Handmade Mercury Glass Ornaments and Sunday Morning Coffee
I have a lot of holiday crafts to share, and today I am sharing how to make these gorgeous handmade mercury glass ornaments.
Christmas crafting brings me so much joy, and my advice is to start early. These handmade mercury glass ornaments are a lot of fun to make! Thanks for joining me today for Sunday Morning Coffee.
Season 5 Volume 44
About Me
Since I love mercury glass, I discovered a way to make my mercury glass ornaments.
Want to learn how?
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Before I tell you more about the ornaments I made, I thought it would be helpful to address an important question.
What are Mercury Glass Ornaments?
Mercury glass (also known as silvered glass) is a type of glass that is blown double-walled, then silvered between the layers with a liquid silvering solution, and sealed. Sealing methods include using metal discs covered with a glass round or inserting a cork into the unpolished pontil scar.
I love mercury glass and have always wondered when it first became popular. This type of glass became popular in the mid-19th century. Edward Varnish and Frederick Hale Thomson patented the technique in 1849.
So why do I make my own?
Authentic mercury glass is expensive. A vase in perfect condition might cost between $80 and $100; painted pieces can sell for $200 or more; colored, engraved, cut, and labeled pieces can fetch more than $1,000. Exposure to air causes oxidation of the silvered inner surface, which can cause it to flake off.
Mercury glass ornaments can also be expensive, so I made my own that resemble the handblown ones.
I created 18 of these ornaments in under two hours. Of course, this was way faster than when I made these Rose Gold Ornaments. It was quicker because I had figured out how to make these. It’s so much easier the second time around!
I do love these ornaments. I strung them on some wire because that’s what Christmas lights look like when you buy them.
Can you believe how the light captured the colors in these ornaments? Isn’t this photo amazing?
I used traditional Christmas colors to make these.
Which ones do I like the best?
The silver/cream ones.
Here is the list of what you need to make these mercury glass ornaments.
Krylon Looking Glass spray paint
Light bulb-shaped glass ornament (for other clear glass shapes, click here )
Spray bottle with water
1 – Pour the acrylic paint into the glass ornament. Swirl it around, but don’t cover it entirely. Pour any extra paint out of the bottom.
2 – Spray the inside of the ornament with the Looking Glass Metallic paint. Use a small amount, just enough to cover the sides.
3 – Lightly spray the inside of the ornament with a tiny bit of water. This will displace some of the metallic paint, making it resemble mercury glass.
4 – Place the ornament in an egg carton or a Dixie cup and let the paint drain.
5 – Let the ornaments completely dry. You can use the hair dryer to help spped up the drying process. Replace the top and enjoy.
My Latest Project
We made a quick trip to Northern California this week to meet our new granddaughter!
Michael and Ellie are the proud parents of Clarke Anne Saeta.
She is so precious, and I cannot believe we have a granddaughter! After three sons and a grandson, Clarke was quite the surprise.
We are all so happy!
We also spent time with Andrew, Charlotte, Graham, Matt, Polina, and our grandson Graham.
Graham and I had a blast!
And who knew all of the clothes I wore were from Amazon? They are so comfortable.
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My Biggest Challenge This Week
We are hosting Friendsgiving tonight, and with our last-minute trip this week, I really had to plan my preparation perfectly. We left for Northern California on Wednesday and didn’t get back until late last night.
However, that didn’t matter because my table was already set, the turkey was defrosting in the refrigerator, and everything I needed for the stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce was readily available in the fridge.
I even decided to use faux flowers, so all I need to do today is cook the stuffing and cranberry sauce, and place the turkey in the Green Egg. My girlfriends are bringing everything else, and I will even have time to relax.
I cannot wait.
- Complete two DIY crafts for a Handmade Christmas, which will be shared in December.
- Get ready for my nephew’s wedding next weekend.
- Get ready for Black Friday sales!
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This Chocolate Peanut Pretzel Toffee Bark looks amazing.
The 2-Minute Easy Dessert You Can Make for Your Self Every Single Week (and Refuse to Share With Anyone)
Here are 15 Christmas Charcuterie Board Ideas.
And what a week it was!
I wanted to thank you all for your incredible support of my Window Wreath templates. This was my most popular blog post ever, and my Instagram post was viewed over 300,000 times. If you missed it, be sure to check it out, as I have nine free templates for you to trace these wreaths!
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This week is going to feel a lot like Christmas! I have lots of blog posts for you to enjoy!
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- Hostess Gift Ideas
- DIY Christmas Tree Plates – A Handmade Christmas
- It’s Time to Start Looking for Vintage Christmas Ornaments
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The Holiday Season is Coming – S5/V41
Creative Ideas – S5/V40
Shopping Amazon Prime Big Deal Days – S5/V39
Two Weeks in Portugal – S5/V38
A Fabulous Bike Trip – S5/V37
A Trip to Portugal – S5/V36
Crunch Time – S5/V35
Fall is Here – S5/V34
An Amazing Summer – S5/V33
A Fun Celebration – S5/V32
Fall is Coming – S5/V31
A Hawaiian Vacation – S5/V31
Aloha and Sunday Morning Coffee – S5/V30
Summer Beach Dinner Part Two – S5/V29
A Time to Celebrate Friends – S5/V28
Early Prime Day – S5/V27
Summer at the Beach – S5/V26
Why I Love Summer Travel – S5/V25
My Favorite Summer Decor Finds – S5/V24
A Year Older – S5/V23
A Birthday Week – S5/V22
Summer is Almost Here – S5/V21
A Golfing Week – S5/V20
Mother’s Day Memories – S5/V19
Kitchen Garden Progress – S5/V18
A Growing Family – S5/V17
A Happy Easter and Crafting – S5/V16
Heart Breaking Week – S5/V15
Celebrating Family – S5/V14
We are Filming This Week – S5/V13
My Love for Spring – S5/V12
My Love for Gardening – S5/V11
The Inspired Home Show – S5/V10
The End of an Era – S5/V9
Spring is Coming – S5/V8
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My Love For January – S5/V3
A Week to Remember and Forget – S5/V2
A Good Year – S5/V1
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Video is no longer available to watch. Are there written instructions?
Just curious, were some of the instructions for the mercury look ornaments missing. What is the water mister and hair dryer for, listed in the contents to make these ? They look fantastic, I am a lover of mercury glass. Kim
Not sure what happened but it’s fixed. Thanks so much for letting me know.
Leslie
Congratulations on the new baby girl! So exciting and very happy for all of you.
Does the half zipper top run true to size? I want to order one today. So pretty!
Yes. Maybe a little big.
Is there a video of making the mercury glass ornaments? I’m not seeing one and I’m a bit nervous about trying this project. I would like to see the amount of metallic paint you pour in first, how much spray Looking Glass paint you use and then how much water to spray into each one. I don’t want to ruin several ornaments experimenting.
I looked but can’t find one. I was pretty sure I had video of this craft. But I did find a video from someone else who made them the same way. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBWuecwpbyU/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Leslie
What a perfectly cozy read for a Sunday morning! Your mercury glass ornaments are absolutely stunning—they have that magical, timeless glow that makes them look like cherished heirlooms. The step-by-step photos are so helpful and make the process feel approachable, even for someone who’s never tried it before.
My question is about the vinegar spray step, which is so clever! Was this a technique you discovered through trial and error, and did you find a particular type of spray bottle that creates the perfect fine mist for those authentic, irregular spots and swirls?