Creating a Marbleized Elijah’s Cup With Nail Polish

Because setting out Elijah’s cup is an important part of the Passover seder tradition, let’s make the cup as beautiful as we can. Here is a way to paint a standard wine goblet with a technique using nail polish that gives it a colorful marble swirl pattern.

Nail polish does not dissolve in water, so you can mix a blend of nail polish colors in a bin of water, swirl them around with a stick and then dip a goblet in it. When the goblet goes in the water, the nail polish transfers to the surface of the glass. It could be the most miraculous thing to happen in water since the parting of the Red Sea.

What you’ll need:

Plastic container or disposable aluminum roasting pan
Water
Nail polish, various colors
Wood skewer
Plain wine goblet
Rubber gloves

1. Fill a plastic or aluminum container about halfway with warm water. It should be a container you don’t mind getting covered in nail polish and large enough for your goblet. I got the plastic bin pictured above at Staples for 99 cents. It’s my designated marbleizing bin — thus all the caked-on nail polish.

2. Drop three to four colors of nail polish on the surface of the water. Nail polish dries very quickly, so work fast before it begins to dry. Be sure to work in a well-ventilated area.

3. Swirl the colors together with a wood skewer. If the nail polish turns into a glob on your skewer instead of turning into swirls, the polish has already dried. Just collect the dried polish on the skewer and start over.

4. While wearing rubber gloves, dip the outside of the goblet in the water, rotating it to get nail polish all around, and let it dry. Note that this painted cup is not safe for beverages. If you would like to drink from it, tape off the area that lips would touch and then protect the finish with an acrylic sealer such as Mod Podge.

Jonathan Fong is the author of “Walls That Wow,” “Flowers That Wow” and “Parties That Wow,” and host of “Style With a Smile” on YouTube. You can see more of his do-it-yourself projects at jonathanfongstyle.com.