Anyone who has been to my house knows that I love mercury glass. What started with one votive holder has turned into closer to twenty. Something about the finish is so appealing to me, and when a candle is lit inside of a piece of it, the glow it creates is so warm and beautiful. In my eye, mercury glass is also decor that manages to reflect the past while still looking modern. My pieces have no problem sharing space with several of my small Jonathan Adler menagerie animals.
Sometime back I came across an instructional DIY on Martha for making mercury glass, and I gave it a shot. Unlike some of Martha’s DIYs, this one is super easy. You only need three materials:
As Martha suggests, lightly spray the inside of your vessel. This is what gives the finished product that mottled look. I chose to use Weck jars for my candle holders because I think they are so lovely, and they sell them at our awesome local home supply store in the neighborhood.
Martha’s instructions also say to cover the outside of the vessel with paper, but I skipped that step. I really don’t think it matters. After you’ve sprayed the inside of the jar with a mist of water, you’re ready to spray the Krylon Looking Glass paint inside the jar.
I allowed the paint to dry for about thirty minutes and repeated this process twice.
The next step in this project was to prepare the wax for the candle. I bought a pound of candle wax at a craft store and a pot at Goodwill. I fashioned a double boiler with a pot I already had. Then, I cut the wax into big chunks and put it in the pot.
As the wax was liquifying I took a wick (also bought at a craft store in the candle-making section) and dipped the bottom of it into the wax on the stove. This made it tacky, and easily stickable to the bottom of the mercury glass jar.
Once the wax was melted, I added a couple of tablespoons of citronella oil. Once I stirred this in, I was ready to pour the wax into the jar. I tried with some success to pour around the wick, but I didn’t have any trouble with it staying upright.
To speed the setting process, I put the candle in the refrigerator for about thirty minutes. Here is the finished product:
And with the Weck lid:
And lit:
I think I’m going to get a pretty box of matches and give this as a housewarming gift to friends who just moved into a house with a big patio.
Happy Spraying and Melting!
– Courtney
Photographs by Ken Simpson of Photo 552