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If you’re willing to DIY a little, you can save a lot of money by making your own wedding centerpiece vase or compote. Even better, you can sell it for a profit when you’re done!
I spent a lot of time online looking for inspiring table settings that would trigger a desire in me to replicate it for my own wedding. Once I stumbled upon a gold compote vase, I knew it was meant to be. These pedestal vases are so elegant and charming. I couldn’t believe they were going for $19 a pop on Etsy. A floral budget will quickly skyrocket when you start adding in all the various vessels. I questioned how the sellers were making these and after some digging, realized they were just using some stuff from the Dollar Tree. Off I went on my quest to replicate these compotes and save some money!!
Materials Needed
- Glass Bowls – The Dollar Tree – $1.25 at time of publishing (yes, blame inflation on the extra quarter. These should be available in-store).
- Glass Candlesticks – The Dollar Tree – $1.25 at time of publishing (you may have to order these online and pay for shipping because they are not always in store. If you order 10, it will come out to a reasonable ~$2.25/stick)
- E6000 Adhesive – Amazon/Home Depot/Michaels
- Spray Paint– Amazon/Home Depot – you will likely use one can for all your materials. Here’s where you can customize. Do you want gold, silver, or bronze? Do you want to give it a mercury glass effect? Do you just want it clear? Choose what looks best with your desired aesthetic!
- Top Coat – Amazon/Home Depot
Painting the Glassware
Follow these steps for painting your glass bowl and candle stick holder.
- Remove labels. You may need rubbing alcohol to assist with this.
- Thoroughly clean and dry the bowl and candlestick holder.
- Choose a well-ventilated spot to spray paint the glassware. This could be the garage or outdoors.
- Prepare the area. This could mean finding an old cardboard box on which to put the glassware, or creating a makeshift spray booth that protects the surroundings from overspray.
- Put the bowl upside down and the candle stick holder right side up. I recommend painting the outside of the bowl versus the inside because the inside will have the potential to get scraped up during the flower arranging process.
- Spray paint! Don’t overdo it. Thin layers are best to prevent drips. Follow the instructions on your spray paint can regarding recoating times. It’s not a bad idea to do at least 2 coats to ensure you are giving it an opaque finish.
- Let dry for at least 24 hours.
- Optional: Top coat with a clear enamel and let dry for at least 24 hours.
Attaching the Glassware to Create the Compote Vase
Once you are satisfied with your paint job (double check that you can’t see through it and it looks good), it’s time to affix the candle stick holder to the bowl!
1. Turn your bowl upside down.
2. Draw a bead of the glue around the rim of the candle stick holder.
3. Draw a bead of glue on the base of the bowl (around where the candle stick will be affixed – test this out first).
4. Secure the candle stick to the bowl, ensuring it’s centered properly.
5. Let it dry and cure for at least 24 hours (check glue label).
Curing
After Googling how to cure paint, I decided to bake my bowl and candle stick (before I secured them with glue). I put them in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. This is the color they were when I took them out:
Moreover, they had a really weird texture to them that was very irritating on my hands.
Needless to say, I do NOT recommend curing these in the oven. Learn from my mistake! I ended up re-doing these so they are now the appropriate bright, shiny gold I intended for them. However, since I am only painting the outside of the bowl, the inside still shows darker (as per the photos above). That’s okay, because no one is going to see the inside when it’s full of beautiful flowers!
The best way to cure them is time. And a top coat doesn’t hurt either.
So that’s it!!! If you’ve tackled this project, I’d love to see your results in the comments! Happy DIYing!!
If you’re still looking for a florist, be sure to check out our Florist Comparison Tracker!
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