DIY Glass Plate Flowers Project
Updated: Jul. 11, 2024
Learn how to make glass garden flowers from old plates, bowls, candleholders, and more. These DIY glass plate flowers never need watering!
Turn mismatched plates, bowls or candleholders into beautiful, showstopping glass flowers and add a splash of color to your backyard decor. Use any style of glass plates or bowls you have on hand and paint them any colors you want. Best of all, these glass plate flowers require no watering!
While the directions below are for one flower, they look best in small groups of three or four. Gather up several glass plates, bowls and candleholders the next time you’re at a rummage sale, flea market or secondhand store.
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Glass Plate Flower Materials:
- 3 glass plates, bowls or dishes in three different sizes
- glass candleholder, salt or pepper shaker, or small vase
- 1 small vase that is flat on one side
- Alcohol wipes
- Paint specifically for glass
- Paintbrushes or sponges
- Markers or pens for glass
- Clear, waterproof silicone
- Copper, metal or PVC pipe
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Clean all glass thoroughly with alcohol wipes and let it dry.
- Use a sponge or paintbrush to paint the glass pieces, covering completely. Add details like stripes, circles or petals if desired. A couple of layers might be necessary to get full coverage. Use markers or pens to add small details.
- Bake the glass pieces according to the directions on the paint bottles. (In general, bake at 325° on the top rack for about 20 minutes.) Turn off the oven, and let the glass pieces cool completely before removing them.
- Lay the largest plate flat on a covered surface. Apply silicone to the bottom of the next largest piece and press it down onto your base plate.
- Continue applying silicone to the bottom of each of the smaller pieces until the flower is assembled. Let the entire piece dry overnight.
- Apply silicone to a flat side of the small vase and, holding the vase upside down, press it to the back of the flower. This will serve as the mount that fits over the pipe for display purposes. Let the silicone dry overnight.
- Pound the pipe into the ground; slip the glass plate flower over the pipe.
NOTE: Avoid using very thin glass plates as they can break in the oven while baking. Open windows or turn on the exhaust fan while plates are baking as some paints might give off a strong odor when baking.
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