Oh, how I love a DIY that a) is inexpensive, b) takes almost no time and c) yields great results. When I came across this bottle makeover idea at Poppytalk, it not only fit my criteria, but almost felt a bit like cheating. How could something so easy look so great? And where do I find such fantastic bottles?
Here's a recap of the instructions found on Poppytalk (original article is from Canadian House & Home):
- After finding some bottles with great shape and detail, remove the labels, clean the inside and let them dry out completely.
- Next, pour a good size dollop of paint into the bottom of the bottle. The color options here are endless. This set is monochromatic, but a few bold contrasting pieces would be quite nice as well.
- With the paint in the bottle, you will have to slowly rotate the bottle to get the paint to coat the entire interior of the bottle. Depending on the opacity of the paint, this might require two coats. (Acrylic paint will work for this as it will adhere to the glass, but note that you shouldn't fill the bottle with water later.)
- Let it dry thoroughly and you are all set.
(Image credit: Angus McRitchie / Canadian House & Home)
Veronica & Keith's Handmade Chic 
The World's Ugliest Condo: The Big Bathroom Reveal 
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Hunslet Dinner Plate
A Beginner's Guide to Superb Stir-Fry: Quick, Healthy Meals from a Wok
Homesteaders' Cocktail Recipe: Lovage Simple Syrup
Comments (38)
Are all of the bottles glass? I wonder if you could use plastic bottles?
it would stick, but can be scratched off easier. It's almost impossible to paint plastic and have it stick. Look gorgy though!
Genius! I'm doing this tonight!
I love Apartment Therapy. I swear, I have found so many good ideas here.
would love to try this.
Maybe stupid question: Would it be safe to put a candle in them?
Yes, I'm wondering about candles myself! And also, are there paints you can use that would mean you COULD put water in the jar later?
Love!
@adamwa....
Latex paint is technically "non-flammable", it uses water as a solvent...
(where oil based paint is highly flammable due to chemical solvents in the paint)
Having said that...I'm not so sure I would put a candle in close proximity to the painted surface..."non-flammable"
is a technical term, usually followed by a warning on the can saying to "keep away from sparks/open flame".
@ Dodie: Pebeo makes glass paints which you can buy either online or at many art supply stores. They are primarily transparent, but some come in a matte / opaque finish. Once you've "painted" a jar (or any other pretty glass) you just bake it in the oven. You can't eat or drink off of the finished piece, but it is waterproof. You could use the jars as votive holders or vases.
@Dodie, use the small battery-operated tea-lights.
They are excellent for making all kinds of flame-unfriendly bric-a-brac into lamps.
That's gorgeous. I thought it was some kind of milkglass until I read it. Definitely gonna try this!!
great reuse of paint too. have paint thats too bright for outdoor walls but now can add splashes of colour! excellent.
Yeah, I got this idea from Martha Stewart a few years ago. Since it was so cheap an idea, I decided to experiment a little bit. Sure enough, several different paints will work and none of the ones I tried will hold up to water in the long run. I might try Annie Stewart's recommendation, though!
If you use a large-mouthed jar, you can set a small bud vase inside and put flowers/water inside that smaller container.
Oh, and I was going to say: tinted glass looks much prettier, in my opinion.
ahhhhh....i LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea!!! i agree that DIY projects that cost next to NOTHING are the best! this might totally be tried at casacullen this week! bravo and cheers!
Wow.
ps, that cut-glass larger bottle is from organic lemon juice! i astonish myself at the random things I know.
well cool im totally going to try this... i have a ton of paint samples from painting our place I could use... ill try the battery operated tea lights just to be safe
I believe mcheerio is right. Knudsen's Organic Juice. I love that stuff, delicious, but kind of expensive.
Neat glass idea! The look is very soft and elegant. I have a bunch of Bawls bottles. I wouldn't do this to them though because I like them for their beautiful blue color. I imagine they would make a really awesome hanging mood light project. Not sure exactly what to do though.
Beautiful!
I'm with ladymantle - if you can't use them for a vase because they don't stand up to water and you can't use them for candles because of the flammable aspects of the paint- what is their purpose?
I think they look gorgeous, but I can't imagine spending the time to paint all my glass jars simply to display on a shelf.
I wonder if after painting if you coated it with poly if putting water in wouldn't be an issue? I am going to try this for a baby shower I am throwing this weekend and see how it turns out.
They look okay, like a really nice kids' project for Mother's Day. But since so much of AT's mission is to get people to get rid of stuff they don't use/need (remember the post about photographing your collections?), what's the point of this? Recycle the dang things and be done with it.
@redping - that is a great idea. Clearly since they won't hold up in the long run, consider this as a decor idea for something temporary - like a party or a shower or even a wedding. they make cute centerpieces and if you already have a good amount of the materials, then why not!!
I second FantasticMrFaux. This seems more like clutter than a fabulous idea. Although I think it might be fun for a special tablescape for a shower or something.
AH! We just found our mom/daughter craft project for the weekend. So cute!
Thanks. --Oh and I *love* the idea of using those led electric candles. Doing it!
http://www.marthastewart.com/article/best-bottle-beauty
Here is the Martha Stewart version. She uses dishwasher safe enamel made for glass so that you can put water in them.
Saw this a few years back and always wanted to try it!
Those bottles are just lovely!
I second what redping said....if I have acrylic paint on hand, and bottles on hand, and poly on hand...(which I do...) I'm going to go for it ~
I'm not in the mood to go out and buy more stuff.
I am in the mood to use up what I have and make gorgeous stuff...! :)
Oooh, this is very reminiscent of milk glass. Love it!
http://www.houseandhome.com/tv/
Hey it looks like Canadian House&Home has a video demonstrating how to do it! (it's in the second segment of the show)
"Design editor Stephanie White paints glass plates, jars and bottles to create chic, DIY collectibles."
Why not use them to store pens, or art supplies like colored pencils and paintbrushes? Branches and dried flowers would also look pretty in them.
Many acrylics are "water insoluble" but lower quality acrylics tend to not be. Acrylics can be watered down when wet, but should be waterproof when dry. Do a test with your paint on glass. You can do the test on the exterior and scrape it off with a razor blade later.
I was thinking of keeping office supplies in nice looking clear glass jars, but I'm absolutely going to try this.
I liked this tutorial from design*sponge as well : http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/10/diy-project-ericas-faux-pottery-project.html
As for water-proofing, for some of the larger jars you would like to use as vases, I'm sure you could fit a slim vase inside, undetectably of course, and have that be filled with water.
Acrylic/latex paint will be water insoluable when dry. (Don't use watercolors or tempera paints, of course.) Most people paint the outside of their houses with latex paint these days. In the case of the inside of the jars, what would happen is that water would find a small scratch in the paint and make it's way under the paint and soon it would begin to peel off. This would not stop one from using the jar as a vase one time or perhaps even several times before the paint comes loose. As to candles, acrylic paint is essentually a plastic coating and too much heat could cause it to melt and perhaps smolder and smoke. So...water yes a time or two but candles, never.
Neat idea! Just stick a shot glass in the bottom of the painted jar and, voila, a vase!
If you're in Canada perhaps check any of the dollar stores - they often carry interesting jars, vases, and glassware that would look great with this treatment, and at extremely reasonable prices.