Supplies Glass pitcher Drinking glasses Non-toxic acrylic paint for glass and ceramics Paintbrushes
Summer: Drinking fresh lemonade on your front porch while reclining in white wicker chairs, welcoming both the chilled drink and the beads of condensation collecting on the outside of the glass as the June sun blazes overhead …
OK, so maybe this scene is more idyllic than realistic. You may or may not have a front porch, or white wicker chairs. But you and your kids can certainly enjoy the summer tradition of sharing a cool pitcher of lemonade (or Kool-Aid) on a sticky summer day.
To make the moment all the more memorable, take an afternoon with your kids to create your own lemonade-drinking set, complete with hand-painted glass pitcher and drinking glasses. No, it won’t cost a fortune. And you don’t need to be Rembrandt. Here’s how:
Buy your supplies. Glassware isn’t cheap-new. But you can find great bargains on used glasses and glass pitchers at your local thrift shop. Bring your kids and let them each pick out their own glass. You’ll find acrylic paint made especially for use with glass at a craft store. Make sure it’s non-toxic and dishwasher safe.
Wash your glassware. Check the back of your paint box to see if there are any special cleaning instructions to help the paint adhere.
Paint. The options here are endless-anything from abstract geometric designs to smiley faces to tulips.
If you (or your kids) need a little direction, then try a summer fruit theme. Pick a different fruit to paint on each glass, and paint one of each on the pitcher to tie things together.
Strawberry: Paint a red triangle, with one of the points aimed down, and round the edges with more red paint. When that’s dry, paint green leaves on top and a few black dots for seeds.
Watermelon: Paint a pink semi-circle. When dry, paint a rim of white on the rounded edge, then a rim of green for the rind. Paint black dots for seeds.
Citrus fruit: This one is more difficult, but it’s worth the effort if your kids are older and have a little more patience. First, paint a white circle and fill it in. When dry, add the fruit sections. This part is like painting a sliced pie-only the wedge-shaped pieces don’t touch and there is a ring of white on the edge. Choose yellow for lemon, green for lime, light pink for grapefruit and orange for (you guessed it) orange. For the peel, paint a colored ring around the white circle, using the same color as you did for the fruit sections.
When your glasses and pitcher are dry, pour the lemonade and enjoy the sunshine.
