If you saw yesterday’s post, you know how inspired I have been lately by the colorful prints of designer Prabal Gurung’s fashions. My favorite print from his Target collection is the Nolita print. It looks like a painter created a landscape of flowers and then left the canvas out in the rain. What could be more Spring-like than that?
I have already shown you how to make an easy dip dot floral votive holder, and today I am going to share how to turn plain dollar store glassware into a chic striped vase.
To make a Fashion Designer Inspired Vase, you will need:
dollar store vase
Martha Stewart Frost Etching Effect Medium
acrylic craft paints (pink, blue, yellow, bright green, and black)
paintbrushes
Begin by mixing a small amount of each color of craft paint with Martha Stewart Frost Etching Effect Medium. In my opinion, this step is NECESSARY. The medium thins out the paint and adds a frosty finish to the paint when it dries to give it a stained glass effect. In other words, the medium keeps it from looking like you just globbed craft paint onto a vase.
Choose one color to start with and go to town painting freehanded stripes. The goal is for the stripes to look imperfect and “painterly,” so don’t be to precious with your technique.
Change to a new paintbrush and a new color, filling in the empty spaces. Again, you want this to look painted, so brushstrokes are good. Overlapping colors are good. Imperfection is good.
The thing I really like about the Prabal Gurung print that inspired this vase is the addition of black to the bright Spring colors. It keeps the pattern from looking too childish and adds a bit of sophistication. So, add in a few small, thin strokes of black paint in with the colors to mimic that look.
After the paint dries, you will have a very chic vase that is ready for Spring. Can you see the frosty finish of the Martha medium?
The vase is lovely on its own or filled with cheerful flowers. This same technique would work on any kind of glassware. I really wanted to paint the underside of a glass plate with this pattern, but my dollar store was out of glass plates. Sad face. I think would be a really gorgeous way to serve Easter treats, and since the paint would be on the underside of the plate there would be no worries about the paints not being food-safe.
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Thanks, Jessica Hill
