DIY: Faux Antique Glass Hearts
In lieu of authentic glass heart ornaments for Valentine's Day this year (for which I searched but couldn't find), I decided to make my own! Making these faux antique glass hearts was so simple and gave me instant gratification. By hanging them in Valentine Trees like I did in Love is in the Air, or gathering them in a large bowl like I did with pink ornaments in Valentine Vessel, they're sure to give Valentine decor some extra love.
What I used:
plastic heart ornaments from a craft store (I got mine at Michael's Arts and Crafts)
watercolor paints (you can also use acrylic paints)
paint brush
thin grosgrain ribbon
scissors
I purchased about thirty of these new, red plastic heart ornaments (above). Their vibrant, shiny red surfaces and plump shapes made them look like blown glass, which was exactly the look I wanted. Now it was time to "antique" them to look like aged mercury glass.
First, I borrowed my daughter's watercolor set and brush. Soaking the brush with water, I covered the bristles in dark brown watercolor paint. (Kids love to join in the fun, too!)
For many of the hearts, I simply painted them all over. The watercolor would streak and bead-up, which made my job even easier. I wanted some of the shiny red coat to show through, and some of it to be obscured, just like antiqued glass.
For other hearts, I would flick the brush so that they would get spots instead of stripes.
On this heart, I flicked it with brown and white watercolor paint, waited for most of it to dry, and then dabbed it with a paper towel. The center of the drops came off which gave it a cool, solar eclipse effect!
After the red finish was painted, the ornament tops were still a shiny silver that didn't look aged at all. A few more dabs of paint on each of the tops completed the antiquing.
I let them dry for about thirty minutes on a baby bottle rack.
Here is the before and after. Now the one on the right looks more like a glass heart I would find in an antique store!
I purchased some thin, grosgrain ribbon that was the same red hue at the hearts and cut the ribbon at different lengths for each heart, tying a knot at the top.
Compared to the real antique glass ornaments on the Valentine Trees (in silver and pink), I am pretty pleased with the outcome of these faux antique glass hearts!
The long red ribbons make the hearts drip and float, dramatizing the stage and making the trees appear fuller.
See more pictures of these Valentine hearts in Love is in the Air. And if you enjoyed this Valentine project, check out my Hearts and Crafts project, too!
Thank you for visiting Nora's Nest, and Happy Valentine's Day decorating 💘
xoxo,
