Easy Painted Glass Jars Fall Decor

Fall is a beautiful time of year, and there’s no better way to celebrate than by decorating your home with festive fall decor. One of my favorite ways to decorate is with glass jars and bottles.

I’m always looking for a way to include glass jars in my seasonal decorations. They make wonderful candles (real or LED) or potpourri holders. I’ve even stuffed a few with a string of mini lights. Most are recycled from my home or secondhand shops but – on a rare occasion – I do purchase them from a hobby store.

Two-Toned Glass Jar Potpourri Holder

I love potpourri, especially the autumn and Christmas scents. Cinnamon and pine are my favorites. Anyways, I found this Purely Pumpkin potpourri at Hobby Lobby and loved it! The problem was I didn’t have a glass jar with a nice lid at home. My cats try to eat potpourri so I needed something I could open on the table when visitors arrived but easily close when the cats come prowling.

So, I made my way to the glass jar section of Hobby Lobby and found this jar in two sizes.

I didn’t want bare jars and settled for a leaf pattern around the outside.

Here’s how I made these fall leaves glass jars for my potpourri.

SUPPLIES

• 2 glass jars different sizes with lids
• 1 sheet removable vinyl
• Leaf punches
• 1 or 2 acrylic metallic paint
• Spray Paint
• Plastic wrap
• Tape

Tip: For the metallic paint, I used pre-mixed pouring paint. However, you can mix acrylic paint with a little water.

How to Make Your Fall Two-Toned Glass Jars

Step 1: Prepare your materials.

Clean the surface of your glass jars with a damp rag and let dry.

Mix a little water into your acrylic paint. (If you are using pre-mixed acrylic paint then do not add water!)

Step 2: Paint the inside of your glass jars.

Squirt or pour the paint along the inside top of the jar. As the paint rolls down the inside surface, pick up the jar and roll it around until it’s completely coated with paint. I used the same process in my Valentine’s Day Love Potion project.

Do this for each jar.

Then, turn your jar upside down and let the excess paint dribble out. Be sure to pick it up and move it every 10 minutes or so to ensure the puddle of paint doesn’t dry along the rim.

Once puddles no longer form around the rim, turn your jars right side up and let them continue to dry for about 48 hours. While it’s drying, paint the lid with metallic paint. It may need a few coats – mine took three.

Tip: If you are in a high humidity environment – like me in Houston! – you may need to let them dry longer. In total, mine took about 72 hours.

Step 3: Punch out your vinyl leaves.  

Make sure your vinyl sheet is removable before you start this process. Also, you can use leaf stickers if you prefer. However, in my experience, some stickers leave behind sticky residue. With the removable vinyl, I know there won’t be a problem with sticky residue.  

Using the leaf punchers, punch leaves out of your vinyl.

Step 4: Prepare your glass jars for spray painting.

Next, you need to prepare your glass jars for spray painting. Place your vinyl leaf punch outs around the outside of each jar. This will allow the paint on the inside of the jar to show through once our project is complete! You’ll have a metallic leaf pattern on each jar.

After you’ve placed the leaves around the jars, wrap each lid in plastic wrap and tap ends together. You want to use this lid to prevent the spray paint getting into the jar.

Step 5: Spray paint your jars.

The fun part is here! Let’s spray paint these glass jars. I used Behr spray paint in Matte.

Find an area with good ventilation – preferably outdoors – to spray paint your jars. A large cardboard box helps contain the paint spray.

Place the plastic wrapped lid in the top of your jar first. Then, following the directions on the back of the spray can, paint the outside of the jar. It will take a few coats.

Step 6: Remove the vinyl leaves.

Once the jars are completely dry, remove the vinyl leaves. I found that using the tip of craft knife or a sewing needle made it easier to lift them away from the glass.

Don’t forget to unwrap your lids, too.

Two-toned glass jars are a great way to add a touch of fall flair to your home décor. They are easy to make and can be used in a variety of ways, such as candle or potpourri holders.