Hello friends! It’s Barbara from Chase the Star, I’m so happy to be back! I trust you had a wonderful holiday and are finally resting post festivities. Don’t get too comfortable though, New Year’s Eve is tonight!

If you’re planning on attending a party, I have a hostess gift idea that you can make right now, for very little money, using what you may already have lying around!

Hostess Gift Idea: Sharpie and Nail Polish on Glass

I decorated this vase for my son’s teacher, but it dawned on me that this technique can be used on different glass items. Not only can this be a great teacher’s gift, but it’d make a great hostess gift, or anytime gift!

To make this project I used:

A cylinder glass vase

(pick up a vase or any glass item at the dollar store)

A Sharpie (any color you like)

Thick ribbon

Hot glue and a glue stick

Clear nail polish

Optional: Die Cut machine, adhesive vinyl

Hostess Gift:

How To Decorate a Glass Vase with a Sharpie and Nail Polish

Step 1: Make sure to start with squeaky clean glass.

Step 2: This step will depend on what you plan on putting on the glass, in this case I added an initial. Because I haven’t quite perfected my penmanship, ahem, I had to enlist my Cricut to help me with this one. You can too if necessary!

I used the Cricut to cut out a ‘W’ onto adhesive vinyl, and just stuck it onto the vase in the center.

Isn’t that striped vinyl adorable? Unfortunately, it’s not durable on glass over time.

Using your Sharpie, trace the letter. Don’t worry about being perfect, you just want to be able to fill it in nicely. Once you’re done, remove the vinyl.

Step 3: Fill your shape in with the Sharpie. Because the glass is ultra smooth, I resorted to several layers using the Pointillism technique:

Pointillism is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of pure color are applied in patterns to form an image. {Source: Wikipedia}

Step 4: Once your shape (the initial “W” in this case) is to your liking, then allow it to dry completely for at least 10 minutes before adding a coat of clear nail polish to seal it. Be sure to add smooth, long strokes of the polish. Feel free to add more than one coat, allowing to dry in between.

Step 5: Hot glue ribbon on the top rim and the base to make it more festive!

Tip: adhere the ribbon with a single bead of the the glue, so that it can be easily removed should the recipient want to change it up down the road.

If you decorated a vase, fill it with fresh flowers. My son’s teacher loves hydrangeas so I picked up a bunch at the grocery store.

This project was not only extremely fast and simple, but also very inexpensive! The total cost was $8 and the flowers were the bulk of that! The vase was $1, and the other materials I already had.

Think about other glass items you can embellish for a great hostess gift:

Shot Glass

Candle Holder

Old Clear Perfume Bottle {to hold a single flower}

Clear Glass Plate

Mason Jars

Drinking Glass

Wine Glass or Champagne Flute

Picture Frame {instead of a picture, add pretty fabric and decorate the protective glass}

The possibilities are truly endless!

You’ll be the star of the party with this easy Handmade Hostess Gift! O.k., maybe not the star, but it’ll definitely be noted!

Are you making any hostess gifts for New Year’s Eve?

As always, it’s a pleasure to be here! Have a happy and healthy New Year!