Enjoying the scents and sounds of the garden on a balmy summer evening is one of life’s great pleasures. And whether the space in question is a tiny balcony, an urban courtyard or a rolling, manicured lawn, colourful strings of outdoor candle lanterns add an enchanting glow.
Outdoor space has become another room to eat, drink, socialise and relax, with exactly the same attention to design and style as interiors. But, garden ornaments don’t need to break the bank. As well as being an enjoyable pastime, the craft of glass painting can transform recycled jam jars into beautiful garden lanterns.
Materials Required for Glass Painting Hanging Candle Lanterns
- Jam jars
- Copy paper
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Outliner paint
- Glass paints
- Paintbrush
- Seed beads
- PVA glue
- Wire
- Glass beads
Transferring a Design to Glass using Outliners
Measure the circumference and depth of the recycled jam jar and cut a piece of copy paper to fit around it. Draw a design on the paper and slip it inside the jar, pressing it in place against the surface of the glass. Transfer the pattern to the jar by following the lines of the drawing with an outliner. This creates the leaded look of a stained glass window on the surface of the glass.
Available with other glass painting supplies from art and craft stores, outliners come in black and metallic colours. Practising first on a piece of paper is a good way to get a feel for the correct amount of pressure to apply while drawing with the outliner tube. Don’t worry if you make a mistake. Use the blade of a craft knife to push the raised outline back where it should be.
Glass Painting a Hanging Tealight Lantern
When the outlined pattern is dry, apply the glass paints with a paintbrush. For vivid colours, dab the paint on, allowing it to pool on the glass rather than spreading it too thinly. A second coat can intensify the colours further. Allowing colours to bleed into one another creates interesting marbled effects.
Check the manufacturer’s instructions to find out if the glass paints need to be fixed in an oven or if they can be left to dry naturally.
Adding Glass Beads to Outdoor Candle Lanterns
Flat-backed glass nuggets, and tiny glass seed beads, can add detail and translucent texture to hanging candle lanterns. Affix these embellishments to the glass by applying waterproof PVA glue generously to the surface. Sprinkle over small beads or press glass nuggets in place. Instead of beads, try adding details to glass painting designs by creating raised dots with outliner paints.
Attaching Beaded Handles to Tealight Lamps
Cut a length of wire roughly 54cm (21 inches). Wrap one end of it around the top of the jar to form a hoop, securing it under a rim or in the threads for the lid. Leaving about 2.5cm (1 inch) at the shorter end, twist the wire together, tightening it to fit the circumference of the jar. Pull the longer length upright and coil the shorter end around it for a neat finish.
Select glass beads to co-ordinate with colours in the garden lantern and thread these on the wire. Next, take a set of matching beads and thread these in reverse order. To create the handle, push the end of the wire between the glass and the wire hoop at the other side of the jar. Pull the end of the wire upright and coil about 2.5cm (1 inch) around the base of the handle, trimming off any excess. To finish, bring the matching set of beads over to the opposite side.
More Craft Ideas for Homes and Gardens
For more ideas, read about crafts to make for beautiful homes and gardens, including handmade mosaic flower pots. Or, find out about recycling crafts by learning how to decoupage a shoe box.
Encourage kids to join in the creative fun too. Making colourful tealight holders from recycled jam jars also makes a great craft activity for children. For glass painting projects and more kids’ summer crafts, read these online articles offering information on outdoor nature activities and easy suncatcher ideas.
Kathleen Good - I'm a writer, designer, and part-time lecturer in Art & Design based in Glasgow, Scotland. As a writer, I'm currently working on my ...
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