DIY painted stemware

Looking for a great gift idea for Valentine’s Day — or for your mother or bridesmaids — that won’t break the bank? Or even better — won’t cost much of anything at all? Look no further than your stemware cupboard and your box of paints and crafts.

Painting your own wine or martini glasses is a great way to add pizzazz to boring old drink glasses and makes a beautiful and thoughtful handmade gift. All you need are a few materials and a few hours!

Don’t think you have to be an artist to create beautiful stemware, either. If you’re looking to recreate more elaborate pieces of art, download free printable stencils that you can use to sketch out gorgeous paintings. You can also follow the easy, step-by-step instructions below to create one of a kind abstract and modern glasses that are sure to impress your friends or your sweetheart.

DIY painted wine glasses

What you’ll need:

Glass stemware (can be wine, martini or champagne glasses)
Set of brightly colored glass enamel paint
Set of different-size brushes (from angled tips to larger rounds for different effects)
Surface conditioner (like this)
Newspaper
Stencils (optional)

Get started

Make sure your glasses are washed and completely dry before beginning. Liberally cover the outside of the glass with the surface conditioner. This is a specially formulated bonding agent that helps the enamel paint adhere to the surface. Let dry completely — do not rinse or wipe off. Stir your paints with a brush to ensure the colors are mixed, then you can start painting!

Multicolored dotted glass

To create a beautiful dotted glass, like the one pictured above, use the large and small round brushes. Choose which colors you want to use (I went with four different-colored dots) and dip the round brush into your paint of choice. Very carefully, dot the brush all over the base of the glass. Before you apply the paint, be sure to get rid of off excess paint from the brush so that the dots don’t drip. Repeat with all the colors you chose, washing the brush after each dot, until glass is covered. Let dry before you do a second coat.

To paint the stem and base, dip the small angled brush into your choice of paint. Carefully make small lines, beginning at the very top of the stem, and work your way down. Let dry completely before you begin paining the base. When stem has dried, dip the large round brush into paint and blot around the base to cover it. Let dry.

Festive stripes

This pattern works best on martini glasses because of the angling of the base, but you can try it on any type of stemware. To begin, use the small angled brush and paint a stripe, beginning at the bottom of the base, and move towards the rim. Repeat with your colors of choice and let dry before adding embellishment. Once stripes have dried, add dots, swirls or your embellishment of choice!

Word & name lettering

Begin by writing out the names or words you’d like on the glass in dark ink on a piece of paper, in the font or handwriting you want. Tape the piece of paper inside the base of the glass so that you can trace the word or name onto the outside of the glass. Using the smallest round brush, carefully trace the letters. Once dried, remove the paper and embellish the glass with dots, swirls or hearts.

Adding embellishment with glue

To add glitter or rhinestone embellishments to enamel paint, you’ll need to first bake the paint onto the glass. Place the glass in a cool oven then heat at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Let glass cool completely. Add clear glue to the places you want to add glitter or rhinestones. Immediately after applying glue, sprinkle with glitter of choice or pattern with rhinestones. Let dry overnight.

Creating your own artistic masterpiece on your favorite drinkware is easy and a perfect gift idea for holidays or weddings!

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DIY painted stemware