Glass Vase Thrift Flip

I turned an $2 glass vase into a showstopper by adding air dry clay molds to it. It was an easy craft and a fun idea to upcycle old glass pieces.


Get ready friends!

This weekend I completed another one of those just for fun crafts.

And this one is my favorite so far.

It's totally gorgeous, plus it was much easier to do than I expected. It's definitely an - if I can do it, anyone can - kind of DIY.

I promise.

Ok, so what is this fabulous new craft?

It's simple, I added clay to a glass vase for a huge upgrade.

It's a project I've wanted to try for a really long time and over the summer I completed the first step when I stumbled upon this rose patterned ice cube tray from the checkout line at TJ Maxx.


Of course the next part of the hunt was a little more difficult, which was kind of shocking since cheap glass vases are usually everywhere. 

I was like Goldilocks, combing through thrift stores for the perfect vase to decorate with those roses.

It needed to be the right shape, the right size and have the right to finish. My patience paid off several weeks ago when I found this frosted glass vase for two bucks.


That is when the fun began.

How To Embellish A Glass Vase With Clay Molds

Keep in mind that this is just one way to use this crafty idea. You can cover all sorts of glass jars and containers using air dry clay and silicone molds and for any season or holiday.

Here are the supplies I used:

• Frosted Glass Vase - something with texture works best
• Air Dry Clay
• Silicone Molds <-- Here are a bunch of options/ shapes
• Aleene's Tacky Glue
• Painter's Tape/ Masking Tape
• Paint Brushes
• Chalk Paint
• Gloss Sealer - I like this because it's a polyacrylic and there's virtually no odor

I started the process, by making a few test roses. I wanted them to be substantial, noticeable, but not too chunky, so they looked overwhelming.


I've used air dry clay for other crafts, so I knew I also had to keep in mind that it shrinks a bit as it dries.

So once I had several made, I placed the roses on the neck of the vase, to mock up my design.

Since the glass was frosted, the clay stuck to it long enough for me to get all the roses set up. That's why the texture of the finish was important to me.

If your glass doesn't have a textured/ frosted finish, I recommend giving it a coat of primer or chalk paint before you start.


However, that wasn't going to work in the long haul. To give the clay permanent staying power, I had to first score the back of the each rose with a plastic knife.

And add a decent amount of Aleene's Tacky Glue, before I attached it to the vase.

I looked online and watched a bunch of videos and apparently there are several ways to get air dry clay to stick to glass. I chose this method, since I didn't have to mess with smelly glue or bake it in my oven.

Of course, even the easy way has its share of issues.

For me, it was sliding roses.


That wet, gluey, heavy clay just didn't want to stay in place without a little support.

* Ok, a little aside here. My original plan was to make the roses, let them dry and them add them to the vase. However, once I started mocking it I up, I realized that the back of each rose would need to be curved to fit the shape of the vase. 

Therefore, I need them to dry on the vase so they retained their arch.

So until it set, I folded some heavy tape under each rose for support.

By the next morning I was able to remove the tape. Although, I didn't even consider painting the vase until about a week later. I wanted to make sure the clay/ glue slurry on the back had cured.

During that time, I was thinking about paint. In the conceptual phase of this craft, I pictured a white, rose covered vase with bright red tulips (my favorite flowers) spilling out over sides.

I'm a huge fan of glass vase makeovers. Here are several more I've done:

• Lace Vase Makeover
• Silly Sentiment Vase Makeover
• Red Glass Vase Upcycle

However, as the days went by, I started to wonder what that vase would look like in a vibrant colored paint instead. After all, over the years, I've collected so many rich, brilliant tones of chalk paint that I've never used.


And with all that white outside my window this winter, I decided to add some color inside and got to work with a vibrant blue.

Chalk paint is thick, covers well, requires no prep and adheres well to glass and clay. It's a little bit chunky, for lack of a better word, so it gives the glass a heavy ceramic look.

I've used it chalk paint/ chalk mineral paint before to makeover a glass vase and it still looks amazing years later.


I only covered the outside surface, I left the interior part of the vase alone, since I wanted to put real flowers in it and didn't want the paint to degrade with water.

Or cause the flowers to wilt.

The last part of the process was the key to achieving a true ceramic appearance. I added a glossy sealer with a brush.

 
When it was wet the gloss was streaky and bubbly, but when it dried, none of that was visible.

My plain two dollar thrift store vase was now a rose embellished showstopper.


Could the roses be a little sharper? Could the paint be a little smoother? 

For sure.

And next time maybe I'll use more water to hide the clay cracks in the roses or a pouncer on the paint for a more deliberate texture.


But for a first time trial, I'm super happy.

And I had a blast making it.

Which makes this vase perfect.

Wouldn't you say?

😉

Have you ever added clay to glass?

Happy Crafting, Friends!