Thursday, May 17, 2018

West Elm Inspired Insect Vase DIY



I love looking through designer sites for inspiration! There's always a great feeling when you can get similar home décor looks by making it yourself for a fraction of the cost! West Elm is one of my go to sites for getting ideas - like this adorable, whimsical insect vase


Right away I knew I could make something similar.  Would you believe I had an empty disinfectant wipes container that I recycled that worked perfectly for the vase.
Materials used:

  • Container for vase
  • Plaster Cloth
  • Plaster of Paris
  • Plastic spoon
  • Spider Insect Mold
  • DAP RapidFuse  Multi=Purpose Adhesive
  • FolkArt Non-Yellowing Varnish
Begin by removing the paper label and cleaning the container, removing any glue residue. Next, wrap plaster cloth around the container to determine the size you'll need to cover and cut off.  Place cloth in water to wet and wrap neatly around container - with sides meeting and smoothing out. 



 This material is fascinating to use. The plaster powder on the cloth solidifies when dry into a nice surface.

Next, mix the plaster paris with water following directions. I basically used 2 part plaster powder to 1 part water for a pancake-like batter.
Drop mixture by teaspoon into molds.


Once the spider molds are filled, tap mold on hard surface to settle mixture and remove any air bubbles. 

Plaster Paris dries quickly and the molds should be ready to remove in about an hour. Gently turn the mold over to remove the spiders, pressing down - being very careful. Broken spiders will happen!
Begin lining up the spiders on the vase, gluing them on using RapidFuse adhesive. 

 RapidFuse multi-purpose adhesive dries in about 30 seconds, so it doesn't take long to secure the spiders. I used 45 spiders - 9 rows to cover this vase.
Paint on a coat of non-yellowing varnish to seal the spiders and vase. 

What fun!  Look how adorable this is!

The spider vase is a great focal point for any décor .  .  .


and a very cool dimensional conversation piece!


And the best part, you can use any type of small mold to fit your decor style!



Thanks for stopping by

and take a little time to enjoy,

Happy Crafting!




12 comments:

  1. That’s pretty inventive and it turned out great!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Liz! I've had a box of plaster of paris in my stash for a few years waiting to make something. This was perfect!

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  2. WOW! Can't believe how simple this looks to do. Are those like a candy mold? Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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    Replies
    1. Yes, Cindy, it's a candy mold! I did have a time trying to pry the spiders out. I should have done research on using plaster of paris and not follow the directions on the box.

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  3. You are so clever! I did pop over to see your "inspiration piece" and yours is very close to the original. If a person did not have the mold to make the spiders, do you think that plastic bugs from Dollar Tree could be painted white and glued to the plaster covering? Thanks for sharing this idea.

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  4. Como siempre, grandes ideas en tus trabajos.
    Besos

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  5. This is so clever. I like the idea of duplicating a high end piece for a fraction of the cost. It turned out so nice.

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  6. Un trabajo bellísimo , me gusta muchísimo ,gracias por el tutorial !!!!
    Besos.

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  7. This vase is stunning. I wouldn't have even known where to begin on creating something like this. Who would have known bugs could be so chic!

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  8. You are so creative Gail; great project! What would you have done differently to release the molds better? I've never heard of plaster cloth - what is it and where do you get it?

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  9. Your information is really amazing. Definitely that things are very useful for us. I'm impressed with your article. please share more information with us. Commercial disinfectant wipes.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wonderful content, Which you have shared here. This post is very informative and I liked to see it. Organic Cleaning Solutions

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