Paint glass items.
Though stained glass is beautiful, and embellished stemware and glass dishes add a lovely flare to your table, many of these items are expensive. However, you can easily make embellished glass dishes and faux stained glass at home. Painting on glass takes more patience and a little more preparation than painting on wood or canvas, but it can add some real flare and originality to windows, mirrors and many other glass pieces. Pebeo Vitrea paint, available at craft stores, is paint specifically formulated for painting on glass. It doesn't smear as much as regular acrylic paint, and with a little time in the oven it fuses to glass dishes and becomes permanent, making embellished items both practical and pretty.
Instructions
1. Wash and dry the glass thoroughly in a dishwasher if possible or by hand if you have no dishwasher or the glass is a window or a mirror. This removes dust, dirt and oil that may prevent the paint from adhering to the glass.
2. Choose your first color and your design. If using a stencil, tape it onto the glass with masking tape to prevent adhesive residue and press the inner edges to the glass with your fingers. For sponge stamps, pour some paint onto a paper plate and dip the sponge into it. Blot the sponge a little before applying to glass. You can also freehand with paintbrushes.
3. Work slowly and carefully. Usually with glass, the simpler the design the better. A small trailing vine of flowers looks better than a garden, and a single bird looks better than a flock. Full "stained glass" pictures and designs are the exception.
4. Allow the paint to dry completely. If painting stemware or glass dishes, place the piece in the oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes. If painting a window or mirror, you're finished. Make sure to paint windows on the inside.
