OK, so since I had a great time gilding my costume jewelry, I decided to do another project out of necessity. I needed some containers for my make-up brushes and any long-container make-up (liners, mascara, etc.) to pull out when I need it. On top of that, I had an abundance of glass jars due to my new-found love for Claussen Sweet Bread ‘N Butter Sandwich Sliced pickles. Everything came together for a new gilding challenge. 🙂

This time around, I used some stencil designs from this great book, Stencil Me In by Marthe Le Van, and traced this long design twice on paper while using this circular design on the jar tops. I liked the geometrical aesthetic of these stencils and thought they would look great on glass containers.

As usual, this was a messy project. Since I was designing on a rounded surface, I drew the long stencil on 2 pieces of paper and cut the middle piece for its own stencil from the two outside pieces. That way both stencils would be easier to paint with without getting too flimsy during the process. I also did a layer of gold paint so that the gold leaf would blend better on the glass surface. While applying the gold leaf, I found it helpful to use a pin for cleaning up the edges around the design since it’s easy for gold leaf to get everywhere.

After I finished, I used the Mona Lisa Metal Leaf sealer spray from the costume jewelry project to protect the jars from tarnishing. I LOVED how these jars came about. They look as beautiful as the ones I may find in a Pier One, and they hold up nicely on my dresser. If I need a nice glass container for something, I may do this again and try silver or copper leaf next. I am fully converted to the gilding process! 🙂