Pots of Fun

       Here is something else I found to make with the aluminium tape technique. Hartleys jam comes in lovely vase shaped jars so I just couldn't throw them out, I know they'd be melted down and used again, but I like to think I've saved the fuel costs of transport and heating by re-purposing them myself.
    I have used Tando Creative Mini Shapes to stick on my jar, they are a local company so that's less fuel miles too. I have covered the rim of the jar with a strip of cardboard taken from a cereal packet to hide the ridges where the screw top lid goes.
    Once all shapes where stuck on I began to cut pieces of aluminium tape from the reel to stick on the jar. Using smallish pieces makes it easier to cope with curvature of the jar, there are a few wrinkles but I like to think this adds to the weathered look of the finished vase.
    The tape has been stuck over the rim and down into the jar by about half an inch to secure the cardboard cover and make the whole thing water tight.

     When placing the tape over a shape I have eased it down around the shape carefully, then gone around it with the largest ball tool I have, making sure not to tear the tape. I did on a few occasions so I had to add another bit of tape over the top to cover it up, it doesn't show due to the random pattern of pieces.

     Once the whole jar was covered with tape I then went around all the shapes and gave them some pattern, because the shapes are softer than the glass you can make marks in the tape quite easily. I have also gone around some of the tape joins and made small dents to look like rivets.

    All these marks show much more when you rub black acrylic paint over the jar, allow to dry for a few minutes and then wipe away most, but not all, of the paint. The paint will get into all the marks and joins giving the shiny vase an aged look.

    As the jar is glass it will hold water for flowers or it can be used to house paint brushes. It is however, not dishwasher safe!  I'm really enjoying making these so my poor hubby will have to eat more jam! Tando Creative make more mini's than just flowers and butterflies so I'm waiting to see what else comes in the new order at Aldridge Crafts.  Guess what everyone will be getting for Christmas this year?!

I would like to enter my vase in the following challenges:

Tando Creative - Recycle

Die Cuttin Divas - Recycle (must include a die cut) Die cut extras on some flowers.

Shopping Our Stash - Earth Day, Recycle

Through The Purple Haze - Creativity Strikes!

Through The Darkroom Door - Anything Goes