Cover Old Perfume Bottles With Paint To Craft Beautiful Mini Vases

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Perfume bottles come in all shapes and sizes. When your favorite fragrance has finished, you're left with an empty perfume bottle that may just be too perfect to part with. Save those beloved old bottles and turn them into something new for yourself or a friend. On Instagram, glass.gardenstudio showed off a painted perfume bottle that a customer proudly displayed in their home. Using blue, green, and bronze paint, the artist covered the perfume bottle in delicate flowers around the perfume logo. Smaller bottles with the same design flank the large perfume bottle and hold dried flowers, creating a nice corner display on the counter.

Perfume bottles are made to be heavy, suggesting a hint of luxury. The extra weight makes perfume bottles a nice little desktop vase for holding dried or fresh flowers, since it's less likely to spill. Since some perfume bottles are art pieces in themselves, vintage bottles in unique shapes like Laliques are wasted in the recycling bin. As the Instagram post mentions, the smaller painted bottles could also be used as vase fridge magnets, but the weight of the bottles would require a strong glue to hold the magnet. Still, it doesn't take much to make this project your own. Gather your empty perfume bottles or search the thrift store for bottles destined for landfills that can be repurposed. Wash out the bottle with dishwashing soap, and use a few drops of rubbing alcohol to rinse out any leftover scent.

Paint that adheres to glass surfaces is a must, as are fine tip paint brushes for the little details. Look for paint that lists glass in its uses. Consider Gallery Glass for a stained glass effect, or a waterproof enamel or acrylic-based paint. For less mess, acrylic markers made for glass make it even easier to decorate the limited surface.

The design doesn't have to be fully focused on flowers, either. Characters, abstract shapes, holiday themes; whatever you want, this DIY is yours to play with as you like. For a simple look, use blue painter's tape (not white) to block out half of the bottle. Paint the other half, wait until it dries, then remove the tape. Cover the other side with tape, and repeat in another color for a two-toned bottle to match your decor. Try painting tree limbs (like this artist did with an old glass bottle), or add a circle of LED string lights around the base of your perfume bottle when the project is done to add soft lighting.

If painting small designs is not your thing, an overall coat of paint can highlight the unique shape of perfume bottles without the use of tiny brushes. For a sleek, silver look, turn the bottle's clear glass into a mirror finish with spray paint. It won't be completely mirrored, but it will still reflect light. (Rust-Oleum Mirror Silver Spray Paint works nicely for this.) Or, go bold with a mix of gold and silver spray paint on different-sized bottles to add a touch of luxe.