Do you have a cupboard or a shelf somewhere that is holding a plethora of glass vases?  Perhaps from birthdays over the years?

I do – or rather I did until I saw this image from the cover of FrontGate Magazine (Feb.2017 issue)

Frontgate Magazine, cover February 2017

I hang on to pages from magazines and keep them tucked away in a binder – I call it my “I can do that” stash.

Those vases making up the centrepiece of that table probably aren’t painted vases.  More likely they are spectacular blown-glass pieces from a very talented artist.

That’s not to say you can’t make your own version of these using old vases or dollar store glass pieces.

Painted vases, painted vase, marbled vase, painted glass, easy decor piece

I pulled a few vases out of my cupboard in varying heights and shapes and then went to my tester pot stash and pulled a few colours together that I thought went with my decor, as well as with each other.

Painted vases, painted vase, marbled vase, painted glass, easy decor piece

I poured varying amounts into a mason jar; enough to what I guesstimated would cover the outside edges of a single vase.

Painted vases, painted vase, marbled vase, painted glass, easy decor piece

I tried this two ways; first where I poured this mixture, exactly as you see it here, along the inside edges of a vase and second, where I gave this mixture two gentle stirs to mix the colours together slightly.

I preferred my painted vases with the mixture slightly stirred.

I poured the paint along the inside edge of the vase, about halfway down the height of the glass, rotating until I had all the sides covered.  After that I turned the vase upside-down so that the paint would run the opposite direction and cover the upper edges.

Painted vases, painted vase, marbled vase, painted glass, easy decor piece

The excess paint went back into the mason jar for the next painted vase.

It’s a bit messy and I did manage to break two vases when they slipped out of my wet-paint hands.

Painted vases, painted vase, marbled vase, painted glass, easy decor piece

The outside of the painted vase showed more of the navy blue, where the insides showed more of the greige.  I think both are gorgeous.

I changed up the quantities of paint in my mason jar to give each painted vase a slightly different take on the same colour palette.

Painted vases, painted vase, marbled vase, painted glass, easy decor piece

If you don’t like how your vases turn out, simply wash out the paint before it dries.

I left the painted vases on the counter to dry, and once they were, I used a box cutter (X-Acto knife) to scrape the upper rim and remove any paint spills that had drooled down the outsides.

They are SO PRETTY!

Painted vases, painted vase, marbled vase, painted glass, easy decor piece

I should mention that none of these are suitable for flowers anymore.  The paint will peel off the glass and the flowers will die pretty quickly.  The small fern you see in the picture sits in a plastic cup which I dropped into the vase first.

Painted vases, painted vase, marbled vase, painted glass, easy decor piece

By painting the inside of the vases, you get that smooth-glass sheen that makes them appear to be blown glass.

Painted vases, painted vase, marbled vase, painted glass, easy decor piece

I wonder if I would have had more striations if I’d applied the paint with a syringe and sprayed it in different patterns?  Hmmm, something to try next time.

Painted vases, painted vase, marbled vase, painted glass, easy decor piece

I used paints from other projects I’ve worked on in the past, but if you have any leftover (latex) paint from your walls or furniture, this would be a great use for it – and would keep your decor consistent.

Painted vases, painted vase, marbled vase, painted glass, easy decor piece

Stagger your painted vases on shelves for a hint of colour spread throughout a room.  Use them to hold makeup brushes on your bathroom counter, or pencils on your desk.

I might need to make one more large one to give my vignette a bit of height.

Painted vases, painted vase, marbled vase, painted glass, easy decor piece

Painted vases, painted vase, marbled vase, painted glass, easy decor piece

I think I prefer my painted vase display outside of the tray as well.

Painted vases, painted vase, marbled vase, painted glass, easy decor piece

Total expenditure on these painted vases?

$0

You’ve gotta love a free (but gorgeous) DIY right?!

Painted vases, painted vase, marbled vase, painted glass, easy decor piece

Have a great one!

 

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7 Responses

  1. You did a beautiful job. Who knew all those left over vases could look so good. I might give it a try.

  2. I have done the same thing with clear Christmas bulbs to match a friend’s decor.

  3. I have been wanting to do this with an old chest of draws for a new coffee bar with storage for cups an other things. I absolutely love your make over. I need to find another chest of drawers or small dresser to put by my front door for shoes and such. My husband is so close minded and can’t vision the finished project so he is constantly telling me that can’t be done. Thank you for the pictures, now maybe he can see what I’m talking about.
    I love your painted vases so much. I have a cabinet full of different sixes and shapes. My question is, how did you put the paint on them without a brush. I have boxes of paint. Please let me know how you did that. I paid a fortune for the one I bought an it is no where near as pretty as yours. I can’t wait to see and read about more things you have done. Your a Great Artist. Can’t wait to hear from you. New Biggest Fan, Sincerely Denise

  4. Awesome work! I’ve been experimenting with a variety of colors using this technique. Are these leftover wall paints?