Marbled Votives

Because it's only August, I decided to continue improving my friend's gifts.  Part of the 3 step plan.

Can still hear you Jamie

While trying to resist the urge to just pin everything into My House is a Very Very Very Very Fine House board from my design soulmate, I've also been keeping tabs on all the fun things to keep my hands busy. Since the bottom of the smaller votives is flat it's hard to pass up working with such a perfect surface.  *ponders infinite possibilities... codes instead*

The top needed some love too == sparkly band

I found this idea on Curbly for marbling the bottoms of shot glasses and figured that I'd give it a shot for these votives.  The original looks so simple!

Materials
Glass votives with flat bottom (recycled Glade candle holders)
Nail polish/enamel paint; used 3 colors per shot glass
Painters tape
Shallow bowl you don't care about (nail polish goes in, doesn't really come out)
Toothpick
Nail polish remover for touching up the parts of the glass you didn't want decorated
Cotton swabs for the touchup work

Because we're fans of clean lines here we've breaking out the painters tape.  About a half inch down from the top of the votive put a ring of tape around the votive.  Paint with the nail polish of your choice.  Also bottoms up!  (Tape up)

While the blue is an annoying polish color, it makes for great paint.

Alright, the good stuff: the actual marbling.  Fill the bowl with water then drop or pour the nail polish into the bowl.

This alone could have been the bottom of the glass and I'd have loved it.

Then you can swirl it around with the toothpick to your heart's content.  I found that the consistency of nail polish when in water is very different than what you'd think.  If you don't work quickly enough it creates a film over the surface which makes it very difficult to swirl the polish when in the water.  I found it easier to swirl a bit in the water then stamp the glass where I most liked the swirl then use the toothpick for finishing up the work on the bottom of the glass itself.

If you look closely you can see it's an accurate topographic map of my yarn bin

As I'm learning about a lot of crafts, less is more.  Don't marble more than you have to here.  It just turns the whole thing grey.  Which is awesome if that's what you're going for, keep up the good work!  Let dry.

& no, I went and watched an episode of White Collar

After they dry you want to seal them with either clear nail polish or a light, glittery one that matches but won't cover the bottom of the votive.  You know, the ones that are impossible to paint 7 you need about 6 coats to even see the color  This is one of those few situations where I actually went with the glittery option.  Maybe I've been watching too many episodes of Craft Wars....

It's the good kind of sparkly

After everything dries it's time for the reveal!

Reeeeeveal!

 Take off the tape and touch up the lines and if you got a bit overzealous with the application, get it from the middle of the glass too.  I don't judge, I've had to rescue my computer case because I don't ever let my nails sit long enough after I paint them.  My mouse when it was painted was totally intentional.

From the inside lookin out

So much better when it's dry!

I'm jealous of this one myself

We're already doing better than last year picture-wise

 Next, part 3!  To make the candles!  Because we're still in August! *victory fist pump*


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