Chalk Painted Shabby Bottle

Today I’m sharing how to do a simple makeover to create a Chalk Painted Shabby Bottle.

I love painting glass bottles, as the transformation is really pretty, especially when you sand away parts of the paint to show the glass underneath.

I showed you how I made over a maple syrup bottle last Spring:

Today’s bottle makeover is even easier, as there’s no wax involved, just chalky finish paint and a bit of sanding!

I started with a blue glass bottle that we’ve had in our home for many years. It never quite matched our decor, even though I kept it out on display.

I finally reminded myself that I could easily paint the bottle and turn it into anything I wanted. 

Remember: our imaginations are limitless! 

Also remember: paint is only paint. If you don’t like it, just paint over it!
(That takes the pressure off so you can experiment and enjoy the process.)

Step One: Paint the bottle with several coats of white chalk paint, letting each coat dry in between.

I ended up having to paint four coats to get the full coverage I wanted. If I was using a different color, or a darker color, the amount of coats would be less. Since chalk paint dries quickly, this step didn’t take as long as it sounds.

I used Americana Decor “Everlasting” (white color) chalky finish paint by DecoArt and a basic paint brush. Nothing fancy!

Tip: Use a plastic jar lid to help yourself paint bottles and jars: you can use the jar lid as a pedestal to help move the bottle around while you paint.

Here’s what the bottle looked like after 4 coats of white chalk paint:

Step Two: Gently sand away the paint along the edges of the bottle, and on some of the raised parts of the glass, i.e. anywhere that natural wear would occur over time on an old painted bottle. Use fine grit sandpaper or a sanding sponge.

It’s important to start out slowly, perhaps on the bottom of the bottle, to get the feel of how much (or little) you need to sand in order to remove just a little bit of paint here and there.

As you sand, take frequent breaks to wipe off the dust (from the sanding), and then step back and look at the bottle to make sure you like how it looks.

I love how the pale blue glass looks dark against the chalk paint. The design on the bottle reminds me of church windows! 

Step Three: Embellish the bottle.

For the top of the bottle, I took a piece of vintage lace seam binding – I figured a Spring green color was needed – and crinkled it up to give it that shabby look. I added a pendant that I had in my jewelry box and wrapped the green lace around the bottle. 

Tip: Learn how I easily crinkle seam binding here:

In the future, if I want, I can easily switch out the lace and pendant for other seasons or holidays. 

I love my simple chalk painted shabby bottle!

Happy crafting!

~Laura