Painted Jars - Part 2

For my second painted jar I used a one quart mason jar that I brought from home. This time I used a chalk paint that I brushed onto the outside of the jar. I'd never used a chalk paint before. It's quite thick. The brush I used didn't give it nice coverage. I ended up using two coats of paint. Chalk paint dries to a matte finish.

Next I decided on the placement of the ribbon. I started with the wide burlap ribbon with the attached lace down the center. Then I found a red velvet ribbon with gold edges which I glued to either side of the burlap ribbon as well as around the rim of the jar lid.

When that was done, I used a stencil to add the scroll leaf design. I mixed a kelly green paint with some black to achieve the forest green color. I used half the stencil for the left leaf, then turned the stencil upside down and used the other half of the stencil for the right leaf. Again, if I had a more appropriate brush I could have achieved sharper lines.

Finally, I took apart an orange flower and a yellow flower, then restacked five petal sections, gluing them together in the center. This made for a nice full flower embellishment.

When I got home, I filled the jar with some autumn florals. I gave this to Julie as part of her birthday gift the following Sunday.

Painting jars like this without a lot of thinking and planning stretched me. I tend to be much more methodical in the way I go about crafting in my Studio. At the library, I was challenged to think on my feet and just play, seeing what inspiration flowed from what was in front of me. I'm looking forward to more of these library crafting sessions that will continue to pull me out of my comfort zone.