Blue Mosaic Decoupage Glass Vase

I don't know what had gotten into me that year, but after making the Victorian Vase using the decoupage technique, I became entranced with paper projects. I loved the way paper could look like tile or glass.

I found that the translucent vellum paper lends itself well to the stained glass look, as you've seen with my Moon & Stars Tealight Candle Holder. But solid colors and patterns could be mixed together to create something very unique. The color and pattern combinations would be endless!

Do you know what else is endless?
-The time it takes to get all of the glue off of my fingers.
-The time I spend vacuuming, or down on the ground picking up all of the bits of paper that I drop.
-And the sheer time it takes to complete one project.

But I must say that I was pretty darn proud of myself when I created this blue vase. Starting it's life as a plain clear glass vase, the kind you get with a delivered arrangement. There are about five thousand of them at your local thrift shop right now, I guarantee it. 

It got a bath and a good exfoliating scrub (I scratched up the glass a little bit with sandpaper to make sure that the paint would have something to fully adhere to). That was a step I have since eliminated, because if you use the proper primer, it sticks just fine.

A coat of white spray paint went on first, because that's all I had. But looking back, the white was exactly what it needed. The paint was sealed with acrylic before starting the decoupage. Again, an unnecessary step that I have since deleted, since the entire piece would be sealed when complete.

I then spent two weeks painstakingly cutting and gluing each geometric shape to the surface. Arranging them just so. Then I sealed it all again, and again. 

It is a beautiful vase for fresh cut stems, but I think it makes a nice statement piece all by itself. Perhaps some dried flowers in a color that accentuates the blue would be nice as well.