A Faux Mess--Maury to the Rescue

Am I the only person who didn't know not to wash faux mercury glass? And, I don't mean put it in the dishwasher. I mean wash it by hand in dish detergent.

Trying to put a super sparkle on my store-bought mercury glass votives recently sent me into a panic and made my husband feel really bad. I set all my pieces out to clean them up and he offered to wash them for me. An offer I gladly accepted because he's nothing if not thorough. When he was nearly done washing all of them, he realized there were chunks of silver floating among the detergent bubbles. Pretty to look at, but not good.

As you can see, not all of the faux mercury washed away--just the majority of it. I quickly regained enough composure to turn my focus from what could have been a total loss to what I hoped would be a solution.

I remembered Maury at Life on Mars had shared a tutorial on creating your own faux mercury glass. I had always intended to try it--on a piece of my choosing, not on a reclamation project. But, what the heck, this could save me from my own stupidity.

Maury's tutorial is excellent. I wrapped the outsides of my votive glasses in wide masking tape and sprayed and spritzed away.

I gave each glass two light coats of Krylon Looking Glass paint, which, when combined with the scraps of mercury that remained on each one, created a nice layered look. Once the glass votives were incorporated into the rest of the holiday decor and the tea lights lit, no one would be the wiser.

Uh . . . except that I just confessed to the world.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Time Travel Thursday at Brambleberry Cottage
Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest
Potpourri Party at 2805
Talent Tuesday at Vintage Wanna Be