Today I am going to show you how to make a vintage stoneware jug out of a regular vase!  In this tutorial I will guide you through the process step-by-step, so you can create your own high-end vase in no time.

 

Below is the vase I brought down from the attic to transform.

 

I was scrolling through Pinterest when I spotted a piece that intrigued me.  I remember I had a similar shaped vase up in the attic.

 

The piece I want to recreate is from 1stDIBS, a two handle Antique Portuguese Stoneware Jug.  This jug would be perfect for the rustic or vintage style lovers.  It would add character to any space.  This vase is way, I mean W A Y out of my budget, but I think it would be easy to recreate.  Here is how I am going to get this vase on my type of budget.

Recreate a Look Alike Portuguese Stoneware Jug

Begin with a vase with a similar shape and size.  It doesn’t matter the color or texture of the vase; we will be changing both anyway.  You will need some air-dry clay to create all the details your vase doesn’t have.

Making the Handles

With the air-dry clay, gather two balls of clay the size of a gum ball.

Roll out the clay into an even tubular shape.  Making sure they both are the same size.

Taking a good look at the handles on the high-end vase, they are looped over at the top and attached to the side of the vase.

Taking one rolled out clay and some water I attached it the same way.

I did the same steps for the other handle.

Neck Detailing

Even though my vase has a neck shape like the high-end vase, mine doesn’t have the detailing at the top of the neck.

I used more air-dry clay in 3 very small section, rolled it into thin tubes, attaching it to the lip of the vase.

Smoothed the tubes with water to create the look I wanted.

Here is what my jug looks like after I applied the clay details.

I let it sit for 24 hours for the clay to harden.

After the clay dried, I took 220 grit sandpaper and sand the jug down smooth, or at least as smooth as I could.

Painting the Jug

Now that I have the jug ready to paint, first coat I spray painted it with satin black spray paint.

I gave the entire jug a coat of black for the base.

I grabbed my paint and wax that I used for my fireplace transformation.

First, I took a half cup of the roll on textured and several drops of the apache clay paint by Valspar, mixed them thoroughly, creating a mud type texture paint.

Using a wet paper towel to apply the mixture on the jug.  I first wiped it on and then patted the paint for a more dimensional look.

Next, I used a clean paper towel to wipe away the mixture from the edges I created on the neck and on the handles to enhance the look of wear to the areas.

Let the texture mixture dry.  Once dried, I went in with all the paints, peppercone, warm buff and Aspen grey, Valspar.  With a moist paper towel, I applied the paint the same way as the textured paint until I had it all blended together.

I concentrated adding the darker colors to the bottom of the jug and the lighter colors to the highlighted areas.

Once I was happy with the look of all the layers of colors, I added one layer of the dark wax to the entire jug with my chalk brush.

With a soft cloth I buff the wax on the jug.

I am very happy with the look.

And once the wax had time to dry, I sealed with one coat of Minwax Polyurethan just to protect it.

Overall, I really am happy on how this transformation turned out.  It is crazy to think how my piece turned out so close to the late 19th Century jug but for only pennies verses the amount it goes for on 1stDibs website.

Even though my recreation is a little different than that of the high-end piece, it still looks to be a jug such as the ones used throughout Iberia for water, oil and wine.

It will be a great piece to decorate for years to come.

Alright y’all who would love to have the 1stDibs jug in their homes to decorate? I know I sure am happy to have something similar.  If you like how my jug turned out, follow the steps to create your own high-end jug for your home.

Thank you for stopping by, until my next blog post, BYE!

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