The Mini Metal Milk Jug You Can DIY

I don’t know about you, but I’m totally in love with metal milk jugs. I’d love to fill them with flowers, and fit their farm look into my house or garden. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to find one in such a big city like the one I’m living in, so I have to find some other ways to fulfill my wish of having one.

But I found a way to have my own milk jug to fill with spring flowers: it’s a small one but still lovely. And here’s how I made it up, using a few things that I had around the house.

Any reasonable homesteader owns a big collection of jars and glass bottles for canning. So do I, and I’m searching through it from time to time since there are a lot of hidden treasures inside. This time I found a glass jar that I used for pickling tomatoes, and it was big enough to turn it into a nice meme of a metal milk jug, that I intend to use a flower vase. So I grabbed this big glass jar (1 gallon jar without the lid) along with some spray paint with hammered effect, and headed to my next DIY project.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTMLXvbFFl7/?taken-by=gabiralea

I washed the jar and wiped it out so it would be dry and clean. I stopped for a moment to think about making holders for this jug, and I have a lot of wire hangers that I could use for this purpose. But I’ll leave it for some other time, as a later development of this project. And this is what I love about my projects and DIY generally – the fact that they can develop and grow while working on them, as a good food that you are cooking and improve according to your inspiration, not by the recipe you’re supposed to follow…

DIY is like creative cooking: you develop a crafting idea by heart, not by a recipe you’re supposed to follow…

Going back to business, I’m very happy with the choice I’ve made about the spray paint. I use this kind of paint with many of my projects, and it’s perfect for my crafts. I’m note sure if it’s available worldwide, but Rust-Oleum is a really good replacement in case you need to buy this type of paint. As you can see by yourself, the jar got this hammered effect and really looks like metal.

Once the painting was finished, I decided to customize the so-called jug in order to give it a more farmhouse look. I’ve printed the word FARM, to stencil it on the vase.

Since it was the first time to make my own stencil, I had the opportunity to learn a few lessons that now I’m ready to share with you. I know that some would say I should have bought a stencil, and believe me that I would if I could. I don’t have too many options when buying farmhouse style stencils around here, so I had to find another solution. In case you want to make your own stencil, you can start your own by printing any word you like in fonts like THESE or THESE.

First, I used thick paper for making the stencil and chalkboard spray for painting. I was afraid that the stencil would not bend properly around the jar if made from something else than paper. Also, decoupage is an easy thing when cutting paper.

BUT I had to deal with the fact that even thick paper is too thin for staying still while painting, so I fixed it with paper masking tape. Also, I covered all the jar in plastic so I could protect it from unwanted spills of black.

It seems like my effort were not perfect since the final result was imperfect, meaning that the edges weren’t as sharp as I wanted them to be. I know why: when spray painting, I should have been more careful about the pressure I put on the button.

Lesson learned:  too much pressure disperses too much paint around, so pushing the button bit by bit would allow a clean look. Also, using a sponge and acrylic paint might work, and I’ll keep it in mind for my next project. 

Well, the stencil is done so what’s the next step? The jug would need a small add to improve its appearance, so I grabbed a piece 2-ft long of my favorite type of red ribbon and I got this lovely look…

I love how the deep red goes along with the metal texture, even if there’s no metal involved…

But the look gets better and better, since the flowers come into scene. Since it’s spring and there’s no chance to pick wild flower yet, I choose tulips instead.

These delicate flowers seem to fit in perfectly!

Now I have my mini metal milk jug! When are you going to make yours?

Share this project with a friend that loves DIY! And if you love this type of content, I’d be happy to have you on my emailing list, so I could send you over more projects and DIY ideas! 

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