Wine glasses play an important role in our Pesach Seder, as during the course of the reading of the Haggadah, we drink four glasses of wine (or grapejuice, but this year the wine sounds pretty good to me!) So it sure makes sense to set your table with something festive and royal and at the same time not too precious! Hand painted wine glasses are simple to make, and after you've applied basic color, you can take the project one step further with beads, ribbons, charms and anything you can think of!
And after the seder (s) you can enjoy using your gorgeous creations as tea-light holders or vases! And this project is easy enough for children over the age of about eight as well as adults who aren't so craft savy! So take a break from the cleaning and help make this Pesach extra special!
Here are the basic styles I created. Glasses that will be used for drinking should not be painted at the rim, so I"ll be using those for decoration!
You'll Need:
- Plain clear wine glasses
- Imitation crystal wine glasses
- Glass paint : Air-drying acrylic glass paint is the ideal choice for kids, though I imagine that the oil based paints may be more beautiful! And there is a glass paint that you can bake on in the oven, I just don't know how available that is. So check out the options yourself and choose the product that works for you!
- A paint pen specially made for glass: This is perfect for drawing simple sketches, names, or small designs, and would be great paired with the techniques shown here. I didn't use one since they're not widely available in Israel, but those of you with access to large craft stores can certainly find this product!
- Beads and wire for stringing
- Beautiful ribbon or sheer fabric
- Assorted trims and charms
- Electrical tape
- A piece of dense sponge, such as a make-up sponge
How To:
Follow one or both of the simple techniques described here for applying color to your wine glasses.
Painting On Glass:
Glass paint tends to be runny and may be difficult to control, but when applied to sections of imitation crystal glassware, the results are stunning! Apply a small amount of paint to one section and allow the paint to spread to the edges of that section as you gently brush paint into the corners. Painting large areas is not recommended especially on a curved surface, (such as these wine glasses!) because the paint will most definitely drip or run. After applying color to each small area, lay the glass on a towel, with the painted side facing up, until the paint dries. Then you can turn the glass and decorate another part.
Sponging On Glass:
Using a dense sponge is the best way I’ve found to easily cover large areas of color with no drips! Pour a small amount of paint into a small dish, dip the sponge in the dish and apply paint to glass with a repetitive dabbing motion. Continue adding color to the sponge and then dabbing to achieve an even coverage of color. For stripes use electric tape to cover the portions of the glass you’d like to stay clear before applying color. For drinking glasses, make sure to put tape on the rim of the glass before painting.
Notes:
- If you will be making drinking glasses as opposed to vases, make sure to leave the top portion of the glass unpainted. Paint isn’t dangerous, but we wouldn’t want to eat it!
- Unless you use special glass paint that is baked on in an oven, the areas that you paint with regular glass paint will be very delicate. Wash and handle with extreme care so as not to remove the color.
Have a wonderful Pesach, and if you can find a goblet sized wine glass, so why not paint one for Eliyahu as well! Now, does anyone have any suggestions for cleaning and blog management at the same time?