close to it. It blends in since it's the same color, but I'm sure you could conceal it more than I did. I was making this part up as I went.

I trimmed 3 pieces of raffia and glued shells to the ends.

Then I tied them together in a knot, being careful to have each shell hang at a different length, trimmed the ends right up to the knot, and glued it.