The obsession continues…. my obsession with paper clay that is. A few weeks ago, I taught myself to use the new medium, and brought you the Baroque Skull Candle Sconce as my first official paper clay project. Since then, it has given all new meaning to my thrift shopping eye! And that is a dangerous thing because I already loved thinking outside of the box when I found thrifted treasures. This week I bring you an ornate Victorian Gothic Vase makeover.
These days I have to stop myself from adding molded clay to everything I find. Restraint was not in the cards when I found this vase, however. For this project, I went a little wild with the paper clay and those wonderful Iron Orchid Design’s Molds…. Much like the Skull Sconce, I didn’t want to even recognize the original vase once I was all done. Mission accomplished. This Victorian Gothic Vase came a long way from it’s sad beginning!! It’s ready for Versailles!
I bought this white vase in a thrift store. I really liked the shape of it, the height, and those handles!! For anyone else, it wasn’t a bad piece as is. Except, someone had clearly done a poor spray paint job before abandoning it, so this vase was begging for a makeover. There was plenty of space to work with for the molds, so it became an obvious candidate for my new favorite hobby. For this project, you really can choose any vase that speaks to you.
Here’s what I used to transform this Vase:
- Vase
- Iron Orchid Mould – Baroque 1
- Iron Orchid Mould – Escucheons 2
- Iron Orchid Mould – Nautica II
- Iron Orchid Mould – Baroque 6
- Iron Orchid Mould – Royale
- Iron Orchid Mould – Moulding 1
- Silicone Angel Baby Mold
- Corn Starch
- Small Paint Brush
- Paper Clay
- Set of Painting Knives
- Aleene’s Tacky Glue
- Heat Tool (optional)
- Flat Black Paint & Primer Spray Paint
- Grecian Gold Rub ‘n Buff
- Pewter Rub ‘n Buff
- Ebony Rub n Buff
- Polycrylic Spray
I started by selecting a few of the molds I wanted to use. I absolutely adore Iron Orchid Design’s Moulds. Little by little I’ve been collecting their designs… I still have a long way to go to complete the collection, but I have a pretty nice selection. The downside to having too many of these molds is that it’s so hard to choose between all of the cool designs! To create a Victorian Gothic Vase, you certainly don’t have to use seven different molds like I did. Invest in a few that you like. Once you start playing with the designs you’ll be surprised how easily it all comes together. I start by selecting a mold or two, and just layer as I go.
Once you select a mold, brush a bit of cornstarch into the mold cavity.
Pull off a piece of the paper clay. Secure the remainder in a sealed bag. The clay is air dry, so you don’t want to allow your block of clay to dry out accidentally.
Firmly press the clay into the mold. Use enough pressure to ensure the entire design imprints onto the clay.
Use the painting knifes to level the clay and clean up any clay that may be protruding out of the mold. You could also use a putty knife, but I find the smaller details of the painting knives come in handy.
Once the clay is fully pressed into the mold, you can remove it immediately and mold it onto your project. This is amazing, because it allows you to manipulate the shape of the mold to fit whatever you’re working on. To remove the clay from the mold, start by bending the mold all around to basically break the seal all around the edge.
Then slowly roll the mold away from the clay until the clay is free.
A word of wisdom – gravity is not your friend when working with paper clay. Do not stand your vase upright and begin adding castings all around. They will inevitably slide right off. Instead, lay your vase on your work surface, and work on one side at a time.
Add tacky glue to the back side of the clay casting and gently press to secure it onto the surface of your project.
Continue to layer different clay castings onto the vase. Castings can be layered over one another to create new designs… just be careful when pressing them onto the surface not to damage the design details. You can also use one of the knives to trim clay away from a casting, creating a new design.
Allow your clay to harden…. I did not want to risk the castings slipping while I worked on another side, so I let each side dry overnight. You can use the heating tool to help set the clay quicker if you lack patience. 😉
Once set, spray the vase with a coat of flat black paint & primer. There are a lot of nook & crannies in that clay, so repeat until thoroughly covered.
The last step is the Metallic Wax. For this vase, I applied the Grecian Gold Rub ‘n Buff to most of the raised surfaces. I didn’t want the finish to be completely two dimensional, so I added some light touches of Pewter Rub ‘n Buff. I used the Ebony to dull down a few of the spots of gold that looked a bit brighter than I wanted. While you can purchase each of the Rub ‘n Buff colors individually, I highly recommend getting the Sampler Set
Spray with a coat of polycrylic to seal the final product!
Fill with a dark & dramatic floral arrangement and enjoy!
Looking for more ways to turn trash into treasure? Transform an old TV tray into this Vintage Bat Table! Create a Gothic Punch Bowl out of a glass vase! Or upcycle a frame into a Gothic Memo Board!
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That is absolutely amazing!
Thanks so much Caroline!!
*Swoon* and the Iron Orchid Range is available on Amazon UK. Yay!!! Sx
I’m glad you found them!! Now comes the hard part…. which ones to buy first! I can’t wait to see what you come up with!!
What a beautiful transformation! Giving us some serious inspiration to add a few projects to our to-do list!
Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Halloween!!! Would love to see what you come up with!! 🙂