Coastal Candle Holders with Sea Glass Paint

Clothing, books, clear glass- these are some of the things that overwhelm thrift stores. Which means, of course, that I love coming up with new upcycle ideas for them. So, today I’m sharing some coastal candle holders that I made with glass vases that I found at one of the Habitat ReStores here in Charlotte.

I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t an overly unique project idea. But it’s SO simple and wonderfully effective if you love beachy decor. Plus, it’s a great way to jazz up all that cheap glassware you see while thrifting.

I picked up a couple of glass vessels for my coastal candle holders, but this bubble glass really caught my eye.

It reminded me of my Beach Jars in antique aqua mason jars. I loved using jars with air bubbles in the glass because they had such an underwater quality to them.

Anyway, let me show you how I painted these clear glass holders with a coastal makeover!

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This project tutorial was also sponsored by the Charlotte Region ReStore(s).

From Clear Glass to Coastal Candle Holders

First, I collected the specialty spray paints that I intended to use. One was a sea glass spray paint by Rust-oleum; you may remember that I’ve used the Krylon version before. The other cans were stained glass spray paint, which I’ve also used before.

Next, I cleaned the glass holders and removed the price tags. I also used a bit of Windex on them to remove any fingerprints, as well. Then, I set up a workstation outside for spray painting.

I proceeded to give the larger glass holder two light coats of the sea glass paint…

And for the bubble glass, I layered on single coats of each stained glass spray paint, switching cans between layers. I stopped when I was happy with the shade of aqua/turquoise.

Once they were dry, I gave each candle holder a light spray of clear coat to protect the paints. Matte for the sea glass holder, satin or glossy for the bubble glass.

Next, I decided to embellish them further with some beachy touches, including nautical rope and dried starfish.

Using hot glue, I carefully wrapped some rope around the coastal candle holders. I also used hot glue to keep the ends from unraveling.

Lastly, I attached a starfish to the larger candle holder with hot glue. I poured a couple of inches of beach sand into the coastal candle holders and they were ready to use.

Coastal Candle Holders with Sea Glass Paint

Because I painted each of my coastal candle holders, I nestled my favorite LED pillar candles inside them. As opposed to burning real candles, which might be a bad idea.

And they looked fabulous, if I do say so myself. The coastal candle holders are just beachy enough without looking too overdone or downright hokey.

I love how different but related they are- like a coordinated set, as opposed to a matching set. I was lucky to have the stained glass sprays on hand already. Believe it or not, I actually found the Rustoleum sea glass spray paint at another Habitat ReStore.

A few additional thoughts on these coastal candle holders:

• This Rustoleum sea glass spray paint is much paler than the green Krylon version. The Rustoleum version is almost white; but they both feel the same, texturally. Just keep that in mind if you want to make these and whether you want more or less color.
• I personally hate using things like dried starfish and prefer using empty shells I find on the beach. I made an exception in this case, but still feel badly about it. But that’s definitely a personal choice! And the large conch shells? I picked those up at thrift stores; I absolutely love finding large shells while thrifting and rarely pass them up.
• Usually I whip-knot the ends of rope for projects (like I did on this coastal tray or this Pirate Pub sign). But today, I was lazy and used glue. Honestly, either way is totally fine!
• I used actual beach sand in my candle holders because I had some on hand (remember this project?). But decorative sand would be fine, too.

Think you’ll give any clear glass a coastal makeover this summer? Even though we don’t live anywhere near the coast, I always get that beachy decor itch at this time of year.

Speaking of which, here is a collection of other beach house-inspired upcycling projects. Gotta love coastal decor from the thrift store, no matter where you live, eh?

Craft on!

S

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