Jennifer Rizzo

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The super-fun monogrammed vase made from plaster and a recycled bottle…

May 9, 2014 By Jennifer

Happy Friday! With my  modern bohemian DIY on-line jewelry class coming up, I’ve been playing around with  plaster and molding techniques,which I find really creative and interesting. I  came up with this fun DIY monogrammed vase made from plaster and a recycled bottle. The best part is I used my own garbage to make it! Ok, in my defense, it was a cleaned and washed recycled bottle, and a cleaned and washed milk carton.

cute idea with plaster casting

Did you ever make those candles in grade school where you put a wick in the bottom of a milk carton and then poured in the wax and voila, you had a candle? This easy plaster casting idea can also be used with concrete. You might have done this right after you finished a macrame owl project. This is the same kind of premise with molding in a cleaned and washed milk carton. I swear I did wash it.

(This post contains affiliate links including Amazon Affiliate links)

It’s much easier than you think! I used a thick plastic bottle  that wouldn’t break when it was cast…That would be bad.

The big thing is to have your milk container and bottle ready to go, plaster and concrete harden fast.

I used craft plaster from Hobby Lobby, not the industrial stuff from the hardware store.  Make sure you read all of the instructions on the side and follow all of the safety precautions. Plaster actually generates heat when it sets and can burn your skin, and it is also a respiratory irritant. I recommend doing this outside and wearing gloves, goggles and a mask because of the dust when mixing. If you are looking for supplies, you can find many of my favorite casting and molding supplies in my Amazon Store.

If you’re looking for crafty projects, try string pull painting, or make DIY abstract art.

Now that I have completely scared you off of this project, mixed dried plaster it in a cup with water until it is the consistency of runny pancake batter. How much you need depends on your bottle size. I used a full cup.

Make sure to fill the bottle with sand or small stones to weigh it down or it will float up when you are casting.

how to make reccyled bottle plaster vases

Pour all of your plaster in around the bottle and let it set. Now, plaster can also expand slightly when it cures and like I said, it also creates heat, so put it somewhere stable and steady, away for children, and leave it be for a few hours.You can even leave it out overnight if it’s not going to rain and check it in the morning.

How you can make a recyceld vase from plaster and a milk cartonOnce the plaster has cured, peel away the milk carton. If you have any edges that are a bit sharp, you can actually give them a gentle rub with a wet paper towel it will knock any edges off.

Use a stamp and satz on ink to stamp on plaster bottlesI decided to monogram mine. I will tell you I should have sealed the plaster first with  a product like Mod Podge or a flat varnish because it sucked up the ink and feathered  a little. It also showed smudges fast too. So make sure you seal before stamping.

You can stamp on plaster with a letter to make a monogram vase

I stamped a brown ink and then StazOn gold ink
Use StazOn Ink it really does stay on hard to adhere surfaces and doesn’t smudge once it’s cured. If you’re interested in carving your own stamps, you can see this post here.

cute an easy monogrammed vase using plasterOnce you have your DIY plaster vase stamped, you want to let the ink cure and then seal with a flat sealer. Or you could also paint it. Plaster loves paint!

plaster casting makes a cute vase

Once you get used to working with plaster, making a vase with plaster is a fun and easy and inexpensive project!!!

hydrangea in plaster vase

You can shop supplies for this post here.

If you liked this post, you’ll also love:How to Repurpose Old Encyclopedias, Repurposed Trophies, DIY Dried Orange Slice Garland, Chalky Painted Vintage Console Makeover

Or how to make an easy DIY agate-inspired art canvas:

How to mak a vase with plaster and an old milk carton

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Comments

  1. Diane@InMyOwnStyle says

    May 9, 2014 at 8:09 am

    This is just the most creative idea I have seen in a while. It is so chic. I fondly remember making candles this way back in grade school. Thanks for bringing a smile to my face this morning and getting my weekend started off right – INSPIRED!

    • Jennifer says

      May 9, 2014 at 9:44 pm

      Thanks Diane!!!

  2. mary@athomeonthebay says

    May 9, 2014 at 9:35 am

    Very cool, Jen! I love your creativity!

  3. Debbie says

    May 9, 2014 at 8:29 pm

    Thanks Jennifer, I’m going to make my mom one for her special day!

    • Jennifer says

      May 9, 2014 at 9:45 pm

      I am glad! Let me know how it turned out!

Trackbacks

  1. 15 fun concrete/cement DIY projects to try - Jennifer Rizzo says:
    February 9, 2015 at 4:51 am

    […] DIY plaster vase […]

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