Patron Bottles and Glass Markers, A Match made in Heaven!

 I am a fan of Margaritas, especially those made with Patron.  That is one of my go to cocktails when we go out to dinner.  Before Christmas my husband and I were finishing up our Christmas shopping and decided to stop at our local state liquor store and saw these absolutely adorable mini Patron bottles.  Of course I couldn't resist, Patron and an adorable bottle to go along with, it was a match made in heaven.  Sooooo I got two, one is good two is even better.  Naturally because they were so small I poured the alcohol into my larger Patron bottle, removed the labels, put them through the dishwasher and started doodling on them.  So cute!!!!!  Kind of like a puppy, cute and adorable but won't mess on your carpet!  Woo Hoo!!!

I have been experimenting with a variety of bottles and have had some great successes and some not so great.  I will keep you posted on some of my faves!

Now that I have been using these markers for quite some time I feel very comfortable giving you tips and techniques which seem to work well for me.

• First of all let each color dry before trying to change colors.  LOL.  Seriously this seems like a no-brainer, I  must be a slow learner because I had a few messes before I realized that you cannot rush this process.  When you first add the paint to the glass piece the color will be sticky, let the paint dry to the point where you can begin to layer paint colors, if you rush the process you will lift your paint.  Experiment with this because it will depend on your weather and humidity level. 
• If you make a mistake and need to make a correction you can easily remove your mistake for a short period of time with your finger or a wet tissue.  If you wait too long your paint will adhere to the glass and you will need to scratch the paint off.  Trust me on this one, remove the paint early on.  
• The white and black paint markers are opaque and can be used to mask out areas which you may not be completely happy with.  The colored markers are transparent.
• If you are using a colored bottle many of the colored markers will  not show up except on a clear bottle, use the white marker to mask out an area, let it dry completely and then color over the white area with a colored marker.  Make sure that this area is completely dry otherwise the white paint will lift.  I would recommend that you allow this to dry overnight before applying your colored layer.  
• You can easily shade and highlight with the markers just make sure that each paint layer is dry before working over another color.  
• The paint will blend somewhat when placed in the oven to heat set and the paint colors will become slightly more intense.  
• I do not worry if you see my strokes as I color on the bottle, that is part of the charm of each bottle.  The whimsy that occurs as you develop your design is part of the charm of each piece.  
• Don't sweat the small stuff, have fun.  

I will post more tips and techniques as I discover the ins and outs of glass painting.  

Aren't these mini Patron bottles adorable?