How to Make Vase Centerpieces
To begin these glitter vases, Use any type of masking tape and tape off where you want your glitter to end. Use your fingernail to press down the edge of the tape firmly so the glue won’t leak under the tape. If you have more patience than me, you could also do some fun stripes instead of solid glitter. That was my initial plan but as you can tell by my dark pictures, my day was drawing to a close and I needed to be quick! No stripes for me. Oh well.
Just so you could see the effect, I put a few tea candles in the bottom of these three. For the wedding, we will use batter powered tea lights in the bottom of each of the centerpiece glass vase then fill them with all sorts of gorgeous stuff! You will have to come back to see what all that gorgeous stuff is 🙂
I have a whole series of how to throw an inexpensive, yet gorgeous wedding on a budget, so check it out!
**My friend, this post contains Amazon affiliate links which means I receive a small compensation, at no additional cost to you, if you make a purchase using my link. If you decide to give this project a try, I will be your bestie if you would use the links from this post. And no worries….I only link to products that I both use and love! ~Carole
The Winter Wonderland theme will be perfect for a December wedding. And the warm and sparkly glow of these centerpieces will be gorgeous.
Yes, wedding costs can be cut if you do a lot yourself.
Check out my post today on some of the ways my eldest daughter personalized her Sept. 22 wedding.
Here’s the link:
http://mnprairieroots.com/2013/10/09/personalizing-a-wedding-its-in-the-details/
If you want to see more wedding pix, view my posts from Sept. 23 – Oct. 2. We worked hard to create the setting and mood my daughter and her husband envisioned for their wedding day.
I look forward to seeing more of your wedding projects.
We also had a Chriatmas wedding. Makes a gorgeous setting! Here is the link to our blog if you are interested in checking out our wedding photos. http://smothersx3.blogspot.com. best of luck on the new life adventure!!!!!
Made these and they turned out beautiful them put ribbon around them the colors of the wedding and they look great.
I love it!
Can I use white glue instead?
In my country I can’t find this mod podge glue easily.
I’ve never done this project with white glue, but I would think that if you watered it down a little bit, it should work. It might not dry as clear as modge podge does however. Let me know how it turns out for you Hanna! -Carole
Love it can’t wait to try it for the winter themes. Thks for sharing
Thanks Susan! They are gorgeous for winter – Carole
Thank you so much for all the DIY wedding suff. it helps alot!
You are welcome! If I can make the wedding planning any easier for someone, then it is all worth it 🙂 -Carole
Question, so after the first round of glitter dries you then go over the glittered surface again with thinned modpodge? Do you re-glitter then, or just let it dry? This thinned coat won’t “dull” the glitter will it? Sorry to ask so many questions. Your vases look stunning!
Anne – great questions! You only glitter the vase one time and use the thinned mod podge the second time. Once the second coat dries, there will be no dulling of the glitter so no worries. That second coat will keep the glitter from coming off when you touch it. -Carole
what type of glitter did you use?
Stacey – I used a transparent glitter that I got for cheap from Walmart. You could certainly do this with any type or color of glitter. Thanks for your question -Carole
I am a fan of all things glitter! Here is a tip: find the glossy mod podge, it gives it a very nice finished look and if you need to you can add a second layer of glitter when the first layer dries! You seal it the same, but don’t thin it with water. I really could not tell you the number of things I have glittered, but I have done many things for weddings with the glossy one with numerous colors. That is just another option though (:
Amanda – thanks for your insights with all things glittery 🙂 -Carole
Can we spray with hair spray instead of mod podge???
Jessica – You could certainly try that but if it gets even a little bit of moisture or humidity, that hairspray will not hold. If you try it, please come back and share with us how it went! -Carole
I made these today but you can see the lines from the brush strokes. Any suggestions? Did I not out enough mod podge on?
Stacey- I’m not quite sure what you mean by seeing the lines. If it isn’t as covered in glitter as you would like, do as the directions instruct and add more mod Podge and more glitter.
How long will it take for the first round to dry (before I add the second thinner layer?)
Thanks!
Depends on humidity, temperatures and how thick your mod podge is. You will know it is dry because it is no longer white. Around 1-2 hours.
OMG These are soooo pretty!!! I think I am going to try them with Orange and Purple glitter (if I can find it)
That sounds like such a fun color combo! -Carole
These are beautiful! I am thinking of combining these with the glittery branches (Epsom Salts) as a centerpiece for a winter party I am having next weekend. Ii would alternate the branches with the candle’s. What did you end up putting in the candles holders on top of the tea lights?
I did exactly as you are thinking!! I made a bunch of ice coverws branches using epsom salts….it is another post on here. I also used some big flowers in each vase with the branches. At the bottom of each one was a battery powered candle. They were beautiful when the lights were down
Could you please send me a picture of your vases once filled? Thanks!
Carole, will you please send me a picture of your filled vases also and let me know where I can purchase those battery powered candle? I think your vases are beautiful. Any suggestions on how I can incorporated them with my daughters sweet 16 masquerade party?
Could you use glitter paint or glitter spray paint instead? I really love these!
Daphne- sure, you could use either but obviously your result will be different. Depending on the paint, you may not be able to see through them enough if you wanted to light thw inside of the vases.
Hi Carole,
I love your blog, and would like to share it on a landing page I am making for louisville, ky brides. Please let me know if you have any problems with it and I will take you down, if not happy to share your crafty ideas with others!
Thanks,
Rachel
Thanks Rachel! As long as you direct them to here and noy republish my content, that would be wonderful.
If i washed them, the glitter wont come out?
Claudia- great question! If you gently hand wash these, you will be fine
Do u have a picture of them after u filled them up???
I do have one Quala! I will email it to you because I can’t attach a photo in this comment section -Carole
Hi…I loved your idea. Can you please email me a pic of all the goodies you included?
Absolutely
Could you email a photo also? I am looking for ideas for our 25th wedding anniversary (renewing our vows!)
Thank you so much!
Could you also email me a pic of the filled centerpieces? Thanks.
Can you please send me a picture too I loveee what you do
What size vases did you use? I am doing this for my wedding and love the look!
They were about 14 inches tall Ashley
I just bought some yesterday at Dollar Tree!
Good luck Teri! -Carole
What type of glitter did you use? I did this with gold glitter but the light did not show through as much. Please advise. Thanks for this idea 🙂
I just bought whatever was on the shelf at Walmart 🙂 It was a more opaque glitter because I wanted the light to be able to shine through when the lights were down at the wedding. -Carole
I just did this project, but when I started removing the tape it pulled up a lot of the glitter and mod podge off. Do you have a suggestion for preventing this from happening?
Julie- did you remove the tape when the mod podge was still wet?
I removed the tape when the mod podge was completely dry.
I am helping a friend with her wedding, and we are making some of these candles. Would you share a photo of the finished product with all the goodies included? Thanks!
Becky – I wish I had an up close photo for you but in the complete madness of the day, I didn’t get one. If you look at this post https://www.mykitchenescapades.com/2014/03/how-to-drape-wedding-ceiling.html there are some shots of them from a distance. They were so pretty all lit up once the lights were down!
Could you please email me a picture or two of what you put in these. She is having a fall wedding champagne burgundy and silver.
Just finished making the vases and put a thin layer of watered down mod podge but seems to have shifted the glitter causing it not to be uniformly distributed. Any suggestions before we do any more. Was wondering if I could use a spray acrylic instead? Thanks.
Bummer Linda! My main thought is to make sure that the mod podge under the glitter has a chance to completely dry before adding the top coat, otherwise they will definitely shift. You can still save the ones that have shifted by adding more mod podge and glitter to the uneven spots. You could certainly use a spray acrylic as well, but would need multiple layers to keep the glitter from falling off. Good luck! -Carole
Please send a photo of the “filled stuff”. Thanks!
Could you please email a picture of the glitter vases with all the goodies in it and centerpieces? Thank you
I stumbled upon these and I’m now thinking of doing them for an 80th birthday party. Would spray glue work as well? Also, what can be put on top to seal the glitter so it doesn’t fall off? Thanks
Hey Lisa! You could try the spray glue, but I don’t think you will get as complete of coverage as you do with the mod podge. As far as keeping the glitter from falling off, my instructions include the step of another layer of mod podge over the top. I think they will be perfect for a birthday party!
Where can I see pics of what you filled them with? These are beautiful, I might make them for my daughters Sweet 16 party.
I don’t have a shot of just the finished item, but you can see them from a distance lit with the flowers and branches in them in this post here https://www.mykitchenescapades.com/2014/02/nacho-bar-for-150.html
Carole,
I loved your post so much and used yours as a guide to make some glitter vases for my daughter’s Frozen party that’s coming up. Cannot wait to put some snowy branches in these!! Thanks so much!!
You are so welcome Cindy!
I am absolutely in love with these vases and plan to do them for my wedding next year. Can you please email me the picture of the filled vases as well? So happy I stumbled across this!
I would love to see the finished project as well!! I’m going to do some for my daughter’s wedding!!
I found this and thought it was a great idea for my in-laws anniversary. Can you please send me an email of the filled vases too? Thank you so much!
Would another type of tape work? I don’t have any masking tape and need to get it done soon!! Thanks and these are way beautiful!
If you have painting tape, that would work. Scotch tape won’t adhere well enough to the glass and anything stronger will likely leave residue behind once you remove it. Good luck Jennifer!
how long does it take to dry for the first layer? how long did one vase take total ?
Hi Kelly! I depends mainly on the temperature and humidity in the room. I completed these in less than a day, though I let the final coat dry overnight just for good measure.
Hi! Have you ever done this on led tea lights? I would love to try this on there but wonder if I would use the same technique. I also have some gold rhinestones… Any tips how to apply those as well? I’m new to all this, any help would be greatly appreciated! One last question… Have you ever added all this to a cake and knife set? I only have a silver one but my colors are gold, red and black and white… So I wanted to spray paint the handles metallic gold and then glitter them? Any thoughts or ideas? Thanks a million!!! Any ideas and pictures and directions would help greatly for my big day
Hey Carla! You have a lot of great ideas but I haven’t tried this technique on anything other than glass. I say give it a try! Good luck and congrats on the wedding
Love your idea and would love to use it for our 25th anniversary. Could you email me a couple of your pictures
Carole,
Will you please email pictures of your finished vases also and do you have ideas to incorporate a masquerade them for a sixteen birthday?
And where did you get the battery operated candles?
Love the vases. Looks like an easy DIY. I was just wondering about the 2nd coat of Mod Podge that you put over the glitter……does the glitter still sparkle after the Mod Podge dries?
Thank you and Have a Blessed Day.
Hey there Margo! They do sparkle beautifully!
My concern is when to remove the blue tape. I want to make sure I remove it at the right time so that the glitter doesn’t peel away!
Hey Angie! I tried removing it after the bottom layer of Mod Podge and glitter were added, but then when I added the top layer of Mod Podge, it got onto the glass where the tape used to be. So, as the post states, I decided to remove the tape right after the top layer of mod Podge was applied, before it dries. Good luck!
Hello Carole,
You have a beautiful smile and a great looking family!
I like glitter and sparkles and shiny things,so this project
was fun for me… I used a violet colored glitter and it
turned out so pretty!
Thanks so much Raquel 🙂
Hey Carole, I am wanting to do these for a wedding, is there a certain type of glitter you used (fine, ultra fine) and how much did you use for maybe 5 vases? I am trying to figure out how much glitter I need to purchase.
I used about 3/4 of a bottle I bought at Walmart for all 12 vases. The glitter pieces were actually quite large but any size will work.
Easy and cheap I’m hoping. I’m planning a winter baby shower for my daughter with snowflakes as a theme. I’m thinking of cutting out snowflake images pasted on each vase, then glittering. Then taking the snowflake off and lightly glittering over it so the light will still shine through the open images of the snowflake lightly. What do you think? I might use iridescent white glitter initially then maybe silver over. I’d love to see any images of other DIY projects you have for this type of theme and any other ideas. My colors are white and grey, keeping it light and airy since we don’t know what sex the baby is. Invites will be “Baby It’s Cold Outside?” Thanks for your help
Hey Renell! Those sound beautiful and think that should work well. If you look at my categories under “Wedding” you will find all the DIY items I made for my daughter’s wedding. Good luck!
Can you get the glitter too thick?
As long as you are only adding one layer of mod podge and glitter, nope.
How much glitter did you use for 12 vases?
Hi Meghan! I bought a big bottle and only used about 1/4 of it.