Upcycle a few bottles from the recycle bin to make these nautical sea glass bottles – decorate with sea glass spray paint & paint sticks.
Add a touch of coastal charm to your home’s decor with these decorative sea glass vases.
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A note from Aimee: This blog post first appeared on The Crazy Craft Lady in January 2016. It has since been updated to bring you the best, most current creative content.
If you’re searching for a unique and eco-friendly way to add a touch of nautical charm to your home, DIY sea glass bottles are the perfect solution.
This blog post is your ultimate resource for mastering this captivating craft. Come delve into the world of sea glass crafts. Create faux sea glass using household materials, and transform plain glass containers into breathtaking decorative pieces.
With step-by-step instructions, expert tips, and design inspiration, you’ll have everything you need to create personalized sea-inspired decor that will infuse your space with a sense of tranquility and beachy elegance.
Supplies:
How to Use Sea Glass Paint to Spray Paint Colored Glass
This krylon sea glass spray paint is amazing for creating sea glass effect on plain clear glass. It is the most beautiful color, and really mimics the look of real sea glass. BUT – there is a bit of a learning curve.
Most spray paint is opaque, so you won’t really notice if there is uneven coverage. However, this spray paint is more translucent. That means you need to be extra careful to get even coverage and avoid any sort of pooling.
The best way to accomplish this is by applying VERY light coats. And I mean VERY light. For these bottles, I probably applied 8 coats, letting them dry 10-15 minutes between each coat.
I also found it helpful to hold the bottles up to the light at different angles to check for even coverage all around the bottles.
Video Tutorial
Watch this quick video to see how my sea glass bottles came together.
Tutorial: How to make DIY Sea Glass Bottles
DIY Sea Glass Bottles
Upcycle a few bottles from the recycle bin to make these nautical sea glass bottles – decorate with sea glass spray paint & paint sticks.
Materials
- 2 clear glass bottles, washed in warm soapy water, labels removed, and no sticky residue remaining
- sea glass spray paint, in the color "sea foam"
- wooden paint sticks
- white lace-type ribbon
- jute twine
- sea shell or other small nautical embellishment (I used a laser cut kraft icon from the dollar store, painted white)
Tools
- miter shears or hand saw
- scissors
- hot glue gun and glue sticks
Instructions
- Watch the video tutorial before you begin, and let that be your visual guide for this project.
- In a well-ventilated area, spray the clean glass bottles with sea glass spray paint. Use light coats, allowing to dry between coats. Be very careful, as this paint tends to pool and will leave you with uneven coverage. Let dry completely.
- Use miter shears to cut the handles off the paint stir sticks. Then cut each stir stick into two pieces, varying the lengths as you wish.
- Hot glue the cut paint stick pieces around the glass bottle. This is not for permanent hold, but just to hold them in place for the next step.
- Wrap the white ribbon around the paint sticks, followed by the twine. Wrap the twine 4 or 5 times, and secure tightly with a knot or bow.
- Embellish by hot gluing a small shell onto the front of one sea glass bottle.
My finished Decorative Sea Glass Bottles:
I hope this tutorial inspires you to make your own DIY sea glass bottles with your own unique twist.
Feel free to get creative in a variety of ways. Try making sea glass mason jars instead of bottles. Use a sponge to create a textured finish. Or grab some acrylic craft paint and add nautical embellishments like waves and fish – just remember to seal with Mod Podge after. Happy making!
Don’t forget to PIN this upccyled sea glass bottle craft for later:
More crafting inspiration with paint stir sticks
DIY Sea Glass Mini Cola Bottles using Frost Etching Paint
A note from Aimee: Back in 2016, when I originally made this craft, I used mini Coca Cola bottles to make this craft. Below, you will find the content of that original blog post:
Like so many good craft ideas, this project started with an impulse buy at Target. Seriously, if I could just make it through one trip without being distracted by the dollar section of an end cap full of stuff I really don’t need.
I was having friends over for dinner, and was, of course, running late. Shocking, I know. I swung by Target for a few last minute food supplies. I wanted to grab Coke to drink, and lucky for me, it was there on the end cap – a cute little 6-pack of glass bottles. Sold!
After drinking the tasty beverage, I couldn’t bear to throw away the bottles. They were just too cute, and I was starting to feel a little crafty.
I began by removing the painted-on label. This was a great job for some nail polish remover and a razor blade. Pro tip: Do NOT stab yourself in the thumb with the edge of the razor blade. It will hurt. Just sayin’.
Sea Glass Painted Bottles – Supplies
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- Mini Coca Bottles – cleaned and labels removed
- Martha Stewart 32202 6-Ounce Frost Etching Effect
” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener”>Frost Etching Effect Paint
Sea Glass Painted Bottles – Tutorial
Once your bottles are clean and dry on the outside, tape off the bottles. I chose to tape at an angle and at varying intervals, just to add some interest.
Use a paint brush to paint on two coats of the Frost Etching Effect paint. I just used a disposable foam brush to make clean-up easier.
After the paint has dried, gently remove the paint at an angle.
Sea Glass Painted Bottles – The Finished Product
I only painted three of the six mini Coca-Cola bottles. They are the perfect shape and size to display some fresh Trader Joe’s flowers, don’t you think!?!
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