Make your own gilded jars for thrifty gifting

Get nostalgic, with Marcie K’s old-fashioned sweet jars, made from charity-shop glassware

Gifting at Christmas doesn’t always have to be about splashing the cash. These sweet jars, created by Reclaim’s resident upcycler Marcie, are reminiscent of Victorian Christmases where the jars would be lined up along the store’s shelves, filled with colourful candy. To make a gorgeous gift, you could fill them with an assortment of sweets, chocolates or maybe something extra-special like nougat or wrapped Amaretti biscuits.

This is a super-easy upcycle. The jars are all made from glassware picked up cheaply at charity stores, where there’s always an abundance of unwanted cut glass. And you don’t need to spend a lot on materials either – just glue, paintbrushes and a pot of Marcie’s favourite Super Gild gilding paint from Guild Lane, which comes in gold, platinum and burnt copper. ‘Super Gild works beautifully on glass; you can just paint on a little to highlight areas or go super-bling, like me,’ says Marcie. ‘Plus, a little goes a long way!’

You can find the full step-by-step instructions for the sweet jars in issue 96 of Reclaim. Available now in print (single issue), digital or via subscription.

If you’d like to win a premium paint bundle from Guild Lane worth over £160 – including three jars of Super Gild – enter our competition now.