Up-cycled Flower Vase Decor

Hey, friend! I have an exciting new upcyled flower vase decor idea that will have you saving those empty McDonalds cups. This gorgeous faux rust vase is the perfect budget friendly way to add a little rustic farmhouse to your decor. Let’s get started on this fun DIY project!

Supplies needed:

Large McDonalds cup (or something of a similar shape) that has been emptied and cleaned
Box cutter
Scissors
Mini Iron ( Not necessary, but helps to smooth sharp edges of the cup. You can get one HERE on my affiliate link)
Black multi surface paint
Medium Gray paint ( I used the color graphite)
Metallic silver paint
Brown paint ( I used the color Brown Oxide from Apple Barrel paints)
Paint brushes
Paint pouncer or sponge
Baking soda
Spanish Moss & Flowers of your choice
Embellishments of your choice ( I used part of a coffee dyed flower sack and a brown tag)
Hot glue gun & Glue sticks (AFFILIATE LINK)

Step 1: Cut the cup near the bottom where the indent begins. I used a box cutter to get the hole started and then used scissors. Just be careful as the plastic cup can get very sharp when cut.

Step 2: Next, I took an iron over the top of the cup. Hold the iron straight so as it begins to melt the plastic everything is nice and even. This part is not necessary, but it kept the plastic smooth so I didn’t cut myself while crafting this fun epicycle project.

Step 3: Paint both pieces of the cup with black multi surface paint. You want to use a multi surface or a chalk paint on the plastic so it sticks well. Sometimes running a piece of sandpaper over the shinny cup will help the paint to adhere better, but I had no issues with he multi-surface paint.

Step 4: next, add one coat of medium gray paint to both pieces of the cup. If some of the black shows through that is completely fine and will just add to the rusty look of the finished flower vase.

Step 5: Using a paint pouncer begin to sponge the metallic silver paint all over both sides of the cup. This will make the cup start to look like metal.

Step 6: Mix a small amount of baking soda with the brown oxide paint and begin to dab it onto both cups using a paint pouncer or a sponge. The baking soda will add texture to your paint making it look like real rust.

(Sponging on the paint and baking soda mixture)

Step 7: Flip the larger part of the cup so that the part that is normally the top where you drink out of is now the bottom. Then, take the smaller part of the cup and insert it into what is now the top opening. Make sure the open side is face up as that is where we will put our flowers.

Step 8: You can now begin to decorate your upcycled, rustic, Farmhouse-style flower vase. I added some Spanish Moss to the opening along with some greenery and and lavender. I then took a part of a coffee dyed flower sack and wrapped it around the top with a brown tag that says “home”.