I am back up and running, somehow I figured out another way to get the pictures uploaded. I probably won't be able to do it again though. On to the post of the evening...vases...painted vases. I came across directions on Martha Stewart on how to paint a vase and decided to give it a try. I have a lot of cheap vases around the house because well I am really loved and get flowers a lot! Ok that isn't all true but I do get flowers sent to me from mom or husband and always hold on to the vases. I started out with a small vase I actually got free from Crate & Barrel:
Next I went to the craft store and bought a few paint colors, paint brushes, and tape in order to make straight lines. I bought regular paint that on the back indicated it was good for glass surfaces - I believe it was $1.20/bottle.
After washing the vase with warm, soapy water, drying it and wiping it down with rubbing alcohol to ensure no oils or residue was on it I was ready to start painting. Not so fast - since I don't trust my painting skills I used tape to make straight lines.
The lines look pretty good, right? It was actually very easy to do but next time I am going to try and just paint free handed. I picked three colors and decided to start painting.
As you can see I didn't stay in the lines very well! I would caution when doing this not to use too many coats as the paint gets thick and it makes it hard to remove the tape without ripping the paint as well. I found it very hard to paint the dark purple - for striping I would stick to lighter colors. Once I removed the tape I baked it in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. The baking sets the paint and keeps it from rubbing off. I didn't get a picture of just the vase before arranging the flowers but you can see it here.
After buying $10 worth of Trader Joe's flowers my vase was all ready!
Flowers came out pretty good and were so easy! This would make a great hostess gift with an inexpensive vase they can use over and over again. You can also have your children finger paint one and ship it off to grandma's with flowers. This is so simple I hope you all get a chance to try it and if you don't have vases lying around the house TJ Maxx or HomeGoods usually has them for under $4. Happy painting and flower arranging - two talents in one.
Until next time...Stay Creative!!
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