She Doesn't Throw Out Old Glass Jars: She Makes Gorgeous Decor With Vintage Charm

If you've ever been loath to abandon an old glass jar or bottle due to its beautiful shape, silhouette, or texture — think fragrance and spirits bottles, preserves jars, and specialty yogurt or dessert "pots" — then you've probably already considered reusing it as a decorative object. Thankfully, the internet is chock full of creatives repurposing and dressing up empty glass containers for decoration, from painting mason jars for fun storage to converting old bottles into candles. One that caught our attention (and is definitely worth yours) comes from the creator at YouTube channel Redesign with Prima, who transformed them into frosted glass vessels with vintage vibes using a clever DIY coating and an ornate decal.

To try this out, you'll need an old jar or bottle, making sure to clean it and remove any stickers from the glass. You can check thrift stores for budget-friendly containers, but if you're committed to the project and strike out at your local shops, decorative bottles like the CHALEEMANG Decorative Clear Glass Bottle are available online. For the design, simply print one onto a piece of transfer paper (or waterslide decal paper), or get creative with other custom embellishments.

To achieve the unique frosted effect, the crafter mixed some cornstarch, alcohol, and an acrylic soft gloss gel medium (basically a paint-like substance without pigment meant to adjust the texture, viscosity, sheen, and general appearance of mixed-in colors). Soft gel medium like Liquitex Professional Gloss Gel Medium is available in arts and crafts stores, as well as online. With the decal layer over the top, the end result is a charming tabletop piece that can hold a candle or string lights, display flowers and greenery, or simply stand on its own as a gorgeous classic accent.

To make the frosted glass texture, mix one part each of the cornstarch and alcohol fully, making sure to get rid of any clumps. Mix in two parts of the soft gel medium, and then add a dash of acrylic paint to created a subtle tint. The creator of this DIY used a brown paint for a champagne-like finish, but you can pick a different tint color or no tint at all. Lightly dab the mixture onto the cleaned surface of the empty glass bottle with a paint sponge. After letting the faux frosted glass bottle dry overnight, the creator showed off a few optional finishing touches that will truly turn old jars into home treasures: whimsical, gilded water-activated transfers and a trio of decorative ribbons tied around the mouth.

One word of advice if adding an embellishment: While the crafter let it dry for several hours, you should follow your specific soft gel medium's instructions to allow enough drying (or curing) time before moving forward to avoid ruining the frosted effect. This could be anywhere from 30 minutes for drying to the touch to days or weeks for curing.

The resulting vintage-look bottle in the DIY video has a more playful tone, but you can always cater it to match your decor. Use a different decorative ribbon (or trim) style to tie around the vessel. You could also make it less bow-like and more like a border by gluing it on without tying and cutting off the loose dangling ends. Finally, if you don't want to print your graphics onto transfer paper, you can find ready-to-use pre-designed transfer stickers, ranging from classic monograms and decorative crests to seasonal or nature-inspired designs.