These Mismatched Thrift-Store Vases Look Like a Set After One Change to Their Finish
Clear glass, spiral ridges, and red ladybugs gave these thrift-store vases three separate looks, even when placed together. Their shapes worked as a group, but the different finishes drew attention away from the curved sides and narrow necks.
Tina Marie from It’s a Mom’s World kept those shapes and covered the glass with gloss white spray paint. The tall spiral bud vase cost 49 cents, while a separate 99-cent garage-sale owl received the same treatment.
White paint concealed the printed decoration and made the glass opaque, giving the vases the appearance of glazed ceramic. Matching heights or profiles became unnecessary once the finish connected them.
Gloss White Covered the Glass and Printed Decoration
Rust-Oleum Universal in Gloss White supplied the finish for the makeover. After cleaning the vases with vinegar and water, the creator applied two thin coats, leaving a few hours between applications.
The white coating covered the red ladybugs and hearts on the cylindrical vase while preserving the raised spiral on the narrow one. Color disappeared, but the surface details remained.
Three Different Shapes Became One Display
Opaque white brings the rounded vase’s shoulders and flared rim into focus, while reflected light follows the spiral ridges of the tall bud vase. Behind them, the straight cylinder provides a third profile beneath the flowers.
The matching finish lets those differences carry the arrangement. What began as unrelated glass pieces now reads as a coordinated collection, with shape and height providing contrast.
A 99-Cent Owl Received the Same Finish
Yellow eyes and dark markings dominated the garage-sale owl before painting, with speckled color extending across its face and body. Beneath that decoration, raised eye rings, a pointed beak, and recessed feather marks gave the figure texture worth keeping.
The makeover covered those colors instead of changing the figure, using the same gloss white finish as the vases.
White Paint Changed the Owl’s Expression
Without the yellow irises and dark pupils, the owl’s eyes become rounded forms defined by light and shadow. Its beak, pointed ears, and feather marks remain visible beneath the coating, giving the figure a softer expression.
Would you bring mismatched finds together with white paint, or keep details such as the owl’s yellow eyes?
Project and image credit: It’s a Mom’s World.