Painting mason jars with glue and food colouring…
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A couple of weeks ago, when we were making our Valentine’s Votives, I stumbled upon something kind of neat which was the inspiration behind the coloured mason jars that I’m sharing with you today.
I noticed, when the hooligans were gathering their votives up to take home, that there were some areas on the jars tht had been painted with glue, but no tissue paper had been place overtop. When the dried, those plain glue areas gave the jars a frosted effect.
I figured if “frosting” a jar was that easy, I would try adding some food colouring to the glue, to see what would happen.
What you’ll need:
- clean, clear jars
- food colouring (I use Wilton icing gels)
- white glue
- water
- sponge brush
What I did:
I started by thinning some white glue with a bit of water. I stirred that well, and then added a bit of food colouring. 
Wilton is my preferred brand of food colouring because of the vibrant colours they produce.
Once your food colouring is mixed well into your glue, brush a layer of it all over your jar. 
I used a sponge brush for this process. Apply your glue/colour mixture in a thin, even layer, trying to eliminate your brushstroke marks.
See this following photo? The coloured glue has just been brushed on here, and it’s still wet. When the pink jar dried, I could see brush marks. When the green dried, it was perfectly smooth, so shoot for the look of the green one when you’re brushing on your glue.
Now let your jars dry (I left mine overnight), and be amazed at the beautiful frosted effect that takes place!
Remember, this is just glue and water, so your colour coating won’t be water proof. But they’re perfect for storing craft supplies, and they’d make a pretty addition to any desk if you filled them with pens and pencils. 
Cute, aren’t they?
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so pretty!
Veru, very cute! And so simple, but exellent result! Thanks for idea!:)
These are so beautiful, and what a simple craft! I love it!
Very pretty!
A couple of days ago, I went up to my studio to clean up and invited my younger daughters ( 3 and 5 y.o.) to come up with me. I never do that, but I wanted to try one of your activities and see if it would keep them entertained. I brought a few measuring spoons, silicone cupcake molds and lots of little things like buttons, gems, pom poms, foam stickers and pebbles. They played for almost 2 hours… even my oldest daughter who is 10 y.o joined in and they made cupcakes, and decorated chipboard circles and played store. The clean up wasn’t so bad after all!
thank you so much. I am so glad I found you. I post a monthly learning log where I showcase the things we are doing in our homeschooling journey and I will be linking to your blog. 
My next project is to go through their toy boxes and organize the many little toys that can be used for sensory play in the near future! I also want to do a little Resurrection play with the kids using your idea of toilet paper tube puppets. I think they will love it! Thank you again.
Wonderful, Tereza! Isn’t it amazing how a collection of simple items like that can keep children exploring and entertained for so long? I love your idea of going through their toys, and gathering up a good working supply of sensory play toys! Bet you were able to get a thing or two accomplished while they played too!
Thanks so much for wanting to link to me in your blog!
Lovely! Is it just Elmer’s white glue?
Yes, Heather. I’m not sure it that was the actual brand, but it was white “school” glue that we used.
I have seen mod podge jars but not frosted-this is awesome!
Glad you liked them, Amy!
I cant wait to try this. I think its a wonderful idea and so easy to do. I really enjoy the pictures of the step-by-step instructions, makes it much easier to follow and know if I’m doing it right.
Thank you!
These are darling! I love that you took a small leftover of a glob of glue and made a fresh, new idea with it. I can’t wait to try this. Thanks so much, Lisa~
HI-LOVE THESE JARS BUT i CANT SEEM TO GET A SOLID COLOUR ON THE JARS-HOW MUCH WATER TO GLUE DO U USE?Thanks
I’m sorry, Kitty, I didn’t even measure. It was a very small amount of water. Just enough to make the glue slightly runny. I’m guessing that for 2 tablespoons of glue, I might have added 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons of water?
I am trying this with glitter glue and regular glue mixed. Can’t wait to see it dry!
That sounds lovely, Beth! Let us know how it works!