Photo by Amber Helsel.

I love to browse through images from the Hubble telescope. It gives such a cool view of space and all that happens in it. Those photos often inspire my work in more ways than one. Last night, they inspired me to bring a little bit of space into my own home in the form of nebula jars.

Directions

-Mix your colors with water. I used my homemade watercolor ink (see jfp.ms/homemadeink), but food coloring or paint will also work. Keep in mind that with food coloring, your color may not be as concentrated. If you use paint, mix it well. If your jar has a label on it, soak it in hot, soapy water overnight and then remove it.

-Pour a color into the jar and then swirl glitter into it. Put cotton balls in water, being sure to cover them completely. Add more color if needed because you don't want the cotton to absorb all of it.

-Once that layer is done, pour another color in. Then, swirl glitter and put the cotton balls into the mixture. Continue using different layers of color until the jar is full.

Bonus: Craft stores often have small bottle necklaces, so that's also a good idea for this craft. Just make sure you use a small amount of cotton and plenty of color. If the lid to the necklace is a cork, glue it in place. You don't want the water spilling everywhere.