knock-off mercury glass lamp and coffee sack burlap shade

updated February 26, 2013: I'm so excited to be linking up again to Young House Love's Pinterest Challenge! The two inspiration projects below were pinned to my {private} Competition pin board back in December in anticipation of the So You Think You're Crafty? competition. In January, this project did well enough in the competition to qualify for the next level. At the bottom of this post is a link to my full tutorial.

I love mercury glass. Love it. It's shiny and vintage-looking and meant to look imperfect, all of which make it work well in my house. I especially love the way mercury glass lamps look, and the contrast of a rustic burlap shade really sets off the shiny mirrored glass. What I don't love is the price-tag.

For quite awhile, I've had the desire to try and make a mercury glass lamp with thrift store cast-offs, on a super small budget. Thanks to the So You Think You're Crafty competition, I had the motivation I needed to pull it off!

First: the originals and the low-cost knock off:

Originals from Restoration Hardware ($174 w/o shade) and Pottery Barn ($269 w/ shade). My copy: $18, w/shade.

I built it using an extra-tall glass thrift-store vase, a repurposed pan lid, the light kit from an old lamp, and some Looking Glass paint. The drum shade is one I stripped down and re-covered in coffee sack burlap. The Edison-style bulbs were a ReStore score for 50 cents apiece.

Mine has a more rustic shade than the Restoration Hardware version, and straighter lines than Pottery Barn's, and it suits me pretty perfectly.  I hope it suits you, too! At a savings of over 90%, you can't really afford not to make one!

For the full tutorial, you can click here, and I'll take you through it step-by-step!

Linking up to:
Junkin' Joe Vintage Finds

and the Pinterest Challenge

Young House Love

Decor and the Dog

Bower Power Blog

The ReModeled Life

faux mercury glass vase

Tutorials for faux mercury glass using Krylon Looking Glass Paint are all over the place right now, so I know I'm not exactly breaking new ground here, but I wanted to share a few photos of my experiment with the method anyway.

Clear glass vase from Goodwill, 49 cents. Spray with water (or wash and leave droplets on the interior).

Spray Looking Glass Paint lightly on the inside. It'll be runny. Coverage will be light, but even a little makes the mirror effect evident from the outside. Which is good because it costs $10 for a tiny little can.

Let rest for ten minutes, then spray another light coat. Continue until you have the desired effect. Allow to dry for 24-48 hours.

While mine didn't appear as "aged" as I'd hoped, it did turn out looking much better than before (please ignore that my anniversary flowers are looking a little spent in this next photo).

I looked around to see if I could find out whether people were able to fill their new mercury glass vases with water. It seems like most people are using them as candle holders, but the Martha Stewart tutorial comes closest to addressing the issue by suggesting that you arrange flowers in a water-filled glass, and put that into your mercury vase. Which is what I've done in the last photo.

My experiments with this method aren't finished; I have a couple more ideas which I'll post when I get around to trying them out. Never fear; I will absolutely exhaust you with projects that involve me spray-painting glass. You're welcome.

Thanks for reading! Have you tried this technique yet? I love to check out your (non-spam) links when you post them in the comments below.


p.s. you can make these photos larger just by clicking on them, but you probably already knew that!


Linking up to:

Handy Man, Crafty Woman

Tip Me Tuesday at Tip Junkie

A Bowl Full of Lemons

Mommy by Day, Crafter by Night

Today's Creative Blog

DIY Show Off

The Stuff of Success

Mop it Up Mondays at I Should Be Mopping the Floor

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

Catch as Catch Can at My Repurposed Life

Simple Design's Thrift Haul


Nifty Thrifty Sundays