I used kitchen items we ALL have on hand I used to create this look!
How To Paint Glass Vases and Jars
I loved this project. I can see a new obsession forming for me. This is one of those quick and easy projects. The ones that I love…really love. Want to hear something crazy? I have never painted a vase or a jar before…not even a mason jar. Say whaaaat? I know everyone and their mother probably has painted a mason jar before but I have never jumped on that bandwagon.
My whole reason for attempting this project was this vase from Pottery Barn. While I didn’t try to DIY this project (yet) I thought I should practice on a smaller version first. And I am so glad I did. I had to toss a few dollar store vases in the trash since I messed up on my practice runs.
My main mistake was spray paint…well, it really wasn’t a mistake. It just wasn’t giving me the look I was going for. I wanted a smooth glossy finish. I used a high gloss spray paint and for a hot second I thought it would work. It didn’t. I even braved a Insta story to tell you guys how awesome of an idea it was. It was just semi awesome.
I’m not a professional spray painter and no matter how hard I tried I kept getting drip marks on my vase. I knew I had to find a Plan B. Plan B worked amazingly well. I love Plan B. I will always do Plan B when I paint a vase or jar.
Items needed for DIY Painted Vases:
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- Vase or jar
- Paint (any kind will work if you do my method but I really liked using this)
- Stencils (optional)
- Paint brushes and/or paint pen
- Parchment paper
How To Paint A Vase
First things first, find a vase or jar you want to paint. I was going for the ginger jar look. I have a slight obsession with blue and white and ginger jars are becoming a favorite of mine as you can tell in the picture above. I found my jars at Hobby Lobby in the craft section. Dollar store vases would be awesome too! I know some craft stores sell white ceramic vases you can paint. I know some of those can be a tad bit more money than glass jars and vases you can find anywhere these days. Pour a few tablespoons of paint inside your jar and start moving the paint around inside the jar…..carefully and ideally over a trash can or a drop cloth just in case any thing spills out…I learned that the hard way. Had to clean up some navy paint on those floors.
Keep moving the paint around until your vase is covered with paint. I made two different jars. The first jar I used a high gloss acrylic paint in navy. My second jar I used some left over white chalk paint I had on hand. The acrylic paint went on smoother and easier. The chalk paint worked but I did have to use a few drops of water to get the paint moving.
And I felt like I wasn’t getting an even coverage as I did with the acrylic paint. But it worked and if you have it on hand you can definitely use it. It might not leave a perfect finish inside but it’s hard to tell on the outside.
Once you have the paint covering the inside of your jar place it upside down on parchment paper and let it dry. And, of course, this picture turned out blurry..ugh…look past the blurry picture though and let us all take a moment to acknowledge how amazing our vase or jar looks with the paint on the inside. No brush marks and a nice smooth finish.
This is where I should tell you to let it dry completely but I am too impatient. I let it sit upside down long enough to let any excess paint to drip out and then I started on my fronts of my vase. If you plan of putting real flowers in your vase and need to use water I would make sure your paint can withstand moisture. The acrylic paint I used says to wait 21 days for the paint to cure before exposing to water…just a little heads up.
The final step is the fun one and this is where your creativity comes into play. I am not very artistic, I wish I was but I am not. For my smaller jar I used the help of stencils and a craft paint pen.
(Pretend I dusted before I took this picture…these DSLR cameras show everything-gesh!!)
For my larger jar I went free style and used the high gloss acrylic paint to paint a few brush marks going around the vase. Nothing fancy but it gave it a little modern touch…and was so easy to do. (This is the jar I used the white chalk paint)
Not too shabby for less than $10. The sky is the limit on this one. I have stripes and buffalo check on the brain big time for the next batch I plan on doing. Like I said, this is a new obsession. I’ll still always try to find ways to make pillows but soon there might be as many vases as pillows in my house. Oh my poor husband.
I am not giving up on trying to DIY the Pottery Barn vase either. It’s still on my to do list but for now I am loving these little jars. The kids had fun helping me too and this would make such a cute Mother’s Day gift.
If you want to know any of the sources I used you can find them here:
- Wall Color: Behr Silver Drop
- Area Rug
- Large Ginger Jar
- Small Ginger Jar
- Wall Mirror (mine is from Hobby Lobby) Similar
- Settee (Similar)
- End Table
- Coffee Table (Very Similar)
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Comments
- Christina Makri says April 15, 2018 at 4:02 pm
Oh they look so beautiful! I love blue color during spring-summer … great idea! I came here through The Creative Circle Link Party!
- JennaCampbell says April 16, 2018 at 8:55 pm
Thanks for stopping by! One can never have too many blue and white vases!
Oh I love the blue and white vases and drool over them every single time I see them. I was at an antique mall a couple of weekends ago and found 2 small pieces, both vases..blue and white of course. I don’t know why, they were certainly cheap enough to purchase but I left them sit there and could kick myself. I’m sure they’re gone by now but I’m going back today just to check.
ANYWAY…I love your version very very much! Definitely a modern take on it. So now you’ve given me some inspiration to give this a try. I have only painted glass one other time myself so fairly new at this as well. Thank you!
- JennaCampbell says April 16, 2018 at 8:55 pm
Good luck!! I hope you find your vases. I hate when I leave something I know I should have purchased. I think about it constantly! Have fun painting vases if you get around to it. It was so fun to do!
You did very well!
- JennaCampbell says April 30, 2018 at 2:26 pm
Thank you!
So cool! I never knew you could do that!
- JennaCampbell says April 30, 2018 at 2:25 pm
It was a fun and easy project!
Very pretty! Thank you for sharing your tutorial, I plan on giving it a try! And thanks so much for linking up to Party in Your PJ’s.
- JennaCampbell says April 30, 2018 at 2:25 pm
Thank you!!
I just love these blue and white painted vases! They fit right into your collection. I’ve done the swirl method for DIY mercury glass but never thought to do it with paint! Great job:) Thanks for sharing with Vintage Charm! xo Kathleen|Our Hopeful Home
- JennaCampbell says May 16, 2018 at 12:37 pm
Thanks Kathleen! Great idea on mercury glass too!
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Decorate a Vase One of These Pretty Ways
Make beautiful home decor – decorate a vase! Get 35+ quick and easy DIY vase decoration ideas using various supplies like paint and Mod Podge. Scroll down to get a video at the end of this post showing you how to decoupage on rounded objects.
Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate. Some of these techniques are easier than others, but none of them are exceptionally hard. Basic crafting skills are necessary, like using a paintbrush or punches and stencils.
I love decorating vases! There’s something about a simple, smooth (and typically glass) surface that says “decorate me.” So that’s exactly what I do. A DIY vase makes a great home decor items to keep, and of course you can also add flowers and give them as gifts as well.
How to Decorate a Vase
Before we jump into the projects, I wanted to go over a few basics. Make glass vase decor that is truly impressive using these tips!
Where to Buy
Glass and ceramic vases are readily available at craft stores like Michaels, Jo-Ann, Hobby Lobby, AC Moore . . . but you can get them on a budget at Dollar Tree or WalMart.
I am impressed with the glass selection at our local Dollar Tree. You can also use recycled jars as vases. Pretty much any vessel that is round and can hold water can be considered a vase!
Preparing Your Vase
When I’m dealing with glass or ceramic surfaces, I wash them with warm, soapy water and then rinse thoroughly (here’s an article on removing labels). Then I let them dry. I also wash my hands before working with them so that I don’t get oily fingerprints all over the surface.
DIY Vase – Paint to Use
I like to use FolkArt Multisurface paint to decorate all sorts of items (it’s what I use to decorate birdhouses), and I use it for glass as well. There’s also a FolkArt Enamel paint made specifically for glass.
For my purposes the multisurface works just fine. Get my guide to painting on glass.
Which Mod Podge Should I Use on Glass?
You can use any Mod Podge formula you like – there are no “rules.” Get my guide to Mod Podge on glass.
I do like to use Mod Podge Gloss on any vases I decorate because glass is shiny, and Mod Podge Gloss is shiny as well. So I feel that the finish most closely matches the sheen of the vase.
I should mention that I use Gloss if the vase is going to be for decorative purposes only. If you are wanting to be able to wash the vase, I’d use Dishwasher Safe Mod Podge. Be sure to follow the curing instructions on the bottle.
Are you ready to decorate a vase?
The fun part is that, because there are so many ways to adorn vases, you get to experiment with a ton of different craft supplies in the process. Scroll down to get the ideas!
LAYER PAINT
To create some old patina on all this texture, I dabbed on some of this Manatee Gray in random spots. You can stop there because it looked great! But I wanted a little more depth so I took an artist’s brush and dabbed on a little bit of Gravel Road to darken it up. Small acrylic-size craft paints would work perfectly for this as well because so little is needed!
TERRA COTTA PATINA
To create a terra cotta finish, I used CINNAMON! I got this idea from Christina at The Reclaimed Heirloom when she transformed a vessel lamp into a DIY Restoration Hardware lamp. Her projects and furniture are gorgeous so be sure to check out her Youtube Channel here.
I’m amazed at how well this works! And it’s the easiest thing. I sprinkled cinnamon onto my dry paint finish and rubbed it in. There were a few areas where I overdid it. If this happens and it’s too dark for you, the excess is easily brushed off with a dry paintbrush.
It smells great too!
I have no idea how the cinnamon will wear over time, but I have to admit I LOVE how this all came together!
It has so much texture and really looks time-worn.
AND NOW FOR SOME TRASH TO TREASURE FUN!
You’re going to LOVE what my creative team of T2T ladies do! Below are their BEFORE photos. Visit the links underneath to see the amazing AFTERS and learn how they did it! I’m heading over to take a peek as well! x
1. PRODIGAL PIECES
2. SALVAGED INSPIRATIONS (HAPPY YOU’RE HERE!)
3. ARTSY CHICKS RULE
4. GIRL IN THE GARAGE
5. CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL DIYer
I hope this thrift makeover has inspired you to bust out your glass vases and give them a new look. I know I’ll be getting a lot more use out of mine now. Great for staging furniture and home decor.
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THESE POTTERY BARN-PAINTED VASES. FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE… I ALWAYS LOVE HEARING FROM YOU. IT MAKES MY DAY!
Happy furniture painting friends!
