Full disclosure: I don’t do houseplants. I tried, once. They all died. But I like the looks of plants, and luckily, am more than happy to fill my house with fake plants since all of my real-plant attempts have failed.
This is my latest plant-project. My office needs both some greenery and gold accents, so a gold and white vase topped with a green succulent sounded perfect.
I picked up these vases at the Habitat for Humanity Restore for under a dollar each. Today I’ll be working with the tiny one. So cute, right? The price was just a bonus! Although, honestly, if you are paying $5-$10 at a craft store for vases, you are doing something wrong. Every thrift store I’ve been to has an abundant glass vase section, so definitely check those first before purchasing a vase from a full-price retailer.
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Simple and Elegant Spray Painted Glass Planter
Materials
- Glass Vase– As mentioned above, check your local thrift store first!
- Spray Paint- I used Rustoleum Universal Pure Gold and Rustoleum 2x White spray paints. If you’re thinking of buying a cheaper spray paint, don’t. I get you. I skimp on quality for cost all the time, but in this case, it’s not worth it. Glass is hard to spray paint, so you want something you know will stick. That’s why I went with the fancy $6 paint versus the $3 paint.
- Fake Succulent (or real, if you’re brave)- You can pick these up at your local craft store for a couple bucks!
- Stone Granules– I got mine at Michaels, but any craft store should have them!
Step 1: Spray Paint the Entire Vase
Because glass is such a glossy surface, it can be hard to spray paint. I’ve found it really helps to:
- Actually hold the can 12”-16” away from the surface. Spray paint cans always say to do this, but I bet most of us hold the can much closer. But holding it far away helps you spray a light coat on the surface, which is exactly what you want. If you hold the can too close, too much paint will get on the glass, and it well end up dripping down the surface.
- Spray light coats, 5 minutes apart. I circled around the vase making sure every place got lightly sprayed, then went upstairs, did a quick chore, and came back down to spray again. I did 3 coats before I decided it was fully covered.
I knew I was going to cover the top half with white, so I didn’t do quite as many coats on that half.
Step 2: Wait 24 Hours
To paint a different color, we’re going to cover up some of the original layer with painters tape. That means the paint needs to be entirely dry, else the paint gets pulled up when we remove the painters tape.
Step 3: Cover the Base With Painters Tape
I wanted half of the vase to be gold and the other half to be white, so I covered the bottom half in painters tape.
Step 4: Spray Paint Top Half in Another Color
Keep the tips above in mind; you’re still painting glass, after all!
Step 5: Wait… Then Remove Painters Tape
I waited a full 24 hours before touching the vase, but you probably could have gotten away with 3-4. Gently pull off the painters tape, and admire your almost completed vase!
Step 6: Fill Vase With Stone Granules and Succulent
I purchased these stone granules at Michaels:
I poured the stone granules into the vase until it was mostly full, then stuck the succulent in. The stem of my succulent was too long for the base; I simply bent it so that it was a bit shorter. You could cut it as well, but that stem is typically made of metal, and might be a bit difficult to cut with scissors. If you have a pair of wire cutters, that would probably work perfectly.
Isn’t it cute?
It’s handy enough that I keep grabbing it stage my different projects… that’s how you know a craft was a win!
I love adding greenery to my house, for whatever reason I think it makes things so homey. If you do too, check out my Indoor Trellis Garden, which was just perfect for the entryway of my California condo. And if you liked this post, be sure to save it to Pinterest so you can find it again later!
