Glass Painting is a Great Relaxer

Art Therapy

This has recently become my "go to" art therapy. It is so relaxing to paint a simple design on glass. I started doing this following one of those "drinking and painting" girls' night out sessions where we learned the ins and outs of glass painting. The class was sponsored by Drinkable Arts and was great fun. Since then, glass painting has been for winding down on the weekends.

What You Need

Clean, dry glassware (Dollar Tree has a great, inexpensive selection)

Paint for glass - I use Plaid's Folk Art Enamels

Glass Writing Pens - Great for words and fine lines - I use Deco Art Glass Paint Markers

Alcohol Prep Pads (to erase mistakes and clean painting surface)

Paint brushes (don't go cheap on your brushes - buy quality ones)


How to Paint Glasses

I generally look for ideas online. If you search for glass painting ideas, you won't have any problem finding many options. Make sure your glass is clean and dry. I generally wipe the glass with some alcohol pads just to make sure there are no remaining fingerprints and oils.

Once you select an idea, start painting. Do not water down paint; use it straight from the bottle. Remember that the paint is only safe for the outside, so don't paint the interior of a drink ware.  If you make a mistake or change your mind about your design, alcohol will take the paint off cleanly. The alcohol prep pads do the trick nicely.

Also, painting the stem and foot of stemware is a nice option. Dots are easy to create with the stick end of your brush and look great for many designs. I find it hard to write words and lined designs with a brush, so that's where I use the paint pens.

Allow your glasses to dry a minimum of 8 hours, overnight seems to work well. Once they have dried, place the glasses in a cold oven on a baking sheet. Turn on the oven to 350-375 degrees (per instructions on paint) and allow to bake 30 minutes. Turn off oven and allow to cool. This will prevent cracking of your creations.

Once cool, your glassware is dishwasher safe on the top rack. I've washed one of my glasses almost 20 times in the dishwasher without any paint chipping.

Products We Love

I received a Christmas gift that I had no idea I needed and now cannot imagine life without it. The gift -- an egg cooker.

Yes, I had seen them around from time to time; however, it never occurred to me that I had a need for one. After all, what is so hard about sticking an egg in a pot or skillet.

The egg cooker I received is a Dash Go Rapid Egg Cooker. It can cook a boiled, poached or scrambled egg or even create a small omelet. I've done all four, and they work great. My favorite is the boiled egg. 

I like my eggs hard boiled, really hard boiled. The cooker takes about 10 minutes to achieve this. You put in the egg, large side up. There is a handy little pin on the water measuring cup that you prick the large end with to make a small hole. Measure the water in the cup to the desired doneness level you like (I fill it up to the top as the indicated line for hard boiled is not quite done enough for me). You put on the cover, unlatched (the latch is only for transporting the cooker), push the button and make your bacon and coffee/tea. The unit has a loud buzzer that signals the end of the cook cycle. I leave my eggs sit for 2-4 more minutes once it buzzes to let them cook a bit more.

Now here's the really great part. The eggs peel like a dream. I have not had one egg that didn't peel perfectly, even the eggs that were fresh from the hen. Fresh eggs are generally impossible to peel, but not if you prick the egg and use the steam cooker. 

Deviled eggs that are generally nightmarish to make because of peeling the eggs, are now a common dish at our house. I can't wait to use this at Easter. Maybe for once we can have deviled eggs that don't bring the devil out in me trying to peel them.

I haven't tried other brands, so the Dash Go is the only one I can speak to. If you've tried others, please feel free to share your comments on them.

Oh, and for the record, there have been no payments for any endorsements I make in this blog. They are my opinion only and an honest review. Thank you Terry for this great Christmas gift!