Hand Painted Cowboy Boot Flower Vase

Hand paint a cowboy boot and turn it into a beautiful flower vase to make the perfect handmade gift. I created this boot vase for my sister's birthday a few weeks ago. My mom and I each decorated a boot and then planted flowers in each boot and gave the pair to my sister as a group gift. Boots make such a cool canvas, now I want to paint all kinds of footwear! Look for old used boots at your local second hand or thrift store, we found these for under $10.

Exciting news alert here:
I used some new DecoArt products to create this hand painted boot. DecoArt has a new line of Americana paints called Multi-Surface Satin Acrylics that are perfect for this project. The paint is easy to use and adheres to a wide variety of surfaces (thus the “multi-surface”). The colors are bright and the paint is a smooth texture making it really nice to paint with. DecoArt also has a brand new line of mixed media stencils available in Michaels craft stores this available month, AND (drum roll), I designed 5 of these new Americana stencils (it's actually 3 products with 5 designs between them)! So for this project I combined the new paints and one of the new stencils to create a cool textured look on the boots before I added other hand painted details for the final design.

I designed all of these stencil patterns except the herringbone (that you can't see very well in this photo). I'm SO excited to try out all the patterns in upcoming projects. If you use any of them, holler, I'd love to hear about it!!

Materials you'll need:

• An old cowboy boot
• DecoArt Americana Multi-Surface Acrylic Paint
• DecoArt American Stencils
• Repositional spray adhesive
• Paper towel
• Paint brushes
• Fine tip Sharpie marker
• Clear gloss sealer (optional)
• Potting soil and flower
• Optionally, include glue, gems and glitter paint for added sparkle

Americana Multi-Surface Satins are available for purchase at Michaels, A.C. Moore, Hobby Lobby, and other fine craft retailers.

How to make your own hand painted cowboy boot flower vase:

Note: Allow paint to dry between applications.

1. Apply spray adhesive to one side of the stencil and adhere in place on the boot. Make sure you use repositional (or temporary) spray adhesive so you can easily remove it when you are finished with the stencil.
2. Using a paper towel, gently blot paint on the stencil and boot surface until you get the desired coverage. I chose to cover only partially allowing the leather would add texture to the painted area.
3. Apply additional colors around the boot as desired. Paint details, creating a decorative look. You can make your design as complex or simple as you'd like.
4. Draw or write extra details and messages around the boot to add an even more personal touch.
5. Glue gems in place and add glitter paint. I used DecoArt Glamour Dust paint to add some sparkle.
6. Cover entire boot with spray sealer to protect painted surface from weathering. I chose a gloss finish so the boot would really stand out and the colors would pop.
7. Add potting soil, plant your flower in the boot and water as necessary. Because this is a real boot, be aware that water does leak through the seams so make sure to either water outside or put some kind of base under the boot.

The coolest thing about stencils… you can use them as the focus of a design or as the background/foundation of an art piece. In this case I used the texture created by a stencil to add a little extra interest to the look of the art. I could have simply painted the boots a solid color and painted the art details as layers on top, but instead, I wanted to add some color and variation to the background… the stencils are perfect for easily adding this kind of look.

Another idea, you could just leave the booths painted with the stencils and call your project finished. The stenciled pattern is such a pretty look all on it's own. If you don't love painting flowers and other frilly details… don't. Use the stencils to decorate the boots and then plant your flowers – the results will be fabulous!

You can create all kinds of beautiful art pieces on all types of materials with this fabulous new multi-surface paint by DecoArt. I absolutely love how well it works and how quickly it dries! When you make your own fun projects, holler in my direction, I'd love to hear about them! For more great project ideas and updates, follow DecoArt on Facebook. DecoArt is featuring projects by over 50 designers to showcase these new products in the next few weeks, take a look at all the fun they have created.

If you'd like to try some of this paint yourself, here's a rebate for you… PLUS… All rebates submitted will be entered to win an iPad Mini. Rebate is open to US residents only. 

Disclaimer: I received product from DecoArt to create this project.