For a recent dinner party I was having I wanted to fill the center of the table with pretty terra cotta colored jars. A friend and I had set up a whole theme, and prepared a ceiling installation to go above the table. I used the wooden table topper that I shared a post about earlier this year. The jars were the easiest part, but I think they made a huge impact.
Materials:
- old jars, vases, or even shampoo/ food containers
- acrylic craft paint
- baking soda
- foam brush
- clear satin spray paint ( optional)
- dried flowers and stems to put in the vases
- Something to mix the paint in ( I used a foam bowl)
Step 1: Finding the vases and old containers
This step was a fun one, mostly because it just involved shopping and trying to be inspired by objects around me everywhere. I went to a few local thrift store, and found lots of cute glass vases, bottles and jars. When looking for these, look at the shape of the vase or bottle, not the color. Since you will be painting them, the color doesn’t matter, but the shape will.
I also saved a few empty container from around the house including: a shampoo bottle, a salsa jar, a salad dressing jar, a lotion jar, a hot chocolate creamer container, and a protein powder jar. Some were glass, others plastic, but both worked great for this project. Be creative and resourceful with this step, and it will be a great way to save money.
Here is a collection of what I found.
Step 2: Choosing paint
This step was pretty easy, and I actually didn’t have to mix any custom colors. I used some craft paint I found at hobby lobby, in the colors I liked, and purchased them. I also purchased some flat white primer spray paint. I wanted a good mixture of colors, and textures. So I planned on painting some white with spray paint, and making others look like terra cotta.
Step 3: Mixing
In a small bowl I poured in the paint. I used a whole container of one color, since I knew I would be painting around 10 vases or so. I actually had a little extra, so this ended up being too much. I would say just put some in, and as long as you are not mixing a custom color, you can always add more paint in later.
Then I dumped in some baking soda. I didn’t measure, but I would guess it was around 1/4 cup of it. The end consistency is that of gritty pancake batter, or cooked grits. Do this for each paint color you are using.
Step 4: Painting
This step took longer than I thought it would. The paint does not go one super thick, and it took several coats.
Tip: If you chose a vase with lots of texture, that you want to showcase ie. bumps, or a floral pattern, DON’T use this method on it.
The paint is thick, and covers very well. I chose lots of pieces with heavy texture, and thought it would give me a neat effect, but in reality it just covered up most of the texture. I ended up painting a lot of the ones with texture plain white in the end to preserve the details I loved and chose them for. I painted the ones that had a nice shape, and silhouette with the baking soda paint mixture.
I used around 4 coats to get the texture and thickness I liked. I painted until I couldn’t see any more translucent places on the glass pieces, and the color was even. Be sure to paint the rim, and slightly inside of it, to have a cleaner look. Let it dry completely between coats, and while using the foam brush I found that pushing lightly was best, too hard and it took off the layers of paint under it. I also found any movement you make with the brush will end up as texture. So while painting, don’t “dab” unless this is the texture you want on it. Long smooth strokes will result in a cleaner look overall.
Step 5: Sealing
This step is optional. After I let all of the layers of paint dry, I noticed it was a little fragile. One bump and the paint scratched off. This is probably due to it being painted on glass….. but I wanted it to be more durable. I chose a satin clear coat spray paint, and just lightly coated each piece. This allowed it to keep the matte look of terra cotta I was going for, but also make it stronger. It didn’t really add much sheen overall, and they have held up great. I will be using them for a third dinner party soon, and they still look awesome.
Step 6: Fill them!
Once they are all dry, I filled them with dried flowers, and some small bunny tails I got off of amazon HERE. I just love the way the look layered down the table, and I can’t wait to move them to a shelf soon. They are also the perfect look for hosting thanksgiving! Thanks for stopping by, happy creating!
-Amanda