Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Make a DIY Faux Vintage Jadeite Jar Vase
My obsession with Jadeite started many years ago. My husband and I started thrifting and choose some green colored glass pieces for our vintage decorated first home. The we saw Martha Stewart had some of the same green glass on one of her cooking shows and learned it was Jadeite.
We love original Jadeite and reproductions and now even create some jadeite painted pieces. Read on to see our latest jadeite creation, a DIY Faux Vintage Jadeite Jar Vase.
A still life with some of my real and faux Jadeite
Instead of choosing china for my traditional wedding dinnerware, I choose to collect jadeite pieces until I had a full set. People we knew started buying it for us when we selected the pattern called “Jane Ray”. We loved the heavy-duty jadeite vintage restaurant ware, but it was quite pricey and hard to find, so Jane Ray was our next choice and we love it. We are fortunate our house survived Hurricane Ian, so we are happy that we still have our collection intact.
A good mix of my new and old Jadeite pieces
I could write and write about my love of jadeite, including my passion for the milky mint green color, but others have already written up some great histories of Jadeite Glassware, including this informative article from Better Homes & Gardens. The glassware came about in the 1930’s during the Great Depression and enabled people to get this “cheap” glassware mostly for free due to so many not having enough money to buy much of anything.
I sometimes wish they would still hide some of the glassware inside flour bags like the makers of the original Jadeite did, including the Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation. It is similar to finding a toy inside a cereal box, which was so much fun for me as a kid! This “cheap” glassware is no longer cheap if you see it in a thrift store or a vintage shop. It took us a while to have enough funds to buy an entire dinner seating of the actual vintage dish set we chose.
The wooden eggs you see in my photos can also be turned into “Faberge” style eggs. See my 1-minute tutorial above or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden.
Thankfully Anchor Hocking reproduced some jadeite cookware in the mid-2000’s and we bought up some to use daily and even bought some extra in case we broke any. Cracker Barrel put out a line of their own Jadeite too, and we bought some of that too. We love the little juice glasses! Martha Stewart and the Pioneer Woman (the link goes to her line at Walmart) have their own Jadeite lines too. This Jadeite tumbler on Amazon is cute too!
Some more fun Amazon “Jadeite” finds:
Supplies for DIY Jadeite painting
If it’s still too pricey for you to collect and you want to add some jadeite color to your home, thankfully you can use some milky mint green acrylic paint to create your own version. You can use the paint a few other things to turn many things into “jadeite” and here’s how to do it.
Supplies (I got some of my supplies at Hobby Lobby, , Temu, Walmart and Amazon and included some links below):
DecoArt Americana Jadeite Glass Acrylic paint, 2 oz. bottle (Buy it on Amazon or at Walmart, but it is currently cheaper at Hobby Lobby, other “mint green” paint colors will work too)
Ball Glass Jar (I bought a 32 oz. one at Walmart but Amazon has them too)
Mod Podge (Gloss, I got mine on Amazon, but Walmart has it too)
1-inch or a bit larger brush (Amazon)
Paint tray Palette (Amazon)
Optional: Paint triangle stands (I got mine on Temu and if you get yours there, use this link or use my promo code afe55197 to get 30% off for new app users, I’ve also ordered some on Amazon here)
Optional: 2 1/2 inch Wired Ribbon (Amazon)
Optional: Bowdabra Bow Maker (Amazon)
Optional: Acrylic Sealer (I got mine on Amazon and it helps with stickiness, but can be used in lieu of Mod Podge too!)
Optional: Press and Seal (what I use to cover my paint in between coats, grab it here on Amazon or here on Walmart)
I use Press N Seal to save paint from drying out
Grab the 1-minute video tutorial above or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden.
How-To:
Use a brush to apply three coats of the Jadeite Glass acrylic paint. I let mine dry for a couple of hours in between each coat. Painting in long strokes, from top to bottom is helpful to minimize streaks.
I used Press N Seal to cover my paint to prevent it from drying out in between coats (it’s a helpful hack I learned from being an art teacher for 10 years).
I painted the bottom and set the jar on paint risers to dry so it wouldn’t stick to anything.
The stands help my paint projects not stick to surfaces while painting
After the three coats dried, I used the same brush to apply 3 coats of Mod Podge, allowing it to try for a couple of hours in between each coat. Mod Podge can get a bit sticky, so you can also use the Acrylic Sealer spray to coat the Mod Podge layers after they dry OR you can spray it on instead of the Mod Podge.
Painting on Mod Podge
Both sealers will give your jar/vase a beautiful shiny finish. The Mod Podge will make the jar a bit stronger though, as it’s like a glue. I applied three layers just to make my jar very strong, but one layer could work for you. Be sure to rinse the brush thoroughly after applying Mod Podge, as it can ruin a brush if you don’t.
Using a Bowdabra to make a perfect bow
I used a Bowdabra to make a simple bow with some wide wire ribbon. I did a black and white gingham pattern to match my kitchen.
The completed jar without the bow
Before adding the bow, I added the lid (just the ring) around the mouth of the jar to make it look finished.
See the bow video tutorial in my video above or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
And, then your faux jadeite vase/jar it finished! I didn’t spray mine with the acrylic sealer, but I may end up using it. Mine wasn’t sticky until I put it on my kitchen counter (I currently live in the humid environment of SW Florida) and it stuck just a bit.
You could also put some tiny felt pads on the bottom if yours gets sticky and you don’t want to mess with the spray. I love it on display next to my Orange Juice vase, another Amazon find. I gifted one to my new neighbors with flowers…these both make great gifts!
The finished Jadeite vase
Mine has some paint strokes due to painting on the Mod Podge, and I tried several methods sanding, and none worked to remove the strokes, so I’ll be fine with leaving them. I’ll experiment with the Acrylic Sealer instead of the Mod Podge to see if that leaves no lines in the future.
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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.