Upcycling DIY: decorative vases made from spice jars

You can transform small and large spice jars into practical vases for freshly picked meadow flowers. You don’t need much for this: some spray paint, self-adhesive letters for a personalised look and, of course, empty spice jars. To transform the jars into stylish vases, you first need to remove all the labels. On some jars, these stick very stubbornly and leave unsightly adhesive residue. We’ll show you how you can easily remove them here.

Before you start spraying the jars, you first need to remove the labels without leaving any residue. To do this, you only need one household remedy, which you are guaranteed to have at home. Firstly, place the bottles in hot water for a few minutes and add a little washing-up liquid or soap. After a few minutes, the first layer of the label should come off the glass easily. If not, simply put it back in the hot water.

Then heat some cooking oil and brush it onto all the adhesive residue on the glass. Leave on for approx. 10-15 minutes – the longer the better – and clean with warm washing-up liquid and water. This method will remove any stubborn adhesive residue from the glass. If it doesn’t work the first time, simply repeat the brushing with oil and leave it on a little longer.

Once the jars have been cleaned and dried, you can start spraying. It is best to use scratch and impact-resistant acrylic paint and work outdoors or in a well-ventilated room. You can use cardboard or old newspaper as a base. Now spray the jars thinly at a distance of approx. 20cm using an up and down motion. Leave to dry and apply a second coat. Depending on the colour, repeat the spraying process until it covers well.

Adhesive letters are a very simple way to personalise the glasses. To do this, first spray the front of the jars with the desired base colour, allow it to dry well and stick on the letters you have chosen. Spray another colour over the letters to cover them and carefully remove them again (e.g. with tweezers) once they have dried.

Have fun with this summery DIY!

Need a little visual help? We’ll show you how to transform empty spice jars into real eye-catchers! Be inspired by our video tutorial and create your own personalised decorative vases!