How to Paint a Perfectly Striped Vase without Trembling Hands getting in the Way

If you have a plain glass vase that needs a bit of a makeover, then here's a really clever way to make it pop by painting colorful stripes. The real brilliance behind this is the method of using an old record player as a sort of pottery wheel so that you get perfect stripes even without a steady hand. You can use plain, cheap glass vases for this, and since I don't recommend getting your family member's beloved record player full of paint, just head out to a thrift shop or look online to get one for next to nothing.

Video Instructions:

Video and tutorial by Mark Monato Youtuber. Visit his website here Mark Montano Projects.

You will need:

• Old record player
• Glass vases
• Gloss enamel paint / multi-surface acrylic paint
• Paint brushes
• Rubbing alcohol and cloth
• Cardboard
• Scotch tape

You need to make sure that the vase it as clean as it can be before painting it, so this is where the rubbing alcohol comes in – make sure to wipe it thoroughly, all over, and make sure that you get the price tag and all its sticky residue off, too. Now, you can't just use the record player as is, you need to create a steady, flat surface, so cut a piece of cardboard in the same round shape and place that on top – make a small hole in the middle for the stem to go through. Remember, this needs to be flat, so if the stem still sticks out, just add another layer of cardboard until it's level.

Next, place the vase in the center and trace around the base of it. Make little loops of tape to stick around the circle – this will keep your vase in place when spinning. Now comes the fun painting part. Switch the player on, dip your paintbrush in the desired paint, and then just hold the brush in place and let the spinning turntable do all the hard work for you! Genius, isn't it?

In order to let the paint set, you need to let your new stripy vase bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 325°F (around 160°C), twice. Don't preheat the oven – put the vase in the oven and let them warm up together, and let the oven cool down completely before going for the second bake.

Now that you know how easy it really is you can have fun experimenting – play around with colors, do wavy lines or zig-zags… have fun with it! And if you're planning on showing off your new vase with some gorgeous flowers, try this flower arranging hack to make it all look perfect.