easy and beautiful, enamel-painted vases
If you like to paint, I have a really fun project to share today! My inspiration for these vases came from a restaurant in Sonoma called El Dorado Kitchen. I've always loved the fresh, modern design of the lobby and the eye-catching green and white vases that are displayed on white shelves. I decided to make my own cost-friendly version of this design, which included a quick Martha Stewart tutorial and a trip to the Dollar Store where I picked up these three vases.
Supplies:
Three different sized vases from the Dollar Store (here, here and here), dishwasher safe PermEnamel paint in Mediterranean Blue and White (or whatever color you prefer), PermEnamel Surface Conditioner from Michaels Arts and Crafts store, paper towels, paint brush and a mixing bowl.
Directions:
1. Clean the vases with hot, soapy water.
2. When they are completely dry, pour some surface conditioner in and cover the inside of the vase. Pour out the excess and let the vase dry.
3. Get the exact color you envision by mixing your PermEnamel paints in a mixing bowl, then pour inside the vase.
4. Paint the inside of the glass using the paint brush to cover the inside surface.
5. Once the vase is painted, lay it on a paper towel to let the thick paint drip off. You will be amazed at how much comes out! The longer it's upside down, the thinner the coating will be. I liked the thicker look so I only kept it upside down only for a few minutes.
6. Turn the vase back over and touch up the drips inside. Every fifteen minutes you can even out the thickness on the bottom of the vase as the paint will start to collect.
7. Let these dry over night and in the morning you should have a beautiful decor vase!
Remember these are only for DECOR. Don't drink out of them, heck... I wouldn't even put water in mine. I'm simply sitting them on the shelf, like the photo below ;)
This picture really doesn't do the lobby nearly enough justice... to the left there is a wall full of chopped wood and it looks amazing ;) Check it out if you're ever visiting wine country!
These vases look so great! I will definitely try this project. I love the color you chose as well...very Tiffany-inspired. Thanks so much for sharing this information.
Gorgeous!!! Total tranformation of those dollar store vases.
Those vases look sooo great! They would go great in pretty much anywhere in our place! I must try these!
What a gorgeous color those are! This is going on my to-do list immediately.
So cool and I love the Color!
I am in love with this DIY!!! I have been wanting to incorporate some pretty vases into my decor and this is perfect!!! so excited, thanks so much for sharing! :)
Pretty project! I linked up at the Dollar Store Crafts facebook page! :)
Heather
http://www.facebook.com/dollarstorecrafts
gorg!!! love that vivid color and how modern they look! excelente!
very pretty! love the color you chose aswell!
Love This I've been needing some cheap but fab decor for my living room
Beautiful! love that Aqua blue color!!!
Awesome! Very cool! Thanks for the tutorial. I am definitely going to give this a try. Do you know if they would be safe to put a candle in?? I have a lil idea brewing but don't want to start a fire! LoL
Wonderful idea! What a pretty color!
Hi Carri, I can't say it is safe to put candles in them. I use mine strictly for look and they just sit on my shelf. I would be nervous to put a candle in there so I wouldn't recommend it... If you find anything out about it please pass it along!! :) Thanks for all the comments everyone!! :)
how did you get it so even? I gave it a try and even though I had a generous amount of paint, I still had streaks and blotchy spots... :( I rinsed it out quick so I could try again. Any tips?
Thank you everyone for the comments!! Chelle, I got the paint even by using a paint brush and brushing the sides of the glass... I still had some blotchy spots, but very few. It was a thick coat of paint too :) I hope that helps! If not, maybe you can do another coat after the first one dries...
this is a fabulous project....i have been looking for a paint in that color but have only found a much darker turquoise in the enamel paint. thanks for posting that picture, now i can look for it.
i love how they turned out!!
hugs, cindy
totally inspired... can i share?? next month we're doing vase/bottle projects on our site: http://www.FancyLittleThings.com - please let me know if i can link up!! thanks!
Gorgeous! They look so high end. Thank you for sharing.
I did this (15?) years ago with a ginger jar lamp. Still use the lamp and it still looks great. It really helps when you are trying to color coordinate.
This looks like a fun project! I suppose if you wanted to put flowers in it you could use another, smaller glass and put water in that and put it inside careful not to scratch the side of the painted vase, also there are those little battery tea light candles, no flame just a bit of light maybe those would work.
I love this idea...
end the colour? so gorgeous...
brazilian hugs
Oh my gosh - just saw this on Pinterest! What a brilliant idea and I love how the color turned out.
Did you get all supplies at the 1$ store... like the paint too?
I too would like to know where you picked up the paints. Michaels or Hobby Lobby? Thanks for the great DIY!
Question: can regular acrylic paint be used? I did get the surface conditioner, though. :)
Those look beautiful! Thanks for sharing, you've got a new follower!
I love this idea- I have a ton of empty jars. Im going to have to give this a try!
This project inspired me! I bought 20 vases from Goodwill for less than $1 each and set out to create a masterpiece. However, I thought the paint you have pictured was too expensive, so I decided to try a different paint from the craft store (Folk art) BIG MISTAKE! The paint cracked and sunk down the edges, and NOT in a cool way. Luckily it washed right out. I ended up spray painting mine instead, and since I finished them with a clear gloss, they ended up looking very shiny also. So those of you who decide to do this project, make sure you use the paint pictured!
Great idea! I've spray painted the outside of a vase before but I prefer the look of yours. Love the color too!
Great idea! I have a bunch of these vases from flower deliveries! I love the color; turquoise is my favorite right now: )
I'm using this great idea to paint clear garage sale vases for a baby shower. I'll be putting curly willow in the vases, possibly gluing a few pink butterflies and flower buds to the branches. Thanks for the great inspiration!!
Thank you everyone for the comments! This project was done over a year ago and I still receive comments on it, so thank you! Feel free to share with anyone as well :) Also, if you have any question regarding paint colors, etc. email me ;) THANKS!!!
this is a absolutelly great idea...going to the dollar store now. Thanks for posting!
Followed your directions exactly and it turned out great!! Thanks for the inspiration!
http://thehomesihavemade.blogspot.com/2012/01/it-all-started-with-mailboxesreally.html
Lovely and Nice color!! But here's my question - They show you sticking the brush in and painting away. But what about those real skinny vases like the ones on the table painted orange in the first picture advertising the article?? Can't get your hand or brush in there. ???
If you can't fit a brush inside, the look is still achievable... it just takes a little more time. You have to pour the paint in and swirl until the entire inside it coated. You can cover the top with a napkin and shake the paint around as well :) Thanks for the comment!
These are beautiful! I tried painting glass with acrylic paint & it looked ok but the process was so messy! Thanks for sharing the tutorial.
-caroline @ c.w.frosting
Hey I found you on Pinterest, signed up to follow you, love the vases, thank you for sharing.
I saw this on Pinterest and came over to check it out. This is something I'm SO exited about trying! Thanks so much!
Been looking for a navy blue vase for my bathroom. Now I can do one like this. Thanks for the tip.
I've been itching to try this the minute I saw your post. My glass vases are drying as a type, can't wait to see how they turn out!!
How beautiful! I'm going to go try this now. So simple, beautiful and creative.
Love this project! This is my first time ever being on this site and your project inspired me. Thanks for such great direction. I was sad because michaels where i live discontinued the blue but i was able to get one bottle. Was worried i wouldnt have enough but i did w/ some to spare. Thanks again, i love my new vases!
Hello there! I'm following up with this about a year too late, but I was wondering what your recommendation might be if I DID want to seal it so that I could put water in it...any ideas on that?? Thank you!!
Where did you buy the paint? I've been look for it and I can't find it!!
I just finished doing two vases! one in that gorgeous blue and one in a purple!! so easy to do. For everyone looking for the paints I found mine on sale at Michaels and then the surface conditioner at JoAnn's. I haven't checked Hobby Lobby but will go there too just to see if they stock them and get more colors. Love love love this..just need to find a way to seal it so water can go it. :) thank you so much for sharing!
I just made these yesterday and they look AWESOME!!! Thank you for such a great idea. I am going to have to blog about it:)
Do you think this could work on the outside of the vase, so it could be used with water? Or has anyone tried spraypainting vases? I love this, but don't know what I'd do without a vase I can't fill with water.
I have some textured vases, grooved designs in the glass. Do you think this process will work on them if I make sure to get paint in all the indentations?
Saw this on Pinterest and repinned it. Hope you don't mind. Such beautiful vases!
I think these would go great in my room! three vases in a dark purple with flowers coming out of them! so cute!
How many oz of paint does it take to do 1 vase?
Im searching for paint online and most of it sells in 2 oz bottles.
I am about to order some, but wanted to make sure I get enough :)
The small bottles I used (2 oz) did three vases and I still had a small amount left over ;)
Awesome!! Thank You :)
I cant wait to try this!!
Did this recently. After they were all dried I coated the inside with a waterproof acrylic sealer!
Just found this via Pinterest. Wondering if anyone's learned if there's a way to seal it so it can be used as a regular vase, i.e. with water. Spray painting the outside, as a couple of you have mentioned, might also be a great way to repurpose these dull vases.
Very cool site, too, lots of great ideas here.
where did you purchase that beautiful piece of white coral you have photographed near it?
I just LOVE how these look! Definitely going to have to try this.
Thanks for the awesome tutorial. May I suggest upcycling at Goodwill for any future project. They almost always have tons of vases. Great blog!!
I found this via pinterest and did it over the weekend and I LOVE it! Thanks so much for sharing!
I don't see why you couldn't put water in it. When I looked up the PermEnamel paint, it stated it was dishwasher, microwave and oven safe!
I am going to try this with some bottles that I got at Goodwill. Thanks!
Hi,
Love the project!
A few quick questions. 1. How do you "even out" the paint at the bottom? Rag? Paintbrush?
2. Is the enamel safe for flowers if I do want to use them as a vase?
3. How do I print this project out for future use? (web site doesn't seem to offer the option?)
thanks for sharing it! i thought doing it is hard but amazing its very easy!
love this thanks!