DIY vases made from old cups

Copy this cheerful upcycling idea to make an eye-catching vase

Upcycling is very popular these days. It’s great to see what beautiful things can be created from old objects that might otherwise have ended up in the bin. Here, we show you how discarded coffee cups can be transformed into elegant vases. With their pattern of bright stripes, these vases will really grab people’s attention and are guaranteed to lift spirits. All you need is a couple of plain cups and porcelain brush pens. It’s really easy to achieve the highly effective stripes using porcelain brush pens because if you make a mistake or don’t like your design, you can simply wipe away what you’ve painted with a damp cloth.

Categories: Living room
Home decor
Upcycling & DIY hacks
Products: Porcelain brush pens
Materials: Porcelain and ceramic
Difficulty: Easy peasy
Downloads: Images (ZIP)

Step-by-step

Step 1

You can see all the materials you need at a glance in this photo. In our example, we used porcelain brush pens in orange und light blue.

Step 2

Before you start designing, give the cups a wipe with a cloth.

Step 3

To paint the cups, place them top down on the table and draw about 11 vertical lines using the porcelain brush pen. Try and space them out as evenly as possible. Next, make the lines wider towards the lip of the cup to create small wedge shapes. If you make a mistake, you can easily correct your design using a damp cloth or damp cotton-wool bud.

Step 4

Paint the second cup in exactly the same way as the first, so that it looks as if the stripes blend into each other once the two cups are glued together. To see if you have created the right effect, simply place one cup on top of the other. Once you have painted the porcelain, leave it to dry for 15 minutes. While you are waiting, pre-heat the oven to 160°C (top and bottom heat), place the cups on a cold rack and fire your painted design for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, turn the oven off and leave the cups to cool in the oven. This means you will be able to wash the porcelain later on without any problems.