I have this weird hoarding habit when it comes to glass jars and bottles. I think it's because my dad find such cool uses for them that seem both homey and eclectic (like storing and displaying grains in the kitchen, or holding tealights in for subdued outdoor lighting).
This comes in handy, though, when I sit down to craft because -- obviously -- I like lights in jars and I like to craft mood lighting. On this year's list, blood jars:
Just as accent pieces. And if you are a crafty type of person, you have all the supplies you need around your house already:
- Old spaghetti jar (cleaned, of course -- I like Bertolli for their jars)
- Modge Podge (or other gluey sealer; come to think of it, white glue would probably work fine)
- A cheapy paint brush
- Red food coloring or dark red paint
- a tealight/small candle
I reused one of my test jars from last year -- I was inspired by
Pumpkin Rot's Witch Jars and spent a long evening with glue and paint before being reminded (nicely) that it was not the priority wedding preparation project I thought it was, and that I was behind on other things.
But that was last year, and this year that gluey jar that had never gotten a proper coating of paint to make it gooey and gory got a little bit of blood and mess!
I poured some of the modge podge into a disposable container and added quite a bit of food coloring (why? because I didn't have any red paint and the modge-podge ensured it would dry with an opaqueness that would look, well, a bit bloodier).
I painted a generous amount around the rim of the jar, then blew downward to start it spreading in natural curves down the jar. I added more food coloring and darked the rim, letting it glob in places to make for a gorier impression when it dried.
Then I flicked a little red modge podge with the paintbrush across and around the jar to make a splatter pattern. Just because I don't mind my fingers being stained, I also dipped them in the 'blood,' blotted them lightly, and then grabbed around the jar to make a handprint (for some reason, this refused to photograph properly).
Let dry and insert tealight and you have a bloody little lamp to set about at your party.
Happy Haunting, fiends!
