Remember I showed you all in the post, “Martha Stewart I Love Thee”, the awesome boat loads of paint given to me by the sweet folks at Plaid/Martha Stewart? Their paint is multi-surface which meant it was perfect for glass also! Back in the winter I had come across some beautiful enamel painted vases on Pinterest by Sugar & Charm. She used them only for display, but I wanted to make mine useable with water. This week I pulled out those paints and decided it was time to experiment and make Painted Glass Vases.
I headed off to Target in search of some inexpensive vases. I was pleased to find these tall column vases for $3 each. Sometimes you know something is just meant to be. As I pass a home décor aisle this beautiful table cloth called to me, “Kim! Take me home with you!” I ignored his cries and moved on. Yet, as I walked away his cries became louder…”You need me! I’ll look awesome on the outdoor table this summer”. My resistance broke down and I ran back to quickly claim the tablecloth and take him home. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!)
Now that you know the sick power that Target has over me, let’s get onto making some painted vases shall we?
You will need the following:
Glass vase, Martha Stewart Crafts Paint, nail polish remover, disposable cups and stir sticks, parchment paper or foil, paper towel, and old cookie sheet.
The Martha Stewart multi-surface paint is nice and thick and you could just paint it on the inside of your vase, but for a smoother finish I recommend using a swirl and coat method. Now the paint says not to thin with water (but it will wash up nicely with water), so you will need to mix it with the nail polish remover.
1. For my tall vase I mixed 1 tablespoon of paint with 1 tablespoon of nail polish remover in a disposable cup. Mix the combination really well. If it seems too thick then add a bit more of the remover. I recommend doing this outside as the smell of the nail polish remover is quite strong.
2. Pour your paint mixture into your vase and swirl it around to completely coat the inside of the vase.
3. Pour the excess paint back into your cup and allow your vase to drain upside down on a folded paper towel. Place it on a parchment or foil lined cookie sheet. Allow it to drain for a few minutes and then turn it upright a allow it to dry over night. (Again I recommend you let it dry outside because of the nail polish smell).
4. The paint manufacturer recommends baking the painted glass at 350 degrees for 1 hour. I was worried about how my vase would fair in that high of temperature, so I baked my at 275 degrees for 2 hours. Do not preheat your oven. Place the vase upright on the lined cookie sheet and put it into a cold oven, then turn your heat on and bake. After the allotted time, turn off the oven and allow to cool inside. Your vase is now ready to hold water and it should be able to go through the dish washer even, according the the paint manufacturer (though I haven’t tried that yet).
This method using these paints will create a gorgeous opaque finish. If you are wanted a translucent finish I recommend you try the method I used for tinting my Glass Float Ornaments, just be sure to use Mod Podge.
The beautiful bright skittle-colored vases are perfect with the table cloth. Cheerful pops of color make me smile! Give Painted Glass Vases a try!
Kim
For the latest in DIY, Décor, & Recipes be sure to join me on
FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, G+ or SUBSCRIBE.
AMENDMENT 5/11/12: I finally got around to washing the vases in the dishwasher, on the lower rack even, and they came out beautiful! Martha Stewart multi-surface paint rocks!
linking up to:
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Wow this turned out great!! I have to try it! Your roses are so pretty too (and that table!!!! gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome... I have made these and they didn't turn out so well AND I couldn't put water in them. Thanks for the great tut Kim!!
ReplyDeleteOh these are so gorgeous! I love the Martha paints and would never have thought about nail polish remover! Really great outcome!
ReplyDeleteWhat colors did you use? I love the vases!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Pond, Pool, and Mint. The Pond is the darkest blue. ;)
DeleteThis is amazing! I really love the translucent look of the vases and they go so well with your new tablecloth! Wonderful job, Kim!
ReplyDeleteXO,
Jane
Fabulous! Thanks for sharing that idea with us. I like that my Michels has a good supply of Martha Stewart paints. I am looking forward to using your fishing float technique to make some faux floats to use in summer-time displays.
ReplyDeleteLOVE This!! My girlfriend used this & painted yellow & blue stars for me on my tailgating wineglasses in honor of Ucla :) I'm such an in the box thinker, I never would've thought of using it to paint vases! Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThese look really cute. I find it interesting that you called the tablecloth "him". Do you really need to add nail polish remover? Martha Stewart painted cake domes on her show using a similar technique at:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.marthastewart.com/899500/painted-dome-how. She waited 21 days for the paint to cure instead of baking it in the oven. Do you suppose it was because the food would come in contact with the dome?
Hi Gail,
DeleteLike I mentioned in the post, this method creates a smoother finish and it only takes a few minutes to coat the vase. You of course can use a paint brush and paint it on (as shown in the video) but it will take 3 coats of paint and you will need to wait for it to dry in between coats. For this type of very narrow vase, a paint brush will not work.
As far a the drying goes, Martha explains in the video you can wait 21 days for a full cure OR speed up the process by baking it. I'm impatient so I chose baking.
Thanks for your questions! ;)
I love the colors! I'm impatient too so I love the baking option. Beautiful result.
ReplyDeleteThese are beautiful! I just pinned this post to try it myself! xoxo, tracie
ReplyDeleteThese rock - and I am so glad you didn't ignore the sad, pathetic cries of that tablecloth! He obviously found a good home!
ReplyDeleteKelly
Love it! Can you use anything other than nail polish remover or is that what was recommended?
ReplyDeleteThanks Bethy! The MS paints say not to thin with water and I knew you could thin other types of permanent paints with acetone so I gave it a try... and it worked great! :)
DeleteVery pretty! I laughed when I read about the products calling to you. I often wonder how items just jumped into my cart, even when the kids aren't with me. It is hard to pass up a deal, right?? :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your blog and all the inspiration you have given me. (I am anonymous, only bc I don't have any of the accts accepted, but know that I am a huge 'repinner' and follower of yours on pinterest. :))
Thank you! I appreciate that!
DeleteThese look gorgeous, especially with that table cloth. I would have loved to receive all those fabulous paints from Martha Stewart.
ReplyDeleteRuth
They're so cute!! You do amazing projects, I would NEVER have thought of using nail polish remover in addition to the paint -- so smart.
ReplyDeletePamela
Gorgeous! I'd love for you to add it on my link party at: http://printabelle.com/?p=3188 Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome idea! I almost paid $15 for a green vase for Mother's Day when I could just make one for mom instead. Thanks for sharing, looking like a project for this weekend. :)
ReplyDeleteI always thought that glass will crack under high temperatures, unless of course the glass is designed to resist heat.
ReplyDeleteSo pretty. And so nicely styled.
ReplyDeleteIs it safe to put paint/acetone in a gas oven? I don't want my kitchen to explode or for there to be toxic fumes! I've been trying to paint glass vases for weeks and have not had good luck. Latex didn't stick, even when I tried treating the vase with alcohol first (I waited for the alcohol to dry). So I switched to an acrylic specifically for glass, a week later I tried to put a clear varnish on it, and the paint dissolved. Should I just have been more patient and tried waiting 21 days? Can you put varnish over acrylic at all? I now have a Folk Art-painted vase still drying and I'm not sure what to do next to it. I want to eventually be able to put wet floral foam in the vases and not have the paint smear or chip. If Martha Stewart's is just better quality, I'm willing to give it a try too, but I'm beginning to think I'm throwing away money with all of these different brands.
ReplyDeleteHi Christine,
DeleteI'm not sure what to tell you about a gas oven. I don't think you would have issues as long as you let it dry completely 1st outside or in a well ventilated area for a few days. The 21 days is the recommended time for the paint to cure completely. The baking just allows you to put it in the dishwasher.
Regular acrylic paint will not work on glass. The Martha Stewart paint is an all-surface paint which will adhere to the glass beautifully. You will not need any type of clear coating either. ;)
Sounds good. I just bought some Martha Stewart craft paint and I'm going to get started now. I'll wait until next week and pop it in the oven using the method you outline. Thanks for the reply! Wish me luck!
DeleteFail! I tried different amounts of nail polish remover on two different vases. It starts out smooth, but a few seconds after I put it in the vase the consistency would change due to the nail polish remover evaporating. Less remover got crumbly very quickly, more remover was better, but ended up somewhat discolored as parts of it wanted to dry while I was still pouring and swirling. My nail polish remover is pure acetone. Perhaps that makes a difference.
Delete