Hello friends! I am here today to share with you my latest DIY project; this easy, inexpensive and super cute lace flower vase.
Have you ever seen these tall, slim containers at your local thrift stores, flea markets or garage sales? Did you know that you can make them into beautiful flower vases with a little lace fabric and some paint? This project is so easy even my 11 year old daughter could do it if the spray paint that I used wasn’t so smelly.
I recently picked up these two rather boring containers at our local Salvation Army thrift store for a couple of dollars a piece. I decided for this particular tutorial that I would like to work on the terracotta wine cooler on the left-hand side, so please ignore the container on the right for the time being . It will be getting a makeover soon, which I hope to share with you in the near future.
Here’s how I transformed my terracotta container into a flower vase.
Supplies You’ll Need:
-
terracotta wine cooler or tall paintable vase
- lace fabric
- dark gray craft paint
- white acrylic Gesso
- Martha Stewart’s Sharkey Gray latex paint or a light gray-taupe paint color of your choice
- Mod Podge or clear acrylic spray
- spray adhesive
- white spray paint (I used Design Master Color Tool spray paint in Vanilla-This is the best spray paint EVER!)
- ruler, scissors and papertowel
- 400 grit sandpaper
- painters face mask or respirator, old clothing with long sleeves/pants, goggles and latex gloves
- glass canning jar, empty pasta sauce jar or clear glass vase
- paint tray or paper plate, newspaper, cardboard, and paint brushes
Directions:
Give your container a wipe-down with a damp cloth before painting or run it through the dishwasher and leave it to dry thoroughly. If your container has any gloss to it you will want to give it a light sanding with 400 grit sandpaper before painting to give the surface some “tooth” so that the paint with stick. If your surface is very glossy you will want to paint it with a bonding primer before proceeding with the rest of this tutorial.
Mix up an even amount of dark gray craft paint and white gesso in a paint tray. Paint your container with two coats of your paint mixture allowing each coat to dry thoroughly before re-coating.
Mix up some Sharkey Gray paint with gesso in a 75/25 ratio. Using a slightly damp paper towel, dab lightly into your paint and then wipe the excess off onto another paper towel. Pounce your papertowel randomly over your entire vase leaving some of the dark gray paint showing through. A thin, light coat of paint will look the best. REMEMBER: You can always do touch-ups with more dark gray paint to cover up any problem areas.
Now for your lace fabric. You should easily be able to find lace fabric at your local fabric store or thrift store. Maybe you even have a piece of lace clothing in your closet that you will never ever wear again. Why not use it to make flower vases, pillows or art for your home?
So where did my lace fabric come from? It’s hard to tell in the photo above but this lace fabric is actually a pair of sheer, crop lace leggings. No, they aren’t mine! I wouldn’t be caught dead in them!
Actually, my daughter got these pants as a part of a $5.00 Surprise Bag from Ardene’s (a jewelry and accessory store) a couple of weeks ago. I told her that there was no way that she would be leaving the house in these see-thru lace pants! I quickly tossed them into the Goodwill bag and forgot about them until a couple of days ago when I happened to come across them again. When I saw them a light bulb went off in my head. What if I used them for my spray painting projects? Hey, why not?
Just so you know, when my daughter came home last night I asked her what she thought of my new lace vase. She said that she really liked it. You should have seen the look on her face when I explained to her that I used the pants that she got in her Surprise Bag to paint my vase. Haha!
Moving on…Next, measure around the entire width of your vase. You will want this measurement to be fairly exact. You do not want to have any overlap of your fabric otherwise your pattern will not be consistent. In my case, my lace fabric was stretchy so I cut it a little short knowing that I could stretch it across to fit around the vase.
Then measure the height of your vase. Here you don’t need to be as exact as any excess can be easily tucked into the opening or underneath the vase.
Cut out your fabric rectangle and wrap it around your vase to make sure it fits. Trim as necessary.
Take your fabric and spray adhesive outside and also put on your latex gloves and a painter’s mask. Lightly coat your fabric on one side with your spray adhesive. Wrap your fabric around your vase smoothing it as you go. NOTE: If your fabric is not lined up how you would like it to be, you can easily reposition it or start over.
You are now ready to spray paint!
Here is my list of 10 spray painting tips. These are tips that I have found to work well for me. They are by no means the only way to spray paint an item.
- Prepare your spray paint can by giving it a good shaking for at least two minutes.
- Protect your work surface by covering it with a large piece of cardboard.
- Elevate the item you are painting by raising it slightly off of the cardboard with scrap pieces of wood or old boxes.
- Put on your safety gear (painter’s mask/ventilator, long sleeves and pants, goggles and latex gloves). Be sure to work outdoors or in a very well ventilated area. Your health and safety is the most important thing when spray painting!
- Optional: Attach your spray paint trigger handle to your spray paint can (make sure your spray can nozzle is pointing outwards). I use Rust-Oleum’s Comfort Grip Spray Painting Tool. It makes painting so much easier and saves your fingers from cramping up!
- Give your paint can a shake again right before use and then test out your paint color on your cardboard to make sure it is the right color and that the spray can is working correctly.
- Keep your spray paint can at least 12-16 inches away from the item you are painting.
- Squeeze your paint handle while moving your arm back in forth in a uniform motion coating one side of your item evenly before moving on to the next. Preferably work from top to bottom and shake your paint can in between coats.
- 1-3 light even coats of paint will give you better results than one thick coat of paint. It will also prevent runs and drips from occurring.
- Leave your project to dry for at least 10-15 minutes before re-coating or handling. If it feels dry to the touch it is ready to re-coat. Preferably leave it to dry overnight before coating it with two to three coats of topcoat for protection.
The photo above shows my lace fabric after 2 light coats of white spray paint and right before I removed it from the vase. As you can see the Design Master spray paint is very fine in consistency. Had I used regular spray paint my lace fabric would have been a lot more opaque at this point.
Once you are finished painting your vase, let it dry for 5-10 minutes before carefully removing the lace. Smile to yourself at the great job that you did!
To finish off your vase you can sand any raised edges with your 400 grit sandpaper to give your vase a distressed look. You will also want to coat your vase with at least 2 coats of matte Mod Podge or clear acrylic sealer for protection.
NOTE: The outside of this vase should be spot-cleaned only. I would not advise you to submerse it in water. For my particular vase, the inside was not glazed so I chose to add in a separate container to hold my flowers and water. I ended up finding the perfect-sized canning jar in my cupboard. You could also use a pasta jar or a tall glass vase which can be found in any floral department of any major department store. The great thing about adding a separate container to the inside of your vase is that it can easily be removed for cleaning without ruining the finish on your vase.
Your lace flower vase is now ready for use. All you need to do is add your favorite flowers, sit back and admire how great it looks.
I just love how my vase turned out! What do you think?
Have you ever used lace and spray paint before to transform something in your home? If you have I would love to hear about it. If you haven’t had a chance to try it out yet, I hope that you decide to give this little DIY project a go sometime.
Have a great night!
Parties I’ve Linked Up To:
~ Embracing Change – Creative Inspirations Linky Party ~ House of Hepworths – Hookin’ Up with HoH ~ The Shabby Creek Cottage – Transformation Thursday ~ The Brambleberry Cottage – Time Travel Thursday ~ The Trendy Treehouse – Create and Share ~ French Country Cottage – Feathered Nest Friday ~ Craftionary – Friday Fun Party ~ What About.co – Show Off Friday ~ The Shabby Nest – Frugal Friday ~ My Romantic Home – Show and Tell Friday ~ Chic on a Shoestring Decorating – Flaunt It Friday ~ It’s a HodgePodge Life – It’s a HodgePodge Friday ~ Finding Fabulous – Frugalicious Friday ~ Redoux – Link Party #64 ~ Doodles and Stitches – Fabulous Friday ~ Craft-o-Maniac – Craft-o-Maniac Monday ~ DIY Showoff – DIY Project Parade ~ Sumo’s Sweet Stuff – Market Yourself Mondays ~ Homemaker on a Dime – Creative Bloggers Party ~ Under the Table and Dreaming – Sunday Showcase Party ~ Sarah Dawn Designs – Pintastic Mondays ~ Today’s Creative Blog – Get Your Craft On ~ Home Stories A to Z – Tutorials and Tips Party ~ The Trendy Treehouse – Create and Share ~ Savvy Southern Style – Wow Us Wednesdays ~ The Thrifty Home – Penny Pinching Party ~ Days of Chalk and Chocolate – Link Party ~ At The Picket Fence – Inspiration Friday ~ Somewhat Simple – Blog Link Party ~ It All Started With Paint – Fall in Love With Spray Paint Party ~
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27 comments
2 pings
Shannon Fox
July 18, 2012 at 10:51 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
That is gorgeous! And what a comprehensive tutorial. A+ girl :))) it turned out so pretty!
I spray paint outside… but in flip flops, no glasses or gloves… and no mask.
Uh Oh! I get an F.
Carrie
July 19, 2012 at 8:23 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks so much Shannon! You are such a sweetheart! I admit, sometimes I break my own rules and don’t wear the full safety gear when spray painting and then I pay for it the rest of the day! I am really sensitive to chemical smells so when I am too lazy to put on my face mask I am so sick because of it. My own fault! LOL
Thanks for stopping by!
Take care,
Carrie
Carolann Wright
July 19, 2012 at 12:44 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
My next project. LOVE IT!!!
Carrie
July 19, 2012 at 8:19 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks Carolann! I am sure you will do a gorgeous job! Do you have a particular vase in mind to use?
Alana
July 19, 2012 at 3:52 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
They look so pretty and a great tutorial. Thanks for sharing!
Carrie
July 20, 2012 at 7:45 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for your kind comments Alana!
Take care,
Carrie
Hani
July 19, 2012 at 8:47 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
This project is so much fun.. Love the lace texture on the vase. Pinning it. Thanks for linking up at Friday Fun Party. Have a nice weekend!
Carrie
July 20, 2012 at 7:44 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I appreciate you pinning my vase Hani! Thanks so much!
Betsy
July 19, 2012 at 9:43 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Love this awesome transformation. What a clever idea and a great tutorial too. found you at Catch as Catch Can. Love it!!
Carrie
July 20, 2012 at 7:44 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks so much Betsy! I’m glad you stopped by.
Carrie
Courtney
July 20, 2012 at 12:42 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Very charming!! :)
Carrie
July 20, 2012 at 7:43 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thank you Courtney!
Nicole@Show Off Friday Blog Hop
July 21, 2012 at 10:17 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
That is so pretty! Thank you so much for stopping by and linking up. I hope you come again soon!
Carrie
July 25, 2012 at 10:28 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks so much Nicole!
Sarah
July 23, 2012 at 3:18 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
This is such a pretty and elegant tutorial. It would be great for everyday decor or fun for parties as well.
If you get a chance come link up at my Pin Party.
http://www.sarahdawndesigns.blogspot.com/2012/07/pintastic-monday-link-party-1.html
Carrie
July 25, 2012 at 10:27 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thank you Sarah for your kind comments. I stopped by and linked up at your Pin Party. I am glad you stopped by!
Peggy
July 24, 2012 at 3:25 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
So pretty! Thanks for such a great tutorial!
-Peggy
Carrie
July 25, 2012 at 10:26 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thank you Peggy!
Carrie
Liz @ The Brambleberry Cottage
July 25, 2012 at 6:50 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Simple and stylish. I love it, Carrie!
Thanks for linking to Time Travel Thursday. Hope to see you again this week. Stop in tonight to see yourself featured.
Blessings,
Liz @ The Brambleberry Cottage
Carrie
July 25, 2012 at 10:22 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks so much Liz for featuring my vase! I am so honored to be featured amongst so many great projects. Also, you are the sweetest for popping over to let me know. Thanks!
Nicole
August 2, 2012 at 3:21 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
The vase is awesome. I love the story about using your daughter’s lace leggings too. Thanks for linking up at Doodles & Stitches. This is such a great idea!
Carrie
August 3, 2012 at 9:26 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks Nicole for taking time to stop by. My daughter is still mad about her leggings. Oh well. Nothing is safe around her Momma! haha!
Painted Kitchens Gauteng
September 11, 2012 at 8:13 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Your style is really unique compared to other people I’ve read stuff from. Thank you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this page.
Laura @ Finding Home
October 12, 2012 at 9:33 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks so much for such a pretty and detailed tutorial and for sharing it at our link party. Take care, Laura
Carrie
October 12, 2012 at 6:17 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thank you Laura for your sweet comments and also for hosting a great party!
Take care,
Carrie
Linda @ it all started with paint
October 15, 2012 at 10:39 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Carrie,
This is such an amazing project! Awesome tutorial and awesome spray paint tips too!
So happy you shared this amazing inspiration at our spray paint party!
:)
Linda
Carrie
October 15, 2012 at 11:00 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks so much Linda! You are such a sweetheart! Thanks again for stopping by and for hosting such an amazing party.
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