DIY Mercury Glass Project

I'm completely in love with the Mercury glass lamps from Pottery Barn. With a hefty price tag of $199 for the small one, it's safe to say they will not be coming to live at my house.

Aren't they absolutely gorgeous? Anyway, I'm sure you've seen the DIY Mercury Glass tutorials floating around the internet. There are a ton of them, and most of them involve Krylon Looking Glass spray paint and a spray bottle filled with water. I don't even remember my exact source for my technique. This is probably because I used so many sources!

My friend and I were scouring the thrift stores the other day (my favorite thing to do!), and I stumbled across this great pair of white lamps for $7.00 each. You just can't beat that! My original plan was to have these as bedroom lamps. Unfortunately, one of them rolled right out of the back of my car and smashed to pieces! Oh well. I found a new spot for the lone survivor on top of that little table I blogged about a couple of weeks ago. Makes a perfect little reading nook in our living room.

I will say this, I couldn't find the exact Krylon Looking Glass spray paint at Lowes. I'm not exactly a patient person, or one willing to go from store to store to find the exact brand or a particular item. (This is why I do not coupon.) I settled for Valspar Brilliant Metal in Silver. Certainly it couldn't be that big of a difference, right? Well, I think it probably made all the difference to be honest. Not I didn't love the finished product. It looks nothing like mercury glass, but I'm still pleased with the funky look!

All I did to complete this project is clean the lamp very well, sprayed it heavily with water, and sprayed one good coat of the Brilliant Metal spray paint over it and let dry. I think there is more I can do to make it look like mercury glass, but at the moment I'm debating if I want to do that or if I like it just the way it is. Seventh House on the Left describes a technique with a little sanding and black and gold acrylic paint to make it look even better. I'm tempted to go there, but we'll see. I added a shade that was on the clearance rack at Lowes because a piece in the back had unraveled. That's what hot glue is for! I got a $19 shade for $6. Go me!! It's still not the burlap shade I wanted, but I just haven't found that yet. I will find another home for this awesome shade once I do.

Please comment and let me know what you think, or if you have tried to do Mercury Glass at home! I'm dying to know what other techniques people have tried and found success with!