This post brought to you by iBulb. All opinions are 100% mine.
I don’t know about you but I have at least ten different varieties of clear vases hanging out in our pantry. A few months ago Brad brought me flowers just because. Apparently he doesn’t frequent our pantry often because he also went out of his way to buy another vase for the flowers. I was that wife who was all “You brought home another vase!? Oh, and that was sweet of you to get me flowers, honey.” I may or may not have received flowers from my husband since this exchange.
So, instead of donating or throwing away all those plain, boring vases, I decided I should spruce them up. This gold dipped vase project took all of 10-15 minutes and didn’t cost me anything because I already had all the supplies.
I started with a clean, glass vase and painters tape.
I decided to go for a gold dipped look, so I put the tape on the top half of the vase. Make sure the edge that will meet the paint is sealed to the vase by running your finger over the edge.
Then I grabbed some metallic spray paint and got to work.
Remember when spray painting to go light. It’s better to have a couple thin layers of paint than to go crazy– that’s when you’ll get drips. And always, spray paint in a well-ventilated area. Woot for spray paint weather!
When the vase was dry, I carefully peeled off the tape.
No pretty vase is completely without flowers. And since Brad is on a flower buying strike, I picked up these gorgeous stargazer lilies and some greenery for myself. Ladies, there’s no shame in buying yourself flowers. I do it all the time. If you follow me on Instagram you know what I’m talking about.
I love how these lilies add a pop of color to my home office, and they smell amazing. I’m pretty sure they’ve aided in my productivity while working at my desk.
While buying the lilies from my local florist I learned some insightful tips. First tip: when a lily is starting to look transparent, snip it off and the other blooms on that stem will open. Second tip: if any of the pollen gets on your clothes don’t rub it in, immediately wash it. I went ahead and removed the pollen from the lilies before they could get on anything. I put on some latex gloves and popped off the pollen pieces and put them in the trash.
Looking for some lilies? You can find them at grocery stores, garden centers, and flower shops.
Do you have a crazy amount of vases?
Do you think this is a DIY you could tackle?
What is your favorite flower?
Stalk away!
[email protected] says
April 12, 2013 at 1:17 PMLove this idea. I actually have the same vase sitting in a Goodwill pile!! And, I have the same paint on hand. Pretty sunny day out, perfect project.
Marie Roxanne says
April 12, 2013 at 1:20 PMBut doesn’t the smell of the flowers come from the pollen?
I like the idea of the gold, but don’t like “dipped” decor items. The polka dot one is cute!
My favorite flower is the bleeding heart and since I have a balcony, I cannot have them. They probably won’t last in a container.
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
April 12, 2013 at 2:06 PMI don’t know about that, Marie. I could still smell them after I removed the pollen.
Tamar Green says
April 4, 2016 at 9:24 PMThe Lilies pictured are in the “Oriental” family of Lilies, which are all fragrant. The scent comes from the clear sap that oozes out of the center of the petals. There are many different Oriental Lilies– and they are all different color patterns. The variety pictured is “Sorbonne.”
“Stargazer” is the best known- probably because it was the first Oriental Lily widely available. All “Stargazers” are Oriental Lilies– not all Oriental Lilies are “Stargazers.”
Caitlin @ Desert Domicile says
April 12, 2013 at 1:45 PMWhat a great idea! Did you peel the tape off while the paint was still wet or did you wait until it fully dried?
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
April 12, 2013 at 2:07 PMI waited until it dried. If you don’t put on a heavy layer of spray paint it shouldn’t leave a noticeable line in terms of thickness.
Eliesa @ Pinterest Addict says
April 12, 2013 at 1:59 PMLove this! I might try this with the silver metallic spray I have in the garage!
Brittany says
April 12, 2013 at 2:15 PMGold is totally coming back, and in the coolest unexpected ways. Love this !
Erin @ How to Nest for Less says
April 12, 2013 at 2:48 PMSimply gorgeous!
[email protected] says
April 12, 2013 at 3:03 PMCute! I love the vase and those flowers are gorgeous!
I buy my own flowers all the time too. Silly men.
Tara @ Suburble says
April 12, 2013 at 4:16 PMI’m definitely trying this! What a great idea, Chelsea! I even have all of these things on hand.
Oooohhh… maybe I’ll get crafty this weekend!
Thanks for the awesome inspiration!
Emily ~So Domesticated~ says
April 12, 2013 at 4:38 PMWhat a great way to dress-up a plain glass vase! I’m so pinning this 🙂
Erika @ Our Cozy Cubbyhole says
April 12, 2013 at 5:45 PMThis is brilliantly easy! I have a million of those generic glass vases and a can of gold spray paint in the garage. Heck, I may even go home and do this on my lunch break!
Thanks for sharing!
Abby @ Just a Girl and Her Blog says
April 12, 2013 at 7:55 PMOoh, I have so many plain vases just waiting for a solution like this! I love the gold dipped look! Thanks for sharing your cute idea, Chelsea! Have a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
Kathryn says
April 12, 2013 at 8:30 PMLOVE LOVE LOVE!! Beautiful, charming and fun! I’ve been wanting to do this to some of my things too!
Kelly @ View Along the Way says
April 12, 2013 at 8:56 PMSUCH an improvement over those plain ol’ vases. I have learned never to even remotely criticize Andy’s flower purchases, because I really, really like getting flowers. Fortunately, I still got the message through to him that those ugly, not-found-in-nature colors in grocery store flowers are not my favorite. Simple tulips, daisies or roses will do thankyouverymuch.
Emily says
April 13, 2013 at 1:25 AMHello! I am a new reader, really loving your blog, instagram and pinterest! This post makes me have a strong desire to go out and buy vases and spray paint. I haven’t played around with spray paint before but this has definitely inspired me! 🙂
Alicia says
April 13, 2013 at 11:01 AMI too have so many plain vases, but this is such a clever and simple way to change it up. Plus I love the look of gold and I’ve been obsessed lately!
Heather says
April 13, 2013 at 11:22 AMThat turned out SO cute!! I also have a million vases in our cabinets. When I was purging items we don’t use in the house, I just couldn’t give them up! I’ll have to try this out!
Kady says
April 13, 2013 at 1:31 PMThis is a great idea! I have several plain glass vases laying around begging for this treatment! 🙂
[email protected] says
April 13, 2013 at 4:44 PMVery pretty!! I’m a new Stargazer fan!
Katie Godwin says
April 14, 2013 at 8:46 AMI have tons of vases too!!:) cute and easy idea, thanks!
Stacy says
April 14, 2013 at 10:23 AMStunning!! I might just have to try this soon, real soon!
Karen says
April 14, 2013 at 7:13 PMWhat a great idea!
suburbsmama says
April 15, 2013 at 1:39 AMI love this! I also have a whole shelf of vases. I need to try this. It really glamed it up. I love how the candle holder matches. If you get a chance, please link this up to my linky party: http://suburbsmama.blogspot.com/2013/04/sunday-linky-party-3.html
Chaney says
April 16, 2013 at 11:11 AMThis is so pretty! I picked up a tall, clear glass beaker the other day at the thrift store and was thinking about “sprucing it up” – maybe this is what I should do!
Debbie says
April 16, 2013 at 2:02 PMFYI lillies are poisonous to cats. I hope some of your readers who have cats don’t run out and buy lillies right away!
Rachel says
April 16, 2013 at 7:19 PMPretty pretty! This is gorgeous!
Anne says
April 17, 2013 at 11:04 AMSo simple and so pretty! I love incorporating gold into my decor these days. And I think I have some inexpensive (read: dollar tree) vases around here that could use dressing up!
Anne @ circusberry.wordpress.com
Chaney says
April 19, 2013 at 9:27 AMHey Chelsea! I included your gold-dipped vase in my “Lovely Links” post today because I LOVED it. Hope that’s ok! Have a great weekend!
Megan says
April 20, 2013 at 8:36 AMI love this! I have so many vases that I end up either donating to Good Will or randomly shoving somewhere in the house that this would be a great change up. I don’t have any gold in my house – maybe it’s time to jump on the bandwagon to add some sparkle into my house!
Kelly @ Corner of Main says
April 20, 2013 at 2:27 PMI love this! I have so many plain vases laying around. Great idea!
Ashli @ The Sweat Revolution says
April 22, 2013 at 11:05 PMMy husband does exactly the same thing! Every time he buys me flowers, he buys a new glass vase 🙂
I’m definitely going to be doing this to spruce up a few of my MANY vases!
LUCY says
April 25, 2013 at 7:25 PMIt looks great ! simple yet super ! xo
Carrie A. says
April 25, 2013 at 11:08 PMLOVE this idea! Something to do with a boring florist vase to make it look rich!
Taryn @ Design, Dining + Diapers says
April 26, 2013 at 12:30 AMI absolutely love that I had the chance to meet you at SNAP and hang out a bit because I now read your posts completely differently because I can hear you it! You are hilarious and you had me laughing out loud in this post. Oh and these are beautiful and I have an entire collection too 🙂
Jenna says
April 26, 2013 at 9:17 AMI am so into gold right now and this is so pretty! Nice and simple! Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof
Margo says
April 26, 2013 at 9:38 PMSuch a simple but beautiful idea!
Tried&Twisted says
April 30, 2013 at 9:17 AMSo classy! I love the mix of metallic and glass. Great idea!
Kerry says
May 4, 2013 at 9:13 AMLove these! Fun post!
Christa @ BrownSugarToast says
May 8, 2013 at 3:30 PMAbsolutely beautiful!!! I do have vases to get rid of, but I may try this instead. Thanks!!!
Stacey @ Likes to Smile says
May 8, 2013 at 4:41 PMSo easy and so gorgeous! I love it! And I too also have a crazy amount of vases! I found you from the YHL link up.
Tamsyn says
May 8, 2013 at 9:22 PMOne word. Perfection! I love anything gold dipped, the pink flowers look so perfect with the gold 🙂
Justynn [creative life antics] says
May 10, 2013 at 3:12 PMthis is so cute. I need more gold in my life!
// justynn
Ronnie says
May 20, 2013 at 4:50 PMI love the gold color, but I can’t read the exact color on the can. Is is gold or brass? I’d like to spray paint a metal wall hanging the same color.
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
May 20, 2013 at 8:40 PMHi Ronnnie! It’s gold. Happy spray painting!
Ronnie says
May 20, 2013 at 8:49 PMThank you very much for your very quick response, Chelsea. I will buy the paint tomorrow. (I just looked at the vase again and it really is lovely….I’m so glad I found this site).
Mitch says
May 22, 2013 at 11:36 PMHi Chelsea – I love those vases. I tried this method at Christmas, for presents, but when I washed them, the paint came off. Did I use the wrong spray paint? Is there a special kind for glass. I just bought regular spray paints (gold and silver) from our local hardware store. Any thoughts would be appreciate. Love your blog btw – lots of fun.
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
May 22, 2013 at 11:46 PMHi! I haven’t washed the outside of my vase so I couldn’t tell you my experience. Next time you could spray them with a clear spray (Rustoleum Clear Gloss is good) to help the gold spray paint from flaking off. Hope this helps! 🙂
Julie Cadieux says
May 24, 2013 at 4:01 PMI LOVE spray paint. It have saved me so much money over the years (I’ve blogged about it here: http://julieloveshome.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/just-spray-it/ )
I will so have to try this! I’m all about gold these days and have a can of gold spray paint waiting to be used …Thanks for the inspiration!
Julie
Farida says
July 11, 2013 at 3:14 AMI recently used this DIY idea on some vases and I loved the finished result, but I noticed that the spray paint scratches off VERY easily. If the vase rubs up against anything it’ll remove the paint. I used the same spray paint you did. Did you have a similar problem with your vases, and were you able to find a solution?
Carrie says
August 21, 2013 at 10:10 AMGorgeous idea. A little gold goes a long way, and the lilies look great and full in it.
Courtney says
November 18, 2013 at 3:17 PMi love this! just did it today, my very first spray paint project~ i found your page on pinterest. i am a stay at home mom and am always looking for low budget projects to do during the day! thanks!
Natalie Perea says
January 23, 2014 at 7:08 PMHey!!! LOVE THISSSS so much!!! How did you do the polka dot little vase in the first picture?
Amanda in Savannah says
April 10, 2014 at 9:05 AMHi Chealsea. Just wanted to let you know that I found your tutorial on Pinterest and it inspired me to try this project on my blog. I credited you for the idea and linked back to your blog. Here’s the post if you’re curious http://www.amandainsavannahblog.com/2014/04/10/gold-rush/
~Amanda
pink camo wedding rings says
September 20, 2014 at 6:17 AMI know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own blog and was wondering what all is needed to get
setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny?
I’m not very internet savvy so I’m not 100% certain. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
dawn says
October 5, 2014 at 6:28 PMlove the gold dipped vase. Share with me how you made sure the line was strait going around the vase with the painters tape?
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
October 5, 2014 at 11:31 PMI just eyeballed it. If it looked somewhat off I just readjusted the tape.
Audra says
February 14, 2015 at 10:16 AMI just love this idea! It looks so classy. Can you tell me how you did the polka-dots? My daughter would just love that!
kim says
November 27, 2016 at 2:18 PMI would like to know how you did the polka dots as well? 🙂 Thanks!
Sarah says
November 13, 2015 at 7:58 AMI think I’m going to try this for some homemade Christmas presents! My hubby is also one of those awesome guys who buys a vase everytime he buys flowers, so I have an annoying collection of vases! 😉
Linda at Mixed Kreations says
March 30, 2016 at 3:53 PMGreat way to dress up a plain ole vase! Easy and pretty! I’m sure I have a similar vase in my box of jars, cans and bottles.
Marsha says
March 30, 2016 at 9:40 PMBeautiful! It makes something so plain a lot more dressy. It would be nice to experiment with various patterns too. I just might get the courage to give it a try. Thank you for sharing such a lovely idea.
Gina says
April 1, 2016 at 8:27 AMI, too, have the same vase. Just need the paint! So pretty with the stargazers which smell amazing!
Elise says
October 9, 2016 at 5:36 PMI loooove this idea ! I was just wondering, I want to do this with my boring water glasses, but do you think the spray will stay on when you wash the glasses (obviously hand wash, because no way it will last in the machine )?
Meenu chaturvedi says
February 28, 2017 at 12:08 AMVery beautiful
Sammy says
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Margie says
January 25, 2018 at 7:25 PMWhat does this have to do with decorating?