Altered Vase - First Shabby Chic Decoration for my New Craft Room

Hello everyone! Today I took my first couple of steps toward my new craft room. I cleaned out a desk and shelves from one corner and then needing some rest I decided to sit down and redo an old, heavy, sandy vase. The vase used to hold a Christmas tree on my front porch, but got blown over, wrecking the tree and chipping the vase. So this afternoon I gave it new life and it will become part of my Shabby Chic craft room transformation.

The vase was very dark. It looked good outside in the sun, but without light shining directly on it you could barely see the pattern. I had to lighten up the photo in Picmonkey just to show it here. There were also areas that were chipped and a big chunk was missing from the corner. I didn't repair the corner because I think it adds character.

Below are the steps I took to change the look of my vase, but the very first thing I did was wipe it down to remove any dirt. This vase is very grainy/sandy and made it difficult to clean. By the time I was done I had a small pile of sand. This was another reason I felt painting it would be a good idea. Coating it with paint keeps it from shedding sand everywhere.

After my vase was clean and dry I mixed two craft paints, Scallion in a satin finish by Martha Stewart and Mediterranean Blue by Craft Smart. Once I got the color I wanted I just brushed blue all over the vase. I was not being careful and wanted some of the dark color underneath to stay exposed.

After I finished applying the first layer of paint I took baby wipes and wiped paint off as I rubbed it around the vase. What I was trying to achieve was a very thin layer of the turquoise color that was a little heavier in the nooks and crannies. After wiping it down I used my heat tool to dry the remaining paint.

I applied white Kilz once the turquiose colored paint was completely dry. I would not suggest using this without open windows as the fumes are very strong. I don't have chalk paint or the money to make my own, so I found Kilz in the garage and thought it was the next best thing since it has a very chalking appearance. I dry-brushed the white Kilz lightly to lighten up the undercoat and accentuate the design.



I'm so happy I stumbled across this vase by my garage and surprised my husband hadn't thrown it out. I think it turned out really nice and will make a great addition to my new craft room. I will show how I filled my vase in the reveal of my room.

Happy Crafting!

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