Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Channeling My Inner Craftiness with Faux Paper Mache Vases

I passed up a Rachel Ashwell paper mache bucket on eBay last month.

I'm still kicking myself.

But being the semi-crafty (?) person I am,
I wondered if I could make one myself.

I did.

Well, sorta.

I bought some pretty dinner napkins...






dug out a terra cotta pot,




and hauled out some Mod Podge from my stash.




I set the pot upside down on a stack of bed risers,




and then tore the napkins into 2" strips, peeling the three layers apart.




Letting my free spirit flap feebly soar while totally winging this project,
I slathered on the Mod Podge,




laid on a strip of napkin, and tapped it into place with my fingers and with the tip of the paintbrush.




Eventually, the entire pot was covered and looking pretty ugly.
My inner-craftiness was quickly disintegrating into a pile of "What-was-I-thinking"?




So I tried it again on a glass vase.
Same technique.  Different napkins.
The glass was a bit more difficult to work with,
but I kept going.
Slathering and laying and sticking and tapping.




I turned out the basement lights,
and trudged up the stairs ~
expecting no miracles.

The next morning, my wary eyes peeked apprehensively at the mess on the basement table.

Okaaaay....not tooo bad.
Not too bad at all!
I gave them both a light coat of poly and let that dry.

I turned them over in my hands and decided that they both needed more of an aged look.
So, I pounced on some dark wax and rubbed it around, creating a vintage patina.
After giving them a little buff job,
they were ready for their photo shoot.

I'll let you decide if they're photo-worthy.  :)


Glass vase


Glass vase

Terra cotta pot

Terra cotta pot

I am ready to try another one and will be looking for a large pot this spring at the garden centers.
Instead of napkins, I plan on trying it with some floral wallpaper.
Yep.  Totally winging it again.

Looks like my inner craftiness will be getting another workout...


~  Blessings  ~



Linking to the linky parties on the lower right of my sidebar.




Follow my blog with Bloglovin


52 comments:

  1. So pretty Laurie! I guess I missed Rachels.I don't remember it.Today I found a thrifty Rachel piece,I guess it was meant to be.A sweet little hamper? I think that is what it is.Using it to store our winter gear for now.Beautiful photos <3
    xx
    Anne

    ReplyDelete
  2. Laurie,
    WOW, turned out really cool. I think your paper napkin choices were excellent ones! I'm impressed you had the patience not to look till morning.
    XO,
    Vera

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Laurie... I think they both turned out fabulous!... you are so creative, and I love that you try to make everything yourself rather than buy whenever you can... and RA's things are soooo expensive!... I especially love that first glass one with the pink roses in it!... and is that an afghan next to it in dusty rose color?... xoxo Julie

    ReplyDelete
  4. I totally love it ! And love the darker colors too and browns !! You are so crafty . I adore that !!! Cant wait to see next one !! Take care

    ReplyDelete
  5. I totally love it ! And love the darker colors too and browns !! You are so crafty . I adore that !!! Cant wait to see next one !! Take care

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great idea! I would've never thought to use paper napkins. Looks so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  7. These are so beautiful, Laurie!!
    Mary Alice

    ReplyDelete
  8. So THAT's what the RA pots are. I've never seen one in person so I couldn't tell. Laurie they are really pretty. I'm with Tausha; looking forward to seeing the next one. I admire how fearlessly you jump into these projects. Very inspiring.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Very pretty, Laurie. Love that touch of age.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I like these. My favorite part of any of your projects, however, is the beautiful way you stage and photograph them when you are finished.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Very pretty, Laurie. Love that touch of age.

    ReplyDelete
  12. lovely and you got to play messy artist ( i love that about paper mache) Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop . Big Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  13. I think they both look very pretty. Your inner crafty self is very talented in many many ways.

    Blessings friend.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Just think of the things we can cover with this technique... And even add glitter...the ultra fine Martha Stewart kind?? I'm sometimes a glitter person but often not. I love the staging and the aged look on these very much... I need to do this on a cabinet!

    ReplyDelete
  15. That looks so pretty! I need to try this. Ikea has some beautiful napkins right now that would be perfect :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. mi piace tantissimo!!!
    secondo me sei stata molto brava, io sceglierei colori pastello!!!
    ciao
    Annalisa
    http://shabbyloggettoripensato.blogspot.it/

    ReplyDelete
  17. Laurie, I am up late and what better than to be inspired by your creative beauty here.
    Love what you have come up with to solving your want for those vintage paper mâche vases.
    It looks so old and oh so vintage, in fact if you had not shown off your vision in how you created it, we would have all thought it was a vase from the 40's or older.
    Simply divine.

    This is something I want to try my hand at :)

    Thank you for something to dream about, I will have sweet dreams full of inspiring thoughts tonight.

    Xoxo
    Doré

    ReplyDelete
  18. Laurie, I am up late and what better than to be inspired by your creative beauty here.
    Love what you have come up with to solving your want for those vintage paper mâche vases.
    It looks so old and oh so vintage, in fact if you had not shown off your vision in how you created it, we would have all thought it was a vase from the 40's or older.
    Simply divine.

    This is something I want to try my hand at :)

    Thank you for something to dream about, I will have sweet dreams full of inspiring thoughts tonight.

    Xoxo
    Doré

    ReplyDelete
  19. So beautiful Laurie,I also tried , it's going very well and the result is beautiful is not it? :-) I'm so did it - you are really smart,I have to throw more too -lol-
    Have a nice day sweet friend!!!
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  20. Nice done Laurie !!!...enjoy your day love Ria...x !

    ReplyDelete
  21. They turned out beautifully Laurie! You did a wonderful job:)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Good morning, Laurie,

    Oh, how I love your crafty spirit! Whenever I attempt anything new, there's the initial excitement, followed by the neat organization of materials, followed by total chaos and the "what was I ever thinking" doubt. But a little time and some tweaking can make a world of difference. I think the wax really made your pieces shine (in more ways than one). :)

    I like how these turned out, love that you shared the process and pics, and am looking around wondering if I have all the materials to give it a go myself.

    Happy Thursday to you and yours,
    Lin

    ReplyDelete
  23. they are fabulous, clever girl! and i'm sure these were way cheaper than the ebay item. love the pretty pillows in the last picture, too:)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Fun project with beautiful results!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thank you for the great idea of using napkins. Great idea for Christmas too when the napkins are on sale! Both containers look wonderful! Mod Podge is great. Thanks for sharing!
    Blessings, Diane

    ReplyDelete
  26. Laurie I think these came out great and I love the colors and they look aged. Great job!

    Cynthia

    ReplyDelete
  27. These are beautiful...thanks for sharing on the blog hop!

    ReplyDelete
  28. oooh, pretttyyyyy! I'm not real familiar with Ashwell stuff, but I like what you've done, Laurie. A great indoor craft while the weather is yucky.

    ReplyDelete
  29. What a awesome idea! I will definitely try it.

    ReplyDelete
  30. They look great! I've never worked with Mod Podge, so it would be a total wing job for me too. I've seen beautiful projects done with it, but never had the courage to try it. Love to see what you make next.
    Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  31. I love it Laurie. Thanks for sharing the process. Looking forward to seeing your jext project.
    Dianne

    ReplyDelete
  32. Laurie this is more than gorgeous!
    Love it so much!!!
    Thanks for sharing with us...love your creativity!
    Hugs!

    All my heart,
    Deborah xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  33. Oh it looks amazing! Way to go .....I saw somewhere these paper pots and I am trying to remember where.They would be so perfect for this.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hi Laurie, thanks for sharing your beautiful, shabby flower pots. They are beautiful as they are with their brownish sheen! If, however, you need to ave a brighter, lighter vase somewhere in the house, maybe you could give this a try: you paint the vases with white or cream acrylic first. That gives the napkins a waterproof background (as you do with mod podge) and by doing so, the images on the napkins can be seen brightly (if this is what you want). Its all a matter of background! You can still age them with patina in the end.
    Hopefully I could show you an alternative (but I think, you have already tried and tested this ages ago...
    I love your blog and am a faithful follower!
    Have a nice day!
    Manu

    ReplyDelete
  35. i hate it when i pass up
    a good deal

    but you made lemonade out of lemons
    when you came up with this sweet
    little vase on your own

    i love it!

    thanks for sharing
    at Fridays Unfolded!

    Alison
    Nancherrow

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hi Laurie, WOW your artsy pots turned out fabulous. I love them both and so pretty filled with roses. You did an amazing job on these and it looks like you had a lot of fun too. I have worked with this technique and I know it can be messy but so worth it for the finish you ended with. You can also copy pretty fabric on your printer and run off papers to use as well. Love how your added the antiquing to age them.
    You are so talented and such an inspiration. Sorry you passed the great deal on ebay, but yours are so pretty you won anyway!!
    Have a great weekend!! XOXO
    p.s. thank you for stopping by and your kind comment.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Hello Laurie. I love this idea. So simple with amazing results. Your pots turned out beautiful and perfectly unique. I love the finished pots filled with the pretty roses, Amazing. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful idea.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Laurie,
    A M A Z I N G!!!
    You surpise yourself, but not me, dear friend!!!
    I love, love, love the vase you made with the pink floral napkin!!!
    Have a wonderful (creative) weekend!!!
    Fondly,
    Pat

    ReplyDelete
  39. That turned out so well. I love the vintage look it has. The wax made all the difference.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Very pretty, it gives great texture! I bought quite a few packages of napkins last summer with decoupage on my mind...fun to see how it turns out. Thanks for the hint of separating the layers...

    ReplyDelete
  41. Yes Laurie, I have done this before and you can not judge until you leave them over night. I love how they turned out! Especially the glass jar. The waxing gave them a fabulous vintage feel. Tissue paper is another thing that works great! Now I'm thinking I might need a pretty one for Spring. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    ReplyDelete
  42. These turned out beautiful Laurie !!!
    I've never mod podged a thing in my life - time to get on this band wagon I think :)
    XXX

    ReplyDelete
  43. They're gorgeous! Oh yes, the wax made a big difference. Glad you didn't give up on them, very nice job.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Very pretty!!

    I Co hosted last week's Fluster's Creative Muster Party! Thanks for linking up!!

    Hugs,
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  45. Oh Laurie! When I saw the glass vase it caught me by surprise because it looks so much like the raku pottery we make. This is so fascinating to see! I love the look of it with those roses too. Beautiful! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  46. They turned out very pretty Laurie! I'm never afraid to try something new. Sometimes I land in a bed of roses, and sometimes I hit the cow pie in the field, but I always learn something from it lol! Thanks for sharing this at What We Accomplished Wednesdays! Have a super week!

    Deborah

    ReplyDelete
  47. Look at you you lil Ms.Crafty !!!! I am so blown away! Your vase and planter turned out amazing !!!! Thanks so much for the lovely inspiration dear.
    Hope you're feeling better.

    ~ Steph

    ReplyDelete
  48. Laurie, I love this project! I wasn't sure how they would turn out, but they both look gorgeous! The napkins you picked look perfect. You're so creative!! Thanks so much for sharing!
    Hugs,
    Jody

    ReplyDelete
  49. This is marvelous! I am honored that you shared at Home and Garden Thursday!
    Kathy

    ReplyDelete
  50. Sometimes you just have to let that creativity out Laurie... look at the amazing things that happen.
    Hugs ~ Kerryanne

    ReplyDelete
  51. How fun is this. Love it. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty

    ReplyDelete

Bless you and thank you for visiting! I read each of your comments and treasure them all. So, please make sure your settings will accept emails, or leave your email address so that I can reply! ♥ Laurie