DIY Mercury Glass Candle Holders

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Welcome to this month’s DIY Inspire Collective. I am so excited to be joining an incredibly talented group of ladies sharing easy and beautiful DIYs every month. This month’s projects include DIY vintage artisan pottery, a DIY wood planter box centerpiece, my DIY mercury glass candle holders, how to strip and reupholster a wood dining chair, and a DIY wood chair. All the wonderful projects for this month are linked at the end of this post. I promise you don’t want to miss them!

If you are a first-time reader, welcome! I’m so happy you’ve joined me here. Here at Cali Girl In A Southern World, my goal is to inspire you through beautiful home decor, easy DIYs, crafts, recipes, and more. To stay most up to date with me, I hope you will subscribe to my blog here.

A Spark of Inspiration

Recently, I was inspired by my dear friend, Tammy at Lavender Brook Home. She made beautiful DIY mercury glass Christmas ornaments for her Christmas tree over the holiday season. I loved the way they turned out! Her inspiration got me thinking about how I could add the gorgeous shimmer, shine, and warm glow to our home for the winter season. It was then that I decided I wanted to try my hand at making DIY mercury glass candle holders. I’m head over heels with this new DIY!

Mercury Glass Love

I have long been a lover of mercury glass. A few of my favorite home decor pieces include candle holders, jars, vases, and Christmas ornaments. If you have ever shopped for these types of pieces for your home, you know that along with being beautiful, they can also be pricey.

Recently, I learned how easy and inexpensive it is to create the same beautiful mercury glass look for much less. Now, after trying the method, I’m obsessed.

Mercury glass adds a timeless and beautiful shine and reflection to the home. Without a doubt, my favorite mercury glass pieces are candle holders. Even without candles lit inside them, they are very pretty. However, when candles are lit inside, they are truly gorgeous! The warm glow that candles give off in mercury glass adds a cozy and inviting feel to any space.

Materials Needed to Make DIY Mercury Glass Candle Holders

To make DIY mercury glass candle holders, you only need a few things. You’re going to be pleasantly surprised by how easy and affordable this DIY is!

The glass vessels used for this DIY can come from a craft store, a dollar store, or a thrift store. Upcycling yogurt and jelly jars for DIY mercury glass candle holders are also a great idea.

Here is everything you need to make DIY mercury glass candle holders:

• Glass jars
• Painter’s tape
• Krylon “Looking Glass” silver spray paint
• White vinegar
• Water
• Spray bottle (with fine mist)
• Rubber gloves (optional, but recommended)
• Protective eyewear (optional, but recommended)

How to Make DIY Mercury Glass Candle Holders

This project involves spray paint so it’s highly recommended that the area you work in is well ventilated. Working outside is always best, if possible. Be sure to protect the work surface and I recommend wearing gloves too.

Make the Vinegar and Water Solution

Combine equal parts water and vinegar in the spray bottle. Spray the bottle a few times before using it to ensure that the mist is fine and not a stream.

Prepare the Jars

Wash the inside and the outside of the jars and then dry them thoroughly. Using painter’s tape, tape the outside of the jars. For this project, we are only spraying the inside of the jar. The tape will help to protect the outside of the jars in case the paint oversprays.

Spray the Inside of Jar With Silver Spray Paint

Working quickly, spray the first coat of silver spray paint inside the jar.

Mist the Inside of the Jar with the Vinegar and Water Solution

After a few seconds of the silver spray paint drying, gently mist the inside of the jar with the vinegar and water solution. You will see little droplets of the water and vinegar creating specks and dots in the silver paint. This is good!

Repeat the Spray Paint and Vinegar and Water Mist

Depending on how transparent you want the mercury glasses pieces to look you can continue to repeat the process until the desired look is achieved. For me, 2-3 coats of paint and then the vinegar and water solution were perfect. I wanted the glow of the candles inside to show through from the inside out. The more layers you do, the less opaque the glass will be.

Allow the Jars to Dry Thoroughly and Enjoy

After about an hour, the jars should be dry. To speed up the drying process a hairdryer is helpful. Once the candle holders are fully dry, remove the outer tape. Insert the candles, light the wicks, and enjoy your DIY mercury glass candle holders.

A Vintage-Inspired Variation of DIY Mercury Glass Candle Holders

Once I got the hang of making these DIY mercury glass candle holders, I started experimenting with different looks. That’s when things got really fun! I had some leftover gold spray paint from another project, so I decided to switch things up on one of the jars.

First, I sprayed the inside of the jar with the “Looking Glass” silver spray paint and did the first misting of vinegar and water (just like usual). Next, I sprayed the gold spray paint for the second layer followed by the vinegar and water solution mist. Then, I sprayed the “Looking Glass” silver spray paint again for a third coat. Finally, I misted the last round of vinegar and water solution inside the jar. After it dried thoroughly and I put a candle inside this version of my DIY mercury glass candle holder, I was smitten. This was my favorite combination!

The gold spray paint layer added a vintage look to the mercury glass. When the candle inside was lit, the warmth and glow that showed through were beautiful!

Faux Etched DIY Mercury Glass Candle Holders

After getting the hang of making mercury glass candle holders, I decided to try my hand at making them look “etched.” Of course, I don’t know how to etch glass, but I do know how to paint. Using a stencil I found at Hobby Lobby, I used white acrylic paint and stenciled a leaf design on one of my candle holders. I love how it turned out! The design adds visual interest and delicate detail to the candle holder which is absolutely beautiful.

If you loved this DIY mercury glass candle holder project, you might also enjoy these projects!

DIY Frosted Glass Bottle Winter Decor

DIY Color Block Vase

I hope you enjoy making these DIY mercury glass candle holders as much as I enjoyed sharing them with you. For more easy DIYs, home decor styling tips, and sources join me on Pinterest and Instagram too. I look forward to seeing you there. Happy decorating!

Just click on the links below the photos, and pop around to visit the girls and check out their projects!

DIY VINTAGE ARTISAN POTTERY

DIY WOOD PLANTER BOX CENTERPEICE

DIY MERCURY GLASS CANDLE HOLDERS

HOW TO STRIP AND REUPHOLSTER A WOOD DINING CHAIR

DIY WOOD TRAY