After you’ve been fortunate enough to receive a few floral bouquets, those generic vessels tend to pile up. Or maybe you want to give a glass jar a bit of pizzazz to match the blooms inside. Try these simple ideas to give a plain vase a new look.
Vases of flowers add an organic vibrancy to the room. Plain vessels put the focus on the flowers but you can inject an extra touch of glamour by adding a layer of gold. Get this look by masking off the bottom and inside rim of a white vase with painter’s tape. Wrap thick rubber bands in a random pattern around the top third of the vase. Spray with gold paint, let dry, and remove rubber bands and tape.
Jazz up a simple footed glass vase by painting a band of gold around the rim. Place a strip of painter’s tape around the rim an inch or two below the lip of the vase. Run a credit card along the edge to get a good seal. Paint with gold paint (a paint formulated for glass will work best). Let dry and fill with your favorite blooms.
Give patterned support to a bouquet of simple posies. Cut strips of fabric or paper and apply randomly to a glass vase with decoupage medium like Mod Podge. Let dry completely and finish with a final layer of medium. When dry it looks good with or without blooms.
Add an extra layer of interest to a plain floral vase with a vintage photo.
You will need:
- Glass vase (straight-sided vessels work especially well)
- Lazertran Waterslide Decal Paper for inkjet printers
- Print of a photograph
- Craft knife and cutting mat
- Oil-based polyurethane
Print or copy your image onto Lazertran paper. Allow to dry for at least 30 minutes.
Lay vase or other object onto the image and trace shape. Trim the paper to size. Soak the paper in water for about 30 seconds until decal releases from the backing sheet.
Apply the image to the surface of the vase or object. To give your decal a clear finish, apply 2-3 coats of oil-based polyurethane, allowing each coat to dry between applications.
Apply a honeycomb pattern to a glass vase or candleholder with a white paint pen. If you prefer to work from a template, print one in the size you want and tape it inside the glass to guide you.
Straight-sided glass vases glow with the addition of glossy spray paint in
orange, yellow, and dark pink. Clean the glass, then use painter’s tape and
automotive pin-striping tape in different widths to tape off stripes (which will remain clear) before spraying.
Gather Your Materials
- Painter’s tape and automotive pin striping tape in desired widths
- Scissors
- Krylon glossy spray paint: yellow, orange, and dark pink
Apply lengths of automotive pin striping tape in the desired pattern on each vase. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, spray the vases; let dry.
Give a plain old mason jar a personality upgrade with a wrapping of burlap secured with twine and a vintage skeleton key.
Gather Your Materials
- Burlap
- Mason jar
- Twine
- Scissors
- Vintage key
- Hot glue, glue sticks
Measure the circumference of the jar and add an inch. Measure the height of the straight side and double. Cut a piece of burlap to the measurements and fold in half. Wrap around the jar, fold the end, and glue in place. Starting at that fold, wrap twine around the burlap, starting an inch down from the top fold.
Wrap 3 times, place the key in front and twist twine once around the key. Continue wrapping around jar and key 4-5 times, then twist around the key again.
Continue wrapping 5-6 more times. Hot glue the end of the twine at the back fold.
© Caruth Studio