How To: DIY Dipped Gold Jar Vases

Today we wanted to share a fun and easy DIY project we tackled over the weekend for our wedding. We created the look of gold dipped mason jars to use as flower vases and pretty storage scattered around the wedding reception.

I've been really into the look and feel of gilded or gold-dipped looking pieces and it seems to be a trend popping up everywhere these days. Here's a little collage of inspiration shots I found across Pinterest to give you an idea of the look we were going for:

Image sources: champagne flutes | console | candle holders | milk bottles

While the look is pretty stellar, the idea of the actual "dipping part" seems pretty messy and wasteful of excess paint. So we decided to take a couple shortcuts on the process with the help of painter's tape and a can of spray paint to try and achieve the same look with less mess and excess paint.

Supplies:

• Glass jars of your choosing (we went with 12oz quilted crystal Ball jelly jars). 
• Painter's Tape (like this, any brand will do).
• Spray paint (we went with "champagne nouveau" by Krylon in the satin finish, but any metallic finish will work).
• Paper or other protective covering to protect surfaces while spraying.
• Protective mask and gloves (optional for protection while spray painting).

Oh, and the prettiest bunch of peonies or your own favorite flowers to display in the jars once you're finished:

Let's get started! Remove lid from jar and make sure the surface and inside of the jar is clean and free from oils and debris:

Wrap painter's tape around the top of the jar where you want the look of the "dipped" portion to end and the clear glass to begin. You can make a uniform line or create an off centered curved line to get more of that "dipped at an angle" look.

Cover the remaining top portion and mouth of jar completely with tape to protect it from any spray paint particles. Make sure the edge of tape touching the glass is flush without any loose bubbles or openings — this will ensure an even spray line without any overspray.

Now we're ready to spray!

Flip your jar upside down over the protective paper, shake your spray paint can well and begin to spray in very thin and even coats, allowing each coat to fully dry for a few minutes before spraying the next layer on:

It took about 3 coats and a few shots of spot coverage to achieve that full coverage metallic look we were hoping for:

Once you've achieved the coverage you're going for, allow the paint to dry for about 5 minutes, then very gently pick it up (only touching the tape side), and gently begin to peel back the painter's tape to reveal your perfectly "dipped" looking line:

Tip: Peeling the painter's tape back before the spray has fully dried helps get that clean line without any of the streaks or leakage you might get if you allow it to fully cure before peeling back.

Once peeled back, here's what your newly painted jar should look like:

It looks like it was dipped in paint, right? Our secret!

You can now flip it back over on the mouth of the jar to let it fully cure and dry overnight. If you have a party, event or wedding (like us) where you'll be making more than one — go ahead and set up the full assembly line:

It's that simple! The most time consuming part of this little project was getting the tape lined up and fully covering each jar.

Once fully dried, bring them inside and they're ready to use:

We'll be using them for mini floral arrangements around the reception site for our wedding. I love how the metallic champagne finish came out a little more muted than the typical brassier gold options out there.

I'm such a sucker for peonies:

Since I made 12 of them, we have a few extras that will work perfectly to house some other fun details we've been planning to have at the wedding — gold striped straws and heart shaped sparklers:

It's fun seeing all the little elements we've been squirreling away start to come together. For anyone wondering or also currently on the hunt for gold straws and heart sparklers, I found the gold striped straws on Etsy and the heart sparklers on Sparklers in Cyberspace (funny name for a website, yes?).

Right now we've got a few these beautiful new gold dipped vases hanging out around the house and each day as the peonies inside open up wider and fuller, we get more excited about seeing them at the reception.

We're excited to use them after the big day too — these jars really are so versatile. They could be used on a desk for pens and pencils or in a studio for paint brushes or as pretty storage for other odds and ends. It's up to you!

You can see how easy it could be to translate the process to anything you might want to get that gold dipped look onto. It kinda makes me want to run around the house with painters tape and a spray can to "dip" everything in gold.

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