DIY Faux Pottery (With a Cute Leather Cuff!)

In this post, I’ll show you how to make a DIY faux pottery vase using plaster and a scrap of leather. Don't miss my trick to make the plaster stick to the glass and prevent cracking down the road.

This is the vase I started with. See that deep swirl detail around the bottom two thirds? Not a fan!

First, you’ll cut your plaster cloth into roughly 2″ wide strips. In order for your plaster to adhere to the smooth glass surface of the vase, you need to create a strong base layer for it to grip. Some people simply spray the vase with primer or paint, but in my experience, this will still leave the plaster vulnerable to cracking off the glass down the road.

Instead, I use plaster cloth gauze — the material that casts are made from — to create a strong shell with a rough texture for added durability. The added bonus to this is that it will smooth over any undesirable details, like the 80s style swoosh that my vase had.

Cut a bunch of strips and, one by one, dip them in water and smooth over the vase in overlapping sections. Let dry overnight.

Prepare a small batch of plaster in a 2:1 ratio and paint a thick layer all over your vase. To prepare, I mixed 2/3 cup of plaster and 1/3 cup cold water together until well combined. You want to keep your batches small because plaster starts to thicken and dry quickly.

Using a cheap chip brush, paint your vase in thick, horizontal strokes until the entire surface is covered. For my 15″ tall vase I only needed one batch of plaster.

Let dry overnight.

Using the same 2:1 ratio, mix another batch of plaster for your final coat. For this coat, use random criss-cross and up-down strokes to create an organic texture for the final piece. This will also serve to cancel out any remaining horizontal ridges caused by the plaster cloth layer.

Cut a wide strip of leather and wrap it around the center of the vase. This step is purely optional, but I had a bunch of leather scraps leftover from my  woven leather napkin ring project, so I figured why not be extra and add a leather cuff?

It’s easy! Simply cut a length of scrap leather to your desired width, wrap it around the center of the vase, and hot glue to secure in the back.

Your faux pottery vase is complete!

So what do you think? Would you give this project a try? If you love DIY and are looking to decorate your home on a budget, be sure to check out my full collection of DIY posts!