I've been wanting to try
Krylon's Looking Glass Spray Paint for years now, and after searching all over, I finally found some at
Walmart of all places. I had never even thought to check there! The first time I saw this stuff it was on Carol Duval's show on HGTV, so that tells you how long I've been wanting to try it! Do you guys remember that show? I miss seeing Carol on TV, and all her wonderful projects!
During our town wide Yard Sale, I picked up these two patterned (faceted) glass bowls, both for under $5.00 each. Wahoo! Love that price! What's great about these pieces is that they have wide openings, and the base is hollow, perfect for "Mercurizing", as I like to call it!
Here it is. The magical can of "Mercurizing" spray, also known as
Krylon Looking Glass Spray Paint.
You need to work in a well ventilated area, like outside, or in the garage with the door open like I did. I wore gloves and safety goggles too, just to be safe ... safety is good people! Make sure you shake the can well, about 2 minutes should do it, and then spray your glassware. I did about 4 - 5 coats. I didn't do anything special here, just sprayed, let dry a few minutes and sprayed again and that was it! That's the beauty of using the patterned glass, you won't need to do any special aging techniques on these.
See what I mean, they have the perfect luster to them!
Now you can fill them with what ever you like... sparkly things look especially nice!
I hope you'll give it a try, it was super fun and easy. These types of bowls can often be found in thrift shops and flea markets, so they shouldn't be too hard to find. You can find
more info about this product, along with
other project ideas, on the
Krylon web site.
*This post contains affiliate links
Your bowls turned out beautifully, Karen. I'm totally hooked on Krylon's Looking Glass Spray. I've been giving nearly everything I can get my hands on a faux mercury glass finish!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenn! It is so much fun to use isn't?! I wish they made it in other colors, I would love to have it in Copper, Pink, Blue, Red etc!!
DeleteKaren,
DeleteI just saw read an article in the christmas BHG magazine and they sprayed the inside of the dry vase (after looking glass application) with 50/50 vinegar/water and blotted it with paper towel then used 2 tsp of modge podge, 2 tbsp of water, and food coloring to sponge brush on the exterior of the glass. It looks really good in the pictures.
Would be fabulous for spraying the glass in pretty thrift store frames...giving them a whole new life as decorative mirrors...thanks for the 'tip'
ReplyDeleteI'll look for this stuff...
Great idea Wendi!!
Deletei didn't know krylon made this..how fabulous!!
ReplyDeletethe bowls are great !!
i loved her show!!!! i watched it all the time!!!
Thanks Ann! Glad to see another Carol fan here!!
DeleteKaren,
ReplyDeleteGreat way to spruce up those often passed up items. I am going to try this on some candle sticks. I am also going to try this on some of the DIY cup cake plates up on the "stand" (I have some pressed glass plates to put on candle stick stands).
Klem, I think this would be fabulous on a cake plate!! Let me know how the candlesticks turn out, I had a hard time with narrower items, but I know others have done it.
DeleteI will Karen. I was a fan of Carol Duvall as well.
DeleteI've done narrow opening vases and I layed them on their side and sprayed into them and when it was dry rolled the vase a half turn and sprayed again and it worked for me. When I sprayed something with a larger opening I sprayed and then while it was still wet(you got to work fast) I took an old toothbrush and tapped it on the wet paint. Gave it a nice mottled pattern not a solid mirror finish. I put my battery operated candles into those vases and you can see the mercury type finish through the light. Mary
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary! Great tips!!
DeleteThanks Mary, great info!
DeleteOh Mary...that's fabulous! I'm about to work with narrow opening vases for lamps. Thanks for the wonderful tip!
DeleteI searched for the looking glass spray for years myself. And yes, I totally remember Carol. I loved watching her during the day...especially if I had a sick day from school!
ReplyDeleteI love that you did this to glassware that was more dimensional. It looks lovely.
Thanks HC! Woohoo, another Carol Fan! One of the things I loved most about that show, was all the new products that she would introduce, like the Krylon paint, and other things that I had never heard of before. I wish HGTV would create more shows like that.
DeleteThese are beautiful! I'd love for you to link them to my "Do Your Thing" party! http://www.atkinsondrive.com/do-your-thing-link-party-week-1/
ReplyDeleteThanks Sam!
DeleteThey are gorgeous but unfortunately for Canadians, doing this craft is an impossibility as Krylon looking glass paint is a discontinued item (I spoke directly to krylon)and is unavailable in Canada. There are still a few stores in United States that have stock but once it is gone, there will be no more. So I suggest if you can find it, grab it up while you can. I have been searching in Canada for almost 6 months now and have come up empty. Ebay is not an option as they will not ship aerosols across the border. Same with other online stores. None of them will ship to Canada.
ReplyDeleteOh no! That's a shame! Well, I will be attending the huge Craft and Hobby Convention this Winter, all of the major craft manufacturers will be there, so I will see if I can find an alternative.
DeleteBardzo fajny pomysł...pozdrawiam pa...
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThanks Karen, they look great! I can't wait to give it a try!
ReplyDeleteSusan
Thanks Susan!
DeleteI too have been looking for years for this. ( and I do remember Carol Duvol) Every time I go to any store that carries spray paint - I look! Guess that tells you how long it's been since I have been in Walmart! Yay! Hope mine has it too! I just saw this post on Pinterest. (I follow you) Thank you!
ReplyDelete~Debbie from Mermaids of the Lake and Color My Bliss.
Thanks Debbie! Look in the spray paint section, I hope they have it at your Walmart! Thanks for following me on Pinterest!
DeleteHow neat! I really like that idea, thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Susie
Thanks for your sweet comment Susie!
ReplyDeleteI really miss Carol too. And decorating cents. Now the channel is just the real estate channel.
ReplyDeleteYes, Decorating Cents, that was another good one! You are right about the Real Estate, I do like some of those too, but I think they need to mix it up more with the DIY and crafting!
DeleteI love this! Did you just paint the outside of the bowls? Then it would still be safe for foods. I also miss Carol & Decorating Cents & also Kitty Bartholomews show (can't remember the name)Hope my WalMart has this! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteHi LoLetta, I just sprayed the inside, that way it looks more like the real deal! I wouldn't put it food on it, unless it was something wrapped, like candy. And yes Kitty Bartholomew, I forgot all about her, she was awesome!!
DeleteWonderful Karen, thanks so much for this great tutorial and yes, I remember Carol Duval very well, miss her show! Off to Walmart to look for some of this great spray paint! Deb
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb! I hope you can find some!
DeleteWhat a fantastic project. Thank you so much for sharing!!! I love your blog, and I too miss Carol Duvall. I'm with you, HGTV should have more craft shows. I've practically stopped watching that channel. I get more fun out of reading your blog and using your graphics. Thank you so much again!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jennifer! Maybe HGTV will see this and start making some crafty shows for us again!
DeleteThat is just amazing, I am going to have to try some ... hope they have it at my Walmart!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Pollyanna!
DeleteFound you at Hometalk... following!
ReplyDeleteThank you Amy! Hometalkers are welcome here any time! I love Hometalk!
DeleteJust recently here in Australia, our Better Homes and Gardens TV show had a demonstration on how to make an Antigue mirror. They used the same type of spray pain however before painting they sprayed the glass with vinegar, then while it was wet painted 2 coats of paint,then let the vinegar dry off then did another couple of coats.
ReplyDeleteShannan
Hi Shannan,
DeleteYes, I've seen that, it gives a nice antique look, especially for smooth glass pieces. What's nice about the patterned glass, is that the pattern makes it look old automatically so no addition steps are required, but you could certainly give it a try!
Hi:
ReplyDeleteI got my Looking Glass paint at Ace hardware. If they don't have it in stock, they can order it for you and the price was VERY reasonable as compared to all the other places a searched through.
Also, if you want a cool look, fine spray a mix of vinegar and water on the glass before painting. I did that on a "newsed" candle jar and it looks terrific!
Oh, and I miss Carol Duval, too!!!!
Wonderful, thanks for the Ace tip Michele!!
DeleteOh how very cool! Those are really beautiful. I did not know about this paint! Will definitely have to get some to try it out.
ReplyDeleteThanks AC!
DeleteKaren, these are beautiful!!! I loved Carol Duval, Decorating Cents - all the HGTV DYI shows. I agree, I would love to see more of them again! That's how I got started watching HGTV! ha
ReplyDeleteThank you Camille! Yes, those were the shows that got me started watching it too!
DeleteI couldn't find the Krylon paint either but Rustoleum has a Metallic chrome that worked equally well. I painted some pumpkins with it to look like the Pottery Barn ones I saw on Pinterest! They came out great!
ReplyDeleteThanks Cindy!! That's really good to know!
DeleteI love the look but not sure whether it's something they do in the UK. We can get spray paints to achieve lots of other looks, so wouldn't be surprised if this was available too.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if anyone here is aware (and anyone else reading these comments) but here in the UK, we have a dedicated craft channel - which is a shopping channel who ship internationally for a flat rate I think. It's on 24/7 but live in between the hours of 8am and 8pm (GMT) each and every day. They can be viewed on line anytime at:
http://www.createandcraft.tv/ShowGridView.aspx
Sorry - can't do that linky thing, but paste into your browser. Lots of stuff but a lot of it is card making. New Tim Holtz products are launched on the show next week - so there are lots of stamping shows for those who like... not too many upcycling shows on the channel - after all, it's a shopping channel. Would be nice if they did though. Worth a look if you're into your papercrafting, knitting, sewing, stamping etc.
It might not be your thing, but it sure is better than the news channel!!! I spend most of the day in my craft room and have this on for 'company' and just play it in the background a lot of the time.
Just thought I'd let you know. It is a lot of fun (if you get the british sense of humour - which is just sillyness most of the time) - it's certainly not a rigid show like HGTV or QVC which is about the product and move on quickly to the next. The channel is equally about demonstrations from guests and last an hour each. Aparrently they have a growing overseas audience.
lol - anyone would think I was promoting for commission!
Love the Graphics Fairy Karen - have been a fan for almost as long as i've been blogging which is coming up 3 years... i'm just a learner at it still lol!
Paula Gale - England. xxx
Paula, Thank you so much for sharing all of this info! Hopefully we will get something like that here, it sounds wonderful! Often times when you guys have a successful show, we get the American version of it, so that could happen! And yes, I do get British humor, it's my favorite kind of comedy!! Thanks for your sweet words about my site too!
Deletexoxo
Karen
I so badly miss crafts shows like Carol Duvall's and others on HGTV. I actually wrote to them once saying they should call themselves Real estate TV! There is such a huge market for arts/crafts shows and yet no one is filling the need. Some PBS stations carry CreateTV but not all cable companies carry it :(
ReplyDeleteHiya RK - In the UK it's called Creat and Craft - I'm not sure what CreateTV is. I do watch the on-line My Craft Channel which I think has associations with Northridge Publications who bring the Cricut magazine etc. But I consider the States as the home of scrapbooking really so it astounds me that no one is filling the gap in the market... If you found out how much the craft industry is worth in the U.S. surely this would tell some producer that it's worth considering such a programme. In the UK in the mid-late 90's you couldn't turn on your TV without watching some make-over programme that showed you how to repurpose something - long before the term 'repurpose' reached these shores! lol...
DeleteNow it's all antiques shows and 'cash in your attick' type shows - where clearly, they have an idea what's there already before they agree to film there... put it this way - there'd be no point coming to my house!!!
Paula x x x
Great point about My Craft Channel, Paula, that's a good one too!
DeleteRK, I'm glad you wrote to them and told them!!
What a great product. I use a lot of spray type paints not to much Krylon but I will have to find some of this. I find cut glass everywhere and it gives it a great alternative look. I am sure there a lot of other things you can use it on as well.
ReplyDeleteMy DIY Blog http://www.mypersonalaccent.com
saw that you sprayed inside the hollow stem. Did you spray the inside or outside of the bowl part. Am I right to assume the inside?
ReplyDeletethanks
I've also heard and read that the Looking Glass spray is being discontinued. My WalMart and Home Depot do not carry it, but I have seen it at Hobby Lobby. Looks like I need to stock up!
ReplyDelete