Annie Sloan Chalk Paint can be very dangerous.  Once you have some in the house, you can think of so many ways to use it!

Painting mason jars is nothing new, but since I had some leftover paint from my last furniture project, I thought I would share how I decided to paint some blue Ball jars to use at my 4^th of July celebration at the beach.

I liked the idea of using blue jars so that it would be possible to catch glimpses of the inside blue hues even after the jars were painted.

I started by painting the outside of the jars with two coats of Paris Grey.  Then, after cutting a kitchen sponge into a star shape, sponged stars onto the jars using Primer Red.  I used some sandpaper to distress them a little bit and then gave them a coat of clear wax.

For the one jar I wanted to use as a candleholder, I masked off a star shape (a little smaller than the size of the sponge star) before I started the painting process (also leaving the metal top ring screwed into place).  By masking off the star, the clear blue jar stayed clear in the masked area, enabling light from a candle to shine through.

I finished them off by tying some twine around the tops of the jars.

Fun and patriotic!  I will use them on the 4^th to hold picnic utensils, but they will also be great all summer for flowers, candles, etc.

Thanks for stopping by and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at Shabby Nest, Craftberry Bush, and Finding Silver Pennies.