last minute handmade gift idea...

If you are a crafty person you probably are used to making handmade treasures for your friends and family for the holidays. These are always special because you thought about the person and then spent your time and talents creating a unique, one of kind gift. At least that's what I tell myself! lol Anyways I've been super busy this year creating custom holiday things for my family, some cannot be revealed because then the gig would be up. But, I thought I'd share a quick idea that literally ANYONE can do in a jif.

Can you trace? Then you can create custom glassware with glass paint! Painted glasses can be kind of expensive and in my opinion somewhat cheesy. However, with the right pattern you can pull off a custom creation your "person" will love! There are different kinds of glass paint and I've used several. Personally I like the kind you bake in the oven because then they are done. The Perm enamel kind has a 21 day dry time. What I mean by that is it will be 21 days before you can wash and use (but they will be dry to the touch in an hour or so after painting) If you use this kind (which is widely available and cheaper) just let your person know how to care for them. You can put them in the dishwasher on the top rack or hand wash so everyday use is an option. I created some glasses for the sports fans in our family-they were a hit.

To make them I just went online, found the image I needed (in this case it was the Detroit D, Lions logo and the University of Arkansas Razorback logo) I copied them into a program to manipulate the image a bit, but you could print the target by right clicking and telling your printer which size (a print option in Google's Picasa). Then I lightly taped the image facing outward on the inside of the glass so I could trace the outline. If you are going to do some color, I suggest tracing first with an outline color-I used black, then waiting until it's dry to the touch and doing the fill-in colors. You can always freehand too like I did with the ceramic mugs. Follow the instructions for pre-prep on the glasses and then either air dry or bake as instructed. Then you're done! Easy right?

Vitrea 160 at Blick     Perm Enamel available at craft stores like Joann and Hobby Lobby

Well folks, AF is going on holiday so I'll see you all after the New Year! Have a lovely, crafty, handmade special holiday!!!