It is that magical time of the year when the holidays are rolling around; it is time to get cozy and warm. This year I am trying to make things extra special since many of our family traditions are looking a little different this holiday season. 


Why not start a fun new tradition that both kids and adults will love? There is nothing better than cozying up with a hot cup of cocoa with all of the fun toppings and fixings, especially on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.


This is a fun and easy d.i.y. project that will cost around $20 or less to make depending on what materials you have at home.


You will need:

1. A set of mason jars. (I bought mine from Target for less than $9 for the 12 pack of 8 oz. jars.)
2. Baby It's Cold Outside FREE PRINTABLE
3. Hot Chocolate and Coffee Bar Jar labels printable
4. Scissors
5. Ribbon
6. Hot Glue
7. Yummy Ingredients (hot chocolate mix, marshmallows, caramel sauce, crushed peppermint, chocolate chips, cinnamon sticks, etc.)
8. Optional: I also bought some To-Go coffee cups with lids and sleeves to make it a little more fun and festive. ​

Directions:
First, you need to download the jar labels and print them out on cardstock paper. Once printed, slowly cut out each of the circles with some scissors.​

When I created my jars, I placed four dots of hot glue, evenly spaced out around the jar. Place one dab of hot glue on the front of the jar, one on the back, and one on each side. 

Afterward, I took the ribbon and wrapped it around the jar. I had the two ends of the ribbon meet in the front. Having the two ends of the ribbon come together on the FRONT OF THE JAR is important, stick with me. Haha... get it...? Stick...? Glue...? Okay enough of the cheezy jokes. 

Next, I dragged the hot glue across the back of the label in the middle in a straight line, going from left to right horizontally. I then placed it on the front of the jar to cover the ends of the ribbon. In doing so, I had a nice, seamless ribbon wrapping my jar. 

Once you have done this to all the jars, it is time to fill your jars up with the different coffee condiments and treats.

I bought one of these wood platters to place it on to make it a little more festive and rustic.

​
I hope you and your family have fun with your d.i.y cocoa and coffee bar!

CHEERS!

Download your FREE Hot Chocolate Bar Printable

This design is for personal use only.  You may not use the material for commercial purposes.

**IMPORTANT**
My little spiel before you get started:
This paint is a little on the thin side. It will require a couple of coats of paint. These layers need time to dry before reapplying paint.

I highly recommend doing a few glasses at once (at least 2 glasses) to bounce back and forth between each of them during each step. If you are making only one glass, you will want a hairdryer or be ready to literally sit there and watch paint dry.

The paint is also very sensitive when being recoated. If you notice anything that looks like PEELING, TEARING, OR CRACKING in your paint, that is your paint trying to tell you it is not quite dry yet or you are being too abrasive with your brush stroke. In either case, LEAVE IT ALONE, let it dry naturally or with a hairdryer, and then try to fix it. If you try to mess with it right away, you will just make more of a mess. Trust me on this one.

Step 2:
​Paint half of the stem RED and the bottom half to the foot of the wine glass BLACK using the same flat brush.

Step 3:
Notice how thin and see-through the paint is. Like I said it will require 2-3 layers. When the paint is dry, lightly apply the next layer. In my painting classes, I tell my customers to "pretend your wine glass has a sunburn, and gently apply the next layer to keep it from peeling". If you missed my notice about peeling paint because you were too excited to get started (I don't blame you), go back to the top and read my peeling disclaimer to help you avoid this issue

Step 4: Figure out which side you would like to be the face. Paint half of the existing space peach for the face and paint the back half white for the hair.

Recoat the hair and skin tone (2-3 coats) until the paint is opaque.
​ 

Step 5: Using a fine round brush (this is a paintbrush with a point, but it is called a round brush), apply BROWN paint to the border of the hat, the border of the pants, and the edge of the boot (where the red and black meet on the stem of the wine glass). This brown is used as a base coat for our gold paint later, and it will make your gold color pop. 


Step 6: Adding the leaf design to the hat. See illustration for clarification. Using brown paint, start to create the detail on the hat by painting an X shape. Place a leaf or teardrop shape at the top of the end of each line on the X. Place more leaves below on either side of the line, like a set of wings.

Step 7:Take some peach (you don't need much), move it to a new place on your palette or plate. Take a speck of red and slowly mix it in to create the color of the nose. 

Pro-Tip/ Alternative technique: Take the butt end of the brush and dip it into the paint. This will act as a dotter to give you a nice perfect circle. Test it out first on paper or paper towel if you are nervous about doing it to your glass.


Step 8:Using black paint, on either side of the nose, paint in his mustache.



Step 9: Add in two eyes using black paint. Place the butt end of the brush into the white paint. Add a white dot into the eyes to give the eyes a highlight.


Step 10:: Apply the metallic gold paint on top of the areas with the brown paint (belt, the trim of the hat, trim of the boot, and the leaf design on the hat). It may take a coat or two of paint to reach the desired finished look.

Step 11: Let's work on his uniform. Grab some black paint with a small brush and create a trapezoid. It should take the shape of a vase or a waste basket; as it comes up, it begins to widen around the top. Using the butt end of the brush and some gold paint, place three dots on either side of the trapezoid on his uniform.

Once the black paint is dry, connect the buttons with a curved line like if you were drawing a necklace or a smile.


Step 12: ALMOST DONE! Finishing touches! 
Using your small fine paintbrush add in some white highlights or reflections on the uniform. These are quick lines that are broken up around the glass. I feel that it helps break up the solid colors and gives a nice finished look. It is also a great way to hide any mistakes.

Step 13:Time to cure and harden the paint!
Place the wine glasses in A COOL OVEN. DO NOT PRE-HEAT YOUR OVEN. Your wine glasses need to slowly heat up with the oven and slowly cool down with it. I place them right on the rack. 

Turn the oven on to 350 degrees and set a timer for 30 minutes. Once the timer goes off, turn off the oven and crack the door. They should be cool enough to take out in 10-15 minutes. That's it you're done! WOHOO!!

Care Instructions: I always recommend to my participants that they hand-wash their wine glasses. However, I have had some people place them in the dishwasher and reported back that they were fine.