DIY White Faux Ceramic and Milk Glass Vases
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Lately I have been drooling over white in decor-stark, shiny white. (Like that makes any sense with three boys and a big dog!)
I have been noticing white glass and ceramic everywhere as well.
When we were packing up for the move I realized I have boxes upon boxes of vases that I neither like nor use. Many of these are cheap florist vases that I received when my husband was deployed when we were dating. (He was wooing me, I got a LOT of flowers that year! Nowadays I prefer an extra hour of sleep to flowers!) Some of the vases I had picked up at the dollar store to use as centerpieces for charity events I used to plan.
So as I unpacked all those vases last week for the umpteenth time since we got married I decided to try to transform them into something I’d actually like looking at!
Since we pretty much go to Lowe’s daily since the move it was a no-brainer that I was going to need some spray paint. I used Rust-o-leum Universal in Gloss White, It worked great on my IKEA Bookcase Makeover and I love that you can use it on any surface.
(And yes, the grass seed in the backyard is sprouting very nicely, thank you for noticing!)
Twenty minutes later and voila! Faux milk glass/ceramic! I actually couldn’t decide what it looked like more hence my somewhat indecisive blog post title! The ornate glass vase looks a lot like milk glass but the smooth dollar store vases remind me of the West Elm ceramic vases I had been coveting.
Regardless, they look a heck of a lot better than before and I am just giddy at how they turned out!
Now on to my plan for how to use these vases….you know that weird space above the cabinets in the kitchen? You know, the one that everyone had covered in fake plants when you were a kid? Well I have an idea for that space in our new kitchen and these vases are step one in the process.
After the vases were dry I went to set them up there but the crown molding all but made them disappear. After rummaging through the garage amid all the moving box chaos I found some wood scraps from our DIY Reclaimed Wood Headboard and DIY Stained World Map and used those to prop the vases up and here is how it looks now!
I think they look great up there and play off the white subway tile we chose for the backsplash. I’m slowly but surely figuring out what else I want to put up there but I’ve accepted that its going to be a while before it looks like my “vision.” To see the whole kitchen tour hop over to this post.
Do you have an obsession with white? Check out my Office/Craft Room for more eye candy!
Like what you see? Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest-I have some great projects in the works coming up that you won’t want to miss!
WOW! Those looks excellent! I think I will use this as inspiration! I have a few vases that are sitting in a cabinet!
Love this! I decided to try Krylon Fusion in Satin White and got the look of the ceramic vases that I have also been drooling over. /Users/STEF/Desktop/12925_4763102079932_1820767841_n.jpg
oops, tried to attach a photo, but I guess I don’t know how!
This is a fantastic idea!! Love this!
Did you spray only the inside of the vases? It almost looks like the glass is still clear on the outside…
Wonderful idea, I have so many cheesy glass vases that I don’t want anymore but feel guilty to let go.
You have a lot of great ideas – found you on hometalk. Following you.
melissa, Very nice to meet you. I love you idea and enthusiasm. I will definately try this and check out your other pins. Thank you for sharing! Sherri
Hello, I love your project and the way your vases came out!
I was wondering if you added something to make them look glossy?
Sonia
Thank you Melissa
I like the way you solved the crown molding delimma with a simple trip to the garage to find something to fix the problem. Many of my favorite projects came from “fixing a problem”. Love the vases too.
Traci
Your finish is so smooth! They look lovely 🙂
Thank you Anny!
WOW! Thanks for the info. I have a medium blue ginger jar lamp from way back when that I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with. My colors are green, brick red, and gold, so the lamp’s in hiding. This would make the lamp fit in. White goes with everything, so even if I change colors, the lamp will still work. Black would also work as I have a small black ginger jar style lamp. Oh, the possibilities are endless.
I love this idea! I have seen inexpensive vases at the thrift store, but could never imagine them in my house. Now, I can pick up a few, or more than a few, and turn them into something beautiful. Thanks for the great post!
I just did this with two vases I had lying around and they turned out beautiful!! I am currently obsessed with white so now I cant wait to find other things I can paint! Thanks for the tip!
I’m in love with white right now too-glad your vases turned out so well!
Take care,
Melissa
I love these vases and really want to do this. I enjoyed reading your blog. Very interesting posts! Following you now..
I, for one, would appreciate some information about the actual painting process you employed. Did you spray on the outside? On the inside? Both? How many coats? How long did you wait between putting on additional coats? Did you experience any runs and drips and if so, what did you do about them? Inquiring Minds Want To Know!
Hi Jan,
I sprayed the outside of the vases and the inside around the top. I used two light coats and had no problem with drips and runs. I made sure to shake the paint thoroughly beforehand and do a test spray before spraying the vase to make sure there were no splatters. I only waited about 20 minutes between coats but it was pretty warm that day. I hope that answered your questions, please let me know if you have anymore, thanks for stopping by!
Melissa
Thanks, Melissa. That is very very helpful. I have a couple of clear glass vases that I would like to try this on, but I’m too chicken to just go out and “do it” without having some kind of directions!
No problem Jan!
I’m getting out my spray paint now! You did a fabulous job and sooo easy. Can’t wait to get started painting my old glass. Lori
I LOVE, LOVE how these turned out! I have several similar vases, and this would be a great way to spruce them up! 🙂
Erin
takingtimetocreate.blogspot.com
These look fantastic! They look great on your cabinet! Great use for those boring old vases 🙂
Lovely!
Thanks for linking up to the Piece of Cake Linky Party! I love ceramic vases and now I can have more for quality cheap–thank you! You’re project will be one of the three I will feature this week. Be sure to grab a featured button!
These are so cute! Look beautiful! We hope to see you back next week to our “Strut Your Stuff Saturday.” Thanks for coming!! -The Sisters
Beautiful! What a great idea!