Garden Lantern {with Eclectica³ Darcy Stamps by Alison Bomber}

Hello everyone, Alison from Words and Pictures here - and delighted to be back at PaperArtsy to share a simple make to light up your garden on a summer evening.

I started with a really nice octagonal jar (from some fancy jam, I think, or maybe mustard!) and a "what if?". What if I mixed my Fresco paint with a Glaze?  Would that help it adhere to the glass without a sealing coat first?  Answer: yes!

You can see the array of colours which got applied - Inky Pool, South Pacific, Hey Pesto, Limelight and Zesty Zing.  They're all translucents and each of them got mixed with a good dollop of Pearl Glaze (at least 50:50 I'd say) and then gradually blended with one another as we progressed from the bottom up.

I applied them first of all with a brush...

... and then patted over the top with some Cut'n'Dry Foam, while the paint was still wet, creating the softer textured look.

I grabbed some of Darcy's grasses (fun to say that!) from the Eclectica³ Darcy 07 set, and stamped them around the jar in Forest Green Staz-On.

EDY 07

To catch the rim at the bottom, I turned the stamp upside-down and stamped the ends of the stems around there.

And then, of course, lots of twine around the top for a rustic garden look.

I love that it looks opaque, but is actually beautifully translucent.

Look at it from the inside - you can see that stamping through the glass so clearly.

And it looks so beautiful with a tea-light lit inside.  Get those octagonal reflections!

I wish I could capture the subtle glow of the whole jar but, as you'll know if you've ever taken photos of candles alight, the image gives you the candle far brighter and the rest duller than the naked eye receives it.

Hope you like the results of my "what if?"... I think there are going to be quite a few of these dotted around my tiny courtyard this summer.

I'll have to do most of them with normal round jars, which will make the stamping a little trickier.  But it should be fine.  I managed it with my Christmas Lantern, after all.  The textured paint helps to "grab" the stamp, and if you stamp in small portions rather than trying to get it all done in one, it should all work out.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have fun playing!

Alison. 

A huge thanks to Alison from all at PaperArtsy HQ. Wow this is so lovely, that dreamy glow of the inside is wonderful. I really like the texture created by stippling with foam over the brushed layer. A garden full of these twinkly jars would be magical...so it's a PaperArtsy party at your's then?

If you would like to join in our weekly challenge with any of this week's guests who have blogged since Sunday night, then join in to link up your creativity HERE you will go in the draw to win PA stamps of your choice! You need to link your entry by17:00 (London time) Sunday April 20th 2014