Ceramic Vase Refresh - Mulch & Paint

Welcome friends!

This week has been crammed full for me with work and Christmas decorating! For days, my house has looked like a tornado has hit it. I always begin my Christmas decorating by choosing rooms or sections of rooms to decorate. After a few days, everything in my basement (large boxes included) seems to be sitting all over the house and any dreams of an organized transition to Christmas is completely gone…you, too?

I do not decorate the same each year which adds to the chaos and time it takes to get things in place. I am a hoarder and try to use what I have on-hand. If there is something I need, I will go through all of my existing decor items and try to refresh it before I go shopping for it.

Today’s DIY is a ceramic jar that I made just for my Christmas decor.

A lady basically gave me this vase/jar at a yard sale over the summer. I liked the size and the handles on each side but it has either been broken and repaired or just has a huge crack on it’s side. The jar was filled with long faux grass/sticks. I picked up all of the grass and sticks out of the jar and the lady just told me to take the jar with it. Since then, it has sat in my basement.

During my Christmas decorating, I decided that I wanted a large vase to sit on my sideboard with some pine poking out of it. Everything I looked at online started at $60 so I started digging in the basement for an alternative. This is where the transformation started…

I wanted a white urn. I went to my endless supply of spray paint and there was no white. Seriously? I usually have several cans of white and black on-hand at all times. So, I began by spraying two coats of gloss ivory on the urn. Be sure to let the paint dry between coats.

I didn’t like the ivory color since I had my heart set on white AND the crack seemed more visible after painting the jar. I needed texture and it had to be thick enough to cover over the crack.

I pulled out my Plaster of Paris and mixed two parts plaster to one part water.

I used a plastic knife to mix with. Plaster of Paris dries hard and I didn’t want to use anything that could get ruined. It also dries pretty quickly so work fast. I actually made one batch for one side of the jar and then mixed another batch for the other just to give me time to experiment with how I was going to apply the plaster. The consistency was about like toothpaste.

The process was messy because I used my hands to apply the plaster. I lightly ran my fingers horizontally across the jar to give it texture. (I apologize for the lack of photos of this process. I sometimes get caught up in the craft and then realize I forgot to photograph all of the steps.) Once the plaster had completely dried, I took a sanding block and lightly sanded it to dull any sharp edges. For a little extra protection, I sprayed one coat of clear satin spray paint over the entire jar.

Here’s the finished jar with the pine sprigs in it. I even amazed myself that I was able to pull this one off…it was almost exactly what I had envisioned. I promise you, there are many DIY duds that you never see!

The vase now sits in my dining room. I put it on my lunchroom table for photographs only because the lighting was better. It fit it pretty well on the all-white table setting beside my snowman Christmas tree. (I promise to share photos of the tree next week!)

Another simple and inexpensive refresh is done! I am hoping to try the Plaster of Paris on another vase again sometime. I would like to try one with a smoother finish and with some color added. I’ll put that on the 2021 list.

Thank you so much for visiting Mulch and Paint today! Hope to see you again soon!