DIY Painted Cardboard Vases

This tablescape was inspired by traditional blue and white porcelain that seems to never go out of style. The earlier versions of white pottery with blue glazed motifs have been found in 9th century present-day Iraq. China began their own renditions in the 14th century and the trend finally caught on in Europe in the 18th century. Can you believe it’s still popular today?! We wanted to make a paper version as a cheap and quirky alternative to the real thing. Enter: DIY Painted Cardboard Vases. We recycled cardboard boxes to cut out some traditional vase forms and then painted them to give them some real character! You could paint more traditional designs such as plant and botanical patterns, or make them a bit artsier. Here, we were inspired by the work of Danielle Kroll for our patterns. Easy, cheap, and sure to make a statement!

See how we made the vases and shop the entire tablescape!

Shop the Tablescape: Tablecloth, Glasses, Plates, Napkins, Flatware

DIY Painted Cardboard Vases

Vase Templates HERE: Print out on 11″x17″ paper or you can print out on 8.5″x11″ paper and enlarge them.

Materials: 

• Cardboard boxes
• Exacto Knife or tough scissors
• White spray paint
• blue acrylic or sample of blue house paint
• Paintbrush
• Hot glue gun

Instructions:

1. Using the templates provided, enlarge the vases to the desired size, cut out, and trace onto pieces of cardboard from recycled boxes.
2. Cut vases out from cardboard using an Exacto knife.
3. Spray paint vase pieces with white spray paint. Paint 2 coats for full coverage.
4. Once dry, paint on your details to the vases. Let dry.
5. With a hot glue gun, glue on the sides to the vases so they can stand up freely.
6. Arrange down the center of the tablescape and wait for the “Oooo’s” and “Ahhhh’s!”

Photography by Jane Merritt | Crafting by Kirstin Johnson and Kambria Porter