If you’ve been a longtime reader of this little blog, then you know that one point, my house was blue, blue, blue. Teal, to be exact! And I still have some of those now dated decor items just hanging out in the basement. Because I’ve been cleaning out my basement recently and minimizing as much as possible, I was going to give away a vase that was left over from those good old teal lovin’ days.
But then I came across so many people DIYing glass vases into these beautiful aged looking vessels and I thought I’d try it on my vase since I was going to give it away anyway. So, you know, what’s the harm if it turns out looking like a kindergartener got her hands on some spray paint and went to town?
Also, I figured that if the project turned out well, I’d save some money since I’ve been wanting one and these vessels sell for A LOT! Hundreds of dollars.
I was hoping to get the same look for a lot less. In fact, because I already had all the supplies other than one can of spray paint, the project cost me a whopping $5! And the results are gorgeous (and actually a little surprising given the amount of work)!
Okay, let’s get to the tutorial!
Materials
Old Vase or Jar
Oil Rubbed Bronze Spray Paint (in any sheen)
Black Matte Spray Paint
Clear Matte Spray Paint
Dirt from your Yard (that you may have to dry in the oven, more on that later)
Step
1. Spray paint your vase first with oil rubbed bronze spray paint, then with black spray paint. You’re spraying 2 different colors to give some dimension to the piece.
I like to spray paint in a box because then the fumes are more contained and the mess is definitely a lot more contained.
2. Dig up some dirt from your garden. I used about 1 cup for my size vase. The dirt should be very dry. If it’s is too wet, then dry it in the oven until dry. I set my oven to about 300 degrees and let it dry out for 15-20 minutes.
3. After the 2 coats of paint have dried, rub the dirt onto the vase. Make sure to really get in there and rub! If there are rocks or mulch, no worries. Nicks and scrapes add to the aged look.
4. Next, seal the rubbed dirt onto the vase by spraying with your matte clear spray paint.
5. Repeat the dirt rubbing and sealing 8-9 more times, each time waiting to rub in more dirt until after the sealer has dried. It should take about 30 minutes for the sealer to dry.
So, rub in dirt, seal with clear spray paint, wait 30 minutes, repeat. You do not have to spray any more old rubbed bronze or black spray paint at this stage. Just dirt, clear spray paint, and wait.
6. For the last coat, I looked to see if there were any patches that didn’t have enough variation in color and sprayed only those places with the sealer. Then, when the sealer was still tacky (about 3 minutes), I rubbed some dirt specifically on those places. Doing this gave the piece a little more dimension and also allowed bigger pieces of dirt to adhere. I then sprayed the entire thing again with sealer.
6. Enjoy your new aged vessel!
This was such an easy, low cost project!
