DIY Glam Textured Vase | High-End Dollar Store Tissue Paper Transformation

This article is adapted from a video originally published on YouTube on Sep. 21, 2025.

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I love the challenge of taking items that look nothing like high-end decor and figuring out how to give them a total “Cardboard to Couture” makeover. For this project, I even reached into my “stash” to find leftover paint from a home project I did a few years ago and salvaged some ornament balls from a craft I’d dismantled—I never like to let good materials go to waste! It is amazing how a little crinkled tissue paper and some metallic gold feathers can turn two simple plastic trays into a piece that looks like it belongs in a high-end ceramic boutique.

📺 WATCH: See how I transform two round plastic trays and basic tissue paper into this high-end textured glam vase here.

Materials

Browse my curated list of Favorite Craft Supplies, Tools & Embellishments.

💡Scaling Note: The number of tissue paper layers and the amount of trim required will depend on the size of your trays and the desired opacity of your finished vase.

Two large round plastic trays (with a diamond pattern).
Silver crystal cluster trim.
Plain white tissue paper.
Mod Podge (Glossy or Matte finish).
Thick white acrylic paint (or leftover home project paint).
White glitter.
White feathers.
Silver pearl beads.
Silver ornament balls (repurposed from previous projects).
Large clear diamond-shaped gems.

Tools

Wide foam brush.
Hot glue gun and glue sticks.
Scotch tape or painters tape.
Metallic gold chrome paint marker.

💡Sandy’s Crafting Tips & Hacks

The Mod Podge Brush Preservation Hack: To avoid washing your foam brush between layers, wrap the wet brush and your leftover Mod Podge container in plastic. This keeps the adhesive from drying out and saves you from wasting supplies.
The Texture Creation Technique: Don’t worry about cutting perfect squares of tissue paper. Crumpling the pieces before adhering them creates the beautiful, organic folds and creases that give the vase a ceramic or clay-like appearance.
The Chrome Feather Secret: Use a metallic paint marker to gently color white feathers. This gives them a vibrant, glossy gold finish without disrupting the delicate shape of the feathers.
The Camouflaging Seam Secret: Use silver pearl beads with a mirror-like finish to hide any messy paint lines or glue gaps where your trim meets the painted surface. This provides a clean, professional “finished” look.
The Base Stabilization Technique: When building the legs out of ornament balls and gems, use hot glue to set the gems and wait until it fully cools to ensure they are perfectly straight and sturdy enough to support the weight of the vase.

Instructions

Position the two plastic trays front-to-front, secure them temporarily with tape, and adhere a semicircle of silver crystal trim around the bottom half using hot glue.
Apply a layer of Mod Podge to the trays and cover the entire surface with small, crumpled pieces of tissue paper, overlapping them to create texture; repeat for a second layer once dry.
Paint the textured surface with a thick layer of white paint and sprinkle white glitter over the wet paint to add a subtle shimmer and extra dimension.
Embellish two white feathers with a gold paint marker and secure them to the front of the vase in a decorative pattern using a thin bead of hot glue along the quills.
Construct the base by gluing large gems into the openings of silver ornament balls and attach these custom “legs” to the bottom of the vase for a stable, high-end pedestal.