How to Make a Stunning DIY Mercury Glass Pumpkin Centerpiece

Amanda C, Hometalk Team
by Amanda C, Hometalk Team
7 Materials
$30
2 Hours
Easy

Just in time for fall, this DIY mercury glass pumpkin vase is a quick and easy project for the season. Add some nice flowers, and you will have a great centerpiece for the fall holidays.


I did a mercury glass tutorial before, but this time, I decided to add a step to show you how you can make one that has some background color to it!


You will only need a pumpkin jar and some mirror glass spray paint along with some Mod Podge and food coloring for a nice crackled color finish. Let's get started!


Tools and materials for the DIY mercury glass pumpkin project

Tools and materials:

  • Glass pumpkin jar
  • Mirror spray paint
  • Mod Podge
  • Food coloring
  • Water/vinegar mix in a spray bottle
  • Scissors
  • Floral foam
  • An array of flowers
Coloring the inside of the jar

1. Color the inside of the jar

Place several drops of blue and green food coloring into the bottom of the pumpkin jar. I probably added 3-4 drops of each color. Pour a good tablespoon of Mod Podge into the jar on top of the food coloring.

Adding water

2. Stir it up with some water

Add a small touch of water to the mixture in the jar. A teaspoon is probably fine. I kind of went by eye. You want it to be a bit less thick, but not too soupy either. Stir it all up!

Coating the sides of the pumpkin jar

3. Coat all the sides

Swirl the mixture around the inside of the pumpkin jar making sure to coat all sides nice and evenly. Get in all the crevices and don't miss any spots.

Letting the Mod Podge drip out

4. Let it dry a little bit

Place your jar upside down on a piece of cardboard or plastic and allow any extra Mod Podge mixture to drip out. (You should leave it for a couple of minutes.)

Baking the jar in the oven

5. Bake the jar

Place your pumpkin upside down on a cookie sheet on top of a piece of wax paper and bake it in the oven on warm for 20 minutes. Turn the pumpkin right side up once the 20 minutes is up, and bake it for another 20.


If there are still streaks, you can leave it in for several more minutes and they will fade. It should look like the bottom picture once it is done. (This is a great method to color any glass item.)

Spraying the jar with vinegar and water

6. Spray the jar with vinegar and water

Once your piece has cooled down from being in the oven, you are ready to add the mercury effect.


First, spritz the glass with a vinegar/water mixture so that water droplets form. Immediately following your water/vinegar spritz you will spray your mirror spray paint evenly over the whole far.


Tips: You can dab any water beads away from the glass with a paper towel. You can also repeat this process as many times as needed to gain the effect you want.

Adding floral foam in the vase

7. Add your pretty flowers

Now it's time to add the blooms! First, you will need to place some floral foam down on the bottom of the vase to stick the stems into, so the flowers stay in place.

Cutting the stems

Cut your stems to the appropriate width and arrange the flowers as desired.

DIY mercury glass pumpkin

The glass looks great even without the flowers... You can apply the same effect to the lid and just use it as a candy or treat jar too! I will probably use it for both, honestly.

DIY mercury glass pumpkin centerpiece

DIY mercury glass pumpkin centerpiece

I feel like I need fresh flowers in my house on the daily now... Well, okay, I have always sort of felt that way.

DIY mercury glass pumpkin vase

I know these English roses (a great faux peony for when peonies aren't in season, which is unfortunately most of the year) sort of take the cake in this picture, but that mercury beauty is still shining through.

Close-up of the DIY mercury glass pumpkin centerpiece

Here is a better close-up of all the crackled mercury goodness in this fall floral arrangement!


What do you think of this DIY mercury glass pumpkin centerpiece? Let me know in the comments below.


DIY fall centerpiece ideas

For more creative autumnal decor projects, discover Hometalk's best fall centerpieces here, the best DIY pumpkin ideas here, and more modern fall decor inspiration here.
 

Suggested materials:
  • Glass Pumpkin Jar   (Ebay)
  • Mirror Glass Spray   (Michael's)
  • Mod Podge   (Michael's)
See all materials
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 17 questions
  • Sandy Sharp Sandy Sharp on Oct 30, 2017

    If I want to make Christmas votives with red inside, how can I make it more translucent so a red glow shows through?

  • Sandy Sharp Sandy Sharp on Oct 30, 2017

    Could I use paint made for glass (that gets baked on) on the inside to create a finish that will stand up to water? That way, I could also paint using more than one color.

  • Sandy Sharp Sandy Sharp on Oct 30, 2017

    How would the finish look if I started with etched glass (sea glass look)?

Comments
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3 of 44 comments
  • Lori Ward-Laatsch Lori Ward-Laatsch on Sep 25, 2020

    I have a bowl like this, it had a lid which I broke a step before I was going to put it down on the workbench. Mine is a brown glass not clear. I was thinking I might decoupage it. I'm not sure I could do this with it since it isn't clear.


    Very pretty!

  • Karen Bergmann Karen Bergmann on Oct 23, 2021

    What temperature did you bake the vase? Thank you.

    • Sheila McClees Sheila McClees on Sep 12, 2023

      She said WARM. Some ovens actually will have a "warm" setting, which is usually 170 to 200 F, or a warming drawer, which is meant to keep foods at a level, warm temperature. If your oven has neither, set it to 200 to 250 F.

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