I’ve been getting so into D.I.Y. projects lately and here’s the newest! I’m going to show you how you can inexpensively upcycle glass vases into terracotta pottery. These can be used for decorations, flowers, plants, you name it.
Terracotta isn’t very pricey for the most part, but being able to create and recycle your own pottery brings meaning to it. I love that instead of creating more terracotta material, we’re recycling as well!
Materials Needed:
- Acrylic Paint
- Baking Powder
- Paintbrush
- Glass Jars, Vases
- Drop Cloth or Old Towel
Here are the materials I used. I popped over to the local neighborhood art store, as I’m a big fan of supporting local and didn’t want to wait for my supplies to ship. I used two different colors of acrylic paints in light gray/sand and burnt sienna. Each of these were $5. I also bought a cheap paintbrush for $5 and grabbed baking powder from the local store. Already, your required materials run under $20 depending on how many colors you want to try out.
Acquire Glass In Various Shapes
One of the funnest parts to making these terracotta pots is picking out your glass shapes. Goodwill is a great place to go for recycled glass. Each of these jars were $1.99! I grabbed only three because I didn’t want to end up with too many of these terracotta glass pots. Give them a quick rinse to get any oils or residues off. I wasn’t worried about the stickers on the bottom because those can be painted over.
Mix Baking Powder With Paint
Excuse the cat here… There was no measuring process in this step. I tried to go for a 1 to 1/3 ratio of paint to baking powder. Ultimately, you can add as much or as little as you want to get to the right consistency. I mixed it straight with my paintbrush, but you can use a spoon if it’s easier. I also just used tinfoil, since I didn’t have any pallets which made for simple cleanup.
Start Painting Terracotta!
It’s very important when you begin painting to wait for the first coat to dry completely before adding the second coat. If you try to paint a second coat too quickly you’ll end up pulling the first coat off with your paint brush.
Here’s a better photo of paint mixing with the second color I chose. It turns sort of “muddy”. You can just eyeball it. You don’t want it too dry or too wet, just enough to add texture to the paint.
Wait For First Coat To Dry Before Applying Second Coat of Terracotta
Here are all the pieces I ended up painting. You really have to make sure everything is completely dry before applying the second coat.
Decorate With Your Terracotta Pottery
Here are the final pieces! My boyfriend ended up using one for his chopsticks in the kitchen while the other two went in the bathroom. The burnt sienna turned out darker than expected, but I think it compliments the rest of the wood in his apartment.
Be sure to check out the design page, for more D.I.Y tips and ways to upcycle materials.
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