Pottery Barn Inspired Artisanal Vase

Hello friends!

It is so good to be back with you at Mulch and Paint. I have soooo missed the crafting, gardening, cooking and especially….time visiting with you! This past year has been non-stop for various reasons and I just had to admit that I am human and cannot do it all. Mulch and Paint was one of the casualties of unavoidable required work and personal duties that just didn’t allow time for much more. During this time, ideas for the blog would come to mind and I’d jot them down in a notebook for later. Now, I am sitting here overwhelmed with so many ideas that it’s hard to choose what to do first! But, today is a big day because my goal is to finish this one post and work on the next. One step at a time.

Enough chitter chatter….let’s talk about this wonderful vase I recreated from a $1 thrift store vase!

First, let’s look at my inspiration.

I have seen many different artisanal terracotta vases lately and their price tags were more than I was willing to pay. I loved the vases from Pottery Barn and just this weekend found a smaller vase at Kirkland’s similar to those. I decided to try to make my own, it couldn’t hurt! I had already reinvented another vase several years ago, so I decided to use the same method.

I wanted to make a vase that was creamy white with some blue and black accents to use on my breakfast room table. I lucked out and found a nice sized plastic brown vase at the local thrift store for $1.

For easier clean up, I chose to work outside. I mixed Plaster of Paris with water and stirred it until it was the consistency of whipped cake icing. Plaster of Paris dries very quickly, so mixing it in small batches as you go is recommended. If the mixture begins to thicken, a little more water can be added. I also like to use disposable bowls, gloves and spoons so that I can just throw everything away when finished.

Working quickly and wearing the plastic disposable gloves, I scooped Plaster of Paris in my hands and rubbed it onto the vase. For a smoother finish, you could also lightly dab or spray water immediately on top of the applied Plaster of Paris and rub it to a more even finish.

The Plaster of Paris will dry quickly, so work fast and in small areas at a time. The great part about this craft is that you don’t have to wait very long in between applications. When the mixture is no longer shiny and is dry to the touch, you can apply the next layer.

Vase after first coat of Plaster of Paris mixture was applied

Vase after second coat of Plaster of Paris mixture was applied

Remember to apply some of the mixture inside the opening of the vase since it will be visible. Once the entire surface is covered and the Plaster of Paris has dried, lightly sanding rough edges across the vase will give a smoother finish. I only sanded some of the rough spots out and left it as it was.

Although I forgot to take photos, I used white, gray and black craft paint by first lightly applying white and gray paint on portions of the vase and then flicking black paint on the vase using a paintbrush. The end result makes me think of a galaxy. Since I planned to use the vase for fresh flowers, I sprayed the entire vase with a clear satin spray paint. This also gave it a light sheen finish.