DIY Vase Ideas: 15 Handmade Vases That Look Like Designer Pieces
DIY vase ideas are filling up feeds this fall, and it is easy to see why. A designer vase can cost more than a nice dinner out, but the same look can come from an empty bottle, an old jar or a coffee can. Crafters are sharing their makeovers every day this month, and one reel from a big DIY community, posted on October 16, showed a cheap glass bowl turned into holiday porch decor and passed about 210,000 views in under two weeks. People want something pretty to hold dried grasses now and pine branches in December. Below you will find 15 handmade vases in all kinds of finishes, from faux ceramic to fluted wood, plus one easy tip that keeps water from ever touching your hard work..
DIY Vase Ideas That Look Like Designer Pieces
Walk into any fancy home store and you will see vases with chalky finishes, fluted sides and stone textures, often with price tags that make you gasp. The secret is that most of those looks are just paint, texture and shape. With a few bottles from the recycling bin and a free afternoon, you can make a whole shelf of them. Mix different heights and finishes, add dried stems or evergreen branches, and your home suddenly looks styled. You will never pay full price for a vase again..
You will need: Empty glass bottles and jars, acrylic or chalk paint, baking soda, air dry clay, rope, sandpaper and a few dried stems.
How to make it: 1. Clean and dry your bottles and jars and remove the labels. 2. Pick two or three finishes from this list. 3. Group the finished vases in odd numbers at different heights.
A Smooth Concrete Bottle Vase
Concrete vases look modern, heavy and very expensive, but the mold can be as simple as a cut plastic bottle. Pour the mix in, push a smaller bottle or tube in the center to make the opening, and let it cure. Peel away the plastic and you have a smooth, stone gray vase with all the little air bubbles that make it look real. If you love this look, our cement crafts have even more ideas. Would you leave yours gray or paint the top white?
You will need: A large plastic bottle, a smaller bottle or tube, quick setting concrete mix, water, gloves, a dust mask and sandpaper.
How to make it: 1. Wear gloves and a mask, then mix the concrete to a thick pancake batter feel. 2. Pour it into the cut bottle and press the smaller tube into the center. 3. Let it cure two days, peel off the plastic and sand the rim.
A Faux Ceramic Finish on Old Bottles
This is the trick everyone tries first, because it works on almost anything. Mix a spoon of baking soda into chalk or acrylic paint, and it turns thick and gritty, just like real pottery. Brush it onto glass bottles in soft colors like cream, sage and terracotta. Once dry, they look like handmade ceramics from a little studio. It is one of the cheapest DIY vase ideas you will ever find. Which colors would match your kitchen?
You will need: Glass bottles, chalk or acrylic paint, baking soda, a foam brush and a matte sealer.
How to make it: 1. Stir two spoons of baking soda into half a cup of paint. 2. Dab on two coats with a foam brush for texture. 3. Let it dry and seal with a matte spray.
A Bubble Vase From a Jar and Clay
Bubble vases are a big trend in designer shops, and you can make one with a thrifted jar and a little air dry clay. Roll small balls of clay and press them all over the jar, big and small, until it is covered in soft bumps. Paint it white or a pale color and it turns into a sculptural piece that looks like art. Even one dried stem looks special in it. It is one of those DIY vase ideas that looks far more expensive than it is. Would you keep it white or try a soft pink?
You will need: A round glass jar, white air dry clay, a little water, white acrylic paint and a matte sealer.
How to make it: 1. Roll clay balls in different sizes. 2. Wet the backs slightly and press them all over the jar. 3. Let it dry two days, paint it and seal it.
DIY Vase Ideas With Rope Wrapped Bottles
Rope wrapped bottles bring a cozy farmhouse feel to any table, and they take about twenty minutes. Start at the bottom and wind cotton rope or jute tightly around the bottle, adding a little glue as you go. Mix two textures for an extra designer look. Fill them with wheat, cotton stems or dried grasses for fall, then swap in pine at Christmas. Have you saved any pretty bottles lately?
You will need: Glass bottles, cotton rope or jute twine, craft glue or a glue gun used by an adult, and scissors.
How to make it: 1. Glue the end of the rope at the bottom of the bottle. 2. Wrap upward in tight rows, adding glue every few turns. 3. Tuck and glue the end at the neck.
A Paper Mache Vase With a Stone Look
Paper mache is not just for school projects. Build a tall vase shape over a bottle or a cardboard tube, and finish it with a speckled stone texture, and nobody will guess it is paper. It is light, so it is perfect for tall branches that might tip a heavy vase. Use it for dried stems only, or slip a jar inside for fresh ones. Light, cheap and sturdy, it is one of the most practical DIY vase ideas for tall stems. How tall would you make yours?
You will need: A bottle or cardboard tube, newspaper strips, flour and water paste, gray and white paint, a toothbrush for speckles and a sealer.
How to make it: 1. Cover the form with three or four layers of paper strips and paste. 2. Let it dry fully. 3. Paint it gray, flick white and black speckles with a toothbrush and seal.
A Fluted Vase From Wooden Dowels
Fluted vases have rows of rounded ridges up the sides, and they are everywhere in high end decor right now. You can copy the look by gluing thin wooden dowels side by side around a cylinder vase or a can. Stain them a warm honey color and the result looks like a carved wooden piece. Among all the DIY vase ideas here, this one gets the most double takes. Would you stain yours light or dark?
You will need: A cylinder vase or tin can, thin wooden dowels, a small saw or cutters used by an adult, wood glue and stain.
How to make it: 1. Cut the dowels to the height of the vase. 2. Glue them side by side all the way around. 3. Let the glue dry and brush on stain.
DIY Vase Ideas With Clay: A Wavy Rim Vase
A soft wavy rim makes a simple clay vase look playful and modern at the same time. Wrap rolled air dry clay around a jar or bottle, then gently press the top edge up and down with your fingers. Paint it creamy white or a soft earth tone. It is the kind of handmade piece that makes people ask where you bought it. Keep it for dried leaves, or slip a jar inside for fresh flowers. What would you put in yours first?
You will need: Air dry clay, a rolling pin, a jar or bottle as a form, water, acrylic paint and a sealer.
How to make it: 1. Roll the clay into a flat sheet and wrap it around the jar. 2. Smooth the seam and press a soft wave into the top edge. 3. Let it dry, then paint and seal.
DIY Vase Ideas in Frosted White Glass
Painting a clear vase on the inside gives it a soft, milky glow, like vintage milk glass. Pour a little white paint inside, swirl it around until every spot is covered, and let the extra drip out. Group three or four on a windowsill and they look beautiful with white winter stems. It is quick, cheap and perfect for a snowy season look. How many clear vases are hiding in your cupboard right now?
You will need: Clear glass vases, white acrylic or chalk paint, a paper towel and a sheet of newspaper.
How to make it: 1. Pour a few spoons of paint into the vase. 2. Swirl it slowly until the inside is covered. 3. Turn it upside down on newspaper to drip and dry for a day.
A Linen Wrapped Coffee Can Vase
An empty coffee can is the perfect size for a big bunch of dried hydrangeas. Wrap it in a strip of linen or burlap, tie it with twine, and it looks like a country store find. Add a little sprig of greenery under the twine for extra charm. These make lovely hostess gifts during the holidays, too. Easy DIY vase ideas like this one are perfect for a craft night with friends. Do you save your coffee cans?
You will need: A clean coffee can, linen or burlap fabric, fabric glue, natural twine and dried flowers.
How to make it: 1. Cut the fabric to wrap around the can with a small overlap. 2. Glue it in place and fold the top edge inside. 3. Tie twine around the middle and fill with flowers.
A Tall Floor Vase From a Cardboard Tube
Tall floor vases are some of the priciest pieces in any home shop. Make your own from a thick cardboard shipping or carpet tube. Glue a sturdy base on the bottom, paint it in a rich matte color like terracotta, and fill it with tall pampas or branches. It fills an empty corner instantly. Since it is cardboard, keep it for dried stems only. Big DIY vase ideas like this one make a real statement for almost nothing. Where in your house would one look best?
You will need: A thick cardboard tube, a wooden round for the base, strong glue, matte paint and tall dried stems.
How to make it: 1. Glue the tube to the wooden base and let it set. 2. Paint two coats of matte paint. 3. Fill it with tall dried stems or branches.
A Stacked Glass Bowl Centerpiece Vase
Two cheap glass bowls glued rim to rim make a round, bubble shaped vase that looks amazing on a dining table. Fill it with water and floating greenery, or tuck in ornaments and pine for Christmas. It is clear, so it never fights with your other decor. Big DIY communities have been sharing glass bowl makeovers all month. Would you fill yours with flowers or ornaments?
You will need: Two matching clear glass bowls, clear glass glue, rubbing alcohol and greenery.
How to make it: 1. Clean both rims with rubbing alcohol. 2. Glue one bowl upside down on the other and let it cure fully. 3. Fill it with water and greenery through the top opening, or leave it dry for ornaments.
A Terracotta Pot Turned Into a Stone Urn
A plain terracotta pot can become an aged stone urn that looks like it came from an old garden estate. Glue the pot onto an upside down saucer for a pedestal, then layer chalky gray paint with a dry brush of moss green. The texture makes it look a hundred years old. Trailing ivy spilling over the top finishes the look. It proves that DIY vase ideas work outdoors too. Would you put yours on the porch or the mantel?
You will need: A terracotta pot, a saucer, outdoor glue, gray and green chalk paint, a dry brush and outdoor sealer.
How to make it: 1. Glue the pot onto an upside down saucer to make a stand. 2. Paint it chalky gray and let it dry. 3. Dry brush moss green in the crevices and seal.
DIY Vase Ideas for Christmas Greenery
When December comes, your favorite clear vase can become the star of the mantel. Tuck small shiny ornaments in the bottom, then fill the top with pine branches and red berry stems. It looks full and festive and costs very little, especially if you snip greenery from the yard. Add a bow around the neck for a finishing touch. Of all the DIY vase ideas here, this is the one you will want to make again every year. Which ornaments would you tuck inside?
You will need: A tall clear glass vase, small shatterproof ornaments, pine branches, berry stems and a ribbon.
How to make it: 1. Drop a layer of small ornaments into the bottom of the vase. 2. Arrange pine and berry stems on top. 3. Tie a ribbon bow around the neck.
Style Dried Stems Like a Florist
The right stems make any handmade vase look finished. Dried pampas, bunny tails, wheat and eucalyptus last for months and never need water. Fan them out in a wide vase, or keep it simple with a few tall stems in a narrow one. Here is the best tip of all: if you want fresh flowers in a painted or paper vase, slip a jar or plastic cup inside to hold the water, so it never touches your finish. Simple DIY vase ideas like these will keep your home pretty well into winter. Which stems will you try first?
You will need: Dried pampas, wheat or eucalyptus, floral scissors, and a jar or cup insert for fresh flowers.
How to make it: 1. Trim stems to about one and a half times the vase height. 2. Fan the tallest stems at the back and shorter ones in front. 3. Use a hidden jar insert any time you add water.
