DIY Artisan Pottery Vase

Happy Fall Y’all! Ok, so the third day of September doesn’t fully count as fall, but we are almost there! One of my favorite things about the changing seasons is the new decor collections. I was recently browsing through the latest collection from Pottery Barn, and totally fell in love with all their handcrafted artisan pottery. It adds such a warm and cozy vibe to a room, perfect for fall. But as we all know, it comes at a price. I don’t know about you, but this frugal DIYer cannot justify $139 for one decorative object. Naturally, I found a way to get the look for less with this DIY Artisan Pottery Vase.   

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DIY Artisan Pottery Vase Supplies

Vase 
Drywall Joint Compound
Spackle Knife
Sanding Block
Craft Paint
White Spray Paint
Chalkboard Spray Paint

As I mentioned, this is a DIY and you will be getting your hands a little dirty. Think Demi Moore in Ghost circa 1990 but without the pottery wheel and Patrick Swazye, haha! For this project I spent $0! That’s right, no money! I shopped my house and encourage you to do the same. I have linked to the items I used and a vase that would be a great shape, but you can definitely improvise. I shopped at one of my favorite stores for this, my basement! For those of you that are new here, I might be a borderline hoarder and obviously had the perfect vase for this.

I have had this vase for probably 10 years, so I had no problem transforming it. If you don’t already have one, HomeGoods and Ross often have glass vessels for less than $10 or you can try a thrift store or a garage sale.  

Step 1

Spray paint the vase white. This is technically the first thing I did, but I would say it’s optional. Since my vase was red and I was totally experimenting with this, I wasn’t sure if the color would be an issue. I had some extra white spray paint, so I gave it a good coat to hide the red, inside and out. I used a glossy enamel because I already had it, but would have chosen a flat or satin finish otherwise.

Step 2

Coat the vase with drywall compound. We have a giant bucket of this leftover from our living room project so I had more than enough.

I used a spackle knife to apply it and coated it fairly thick. Don’t forget to coat the top edges of the vase as well. 

Because I used such a thick coat, it did require overnight drying. You could use less, but you may not have quite the same pottery effect.

Step 3

Sand the drywall compound down. I applied my compound very thick and was left with an 80s style wall texture, so I sanded mine down to look more like dried clay. Be careful not to sand to much. You don’t want it to be smooth, but rather imperfect and textured like pottery.

Step 4

Paint the vase. I used my craft paints for this step, black, white, and brown specifically. I applied it with an artist brush and blended it with a sponge brush.

This should be very random and inconsistent. Remember, it should look like handcrafted artisan pottery when you are done.

Step 5

Spray paint the vase. This step is also optional. I wasn’t 100% happy with the color variation after the craft paint, so I used some leftover chalkboard spray paint to finish it off. I was after a moody vibe and wanted to darken it up a bit. If you choose to do this step for a similar effect, do NOT coat the vase! I held the can a good distance away and only sprayed in spurts on parts of it, creating the inconsistent variation. Also, don’t forget about the inside of the vase. It doesn’t have to be completely painted, but you don’t want any of the original color to come through causing it to look fake.

Step 6

Fill the vase. I used stalks from our yard. I have no idea what these are called because I am not a plant whisperer, but they grow very tall in the fall season and felt perfect for the artisan vibe I was after. Once they die, like all plants do with me, I will likely switch to faux stems.

Now I have the perfect fall centerpiece for the dining room. It adds a high end yet natural and casual element to the room. The best part is it cost me $0! I’m not sure about you, but I will take $0 over $139 any day! With a little creativity, you can always get the look for less 😉

The real win was when Barry said he was impressed! Sometimes he is skeptical of my wild ideas so for me, this is a real win! I may or may not be totally addicted to this method now. Look out, no vase is safe in my house, haha!

Can you see Marvin in the background? I had to use this photo because I just love how his little silhouette pokes through. 

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