Painted Jar Vases

Need a quick centerpiece? Fancy up a recycled jar with a little paint, and you’re in business! The sky’s the limit with designs for these jar vases, and these also work really well as luminaries. Just pop a tea light inside and you can add a soft glow to your evening events.

Materials

glass jar, label removed
acrylic or spray paint
painter’s tape
paint brush (optional)
Modge Podge (optional)

Painted Jar Vases, Step-by-Step

Start by taping a design onto your jar. I did a simple colored bottom for my first one. The second one I got more ambitious and did a cute little sloping thing, which was kind of fun.

Next, paint your design in. If you are using acrylic paint, you may need two coats. I’ve also seen this done by dipping the jar into a bowl of paint. I didn’t have enough paint to try that, but it seems like a neat idea. I bet it would give you a smooth cover. Painting with the acrylic gives you more texture, which I liked. It looked kind of rustic.

Your jars will need to dry at least one hour in between coats. To finish, coat your jar in Modge Podge. You can skip this step, but the paint will chip and peel very easily.

Once your Modge Podge layer dries, you’re ready to use your prettied up jar as a vase or luminary or gift or whatever!