Don’t you just love Kate Spade’s range of gold dots accessories? I thought I could DIY the Kate Spade Dots Vase, but first I had to work out just how Kate Spade gets her dots to look so good. I’ve worked it out and have even created a template for you to use to achieve the perfect Kate Spade Dots.
The Inspiration
This is the Pearl Place Vase from Kate Spade which retails for US$75 (A$199 and out of stock)
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to create your DIY Kate Spade Dots Vase:
- A clear cylinder vase – I bought a plain 19cm high vase from the discount shop for $6. Big W also has a taller 25cm cylinder vase for $10
- Gold spots – I bought a box of 250 24mm removable circle dots for $8 from Officeworks
- A pen/pencil, paper and a circle template the size of your dots (or just use some stickers)
The Kate Spade notebook was a gift from Sam (the other half of DIY Decorator). I used this to create the Kate Spade dot template.
Creating A Dot Template
As simple as it sounds to stick some gold dots on a glass vase, if you want to get the dots spaced just right, you need to create a template in the Kate Spade way.
Here’s how to create a dot template for whichever size dots you are using:
Step 1 – Print out some grid paper – I downloaded a 25mm sheet from Custom Graph
Step 2 – Use your circle template to trace circles evenly apart both horizontally and vertically. My labels were 24mm in diameter so I left 24mm space between each dot. If you don’t have a circle template, use stickers to create your template.
Step 3 – Here’s the key to getting the Kate Spade look. Place a blank sheet of paper over the grid paper, the turn the grid paper 45 degrees clockwise. Now instead of your dots looking in uniform rows, they now look more spaced out and offset.
Step 4 – Trace around the circles on the grid paper underneath to create your 45 degrees offset dot template. Here’s what mine looked like. I left the image at full size so you can print it up if you like.
Placing the Dot Stickers on the Vase
To put the dots on your vase, place your dot template inside the vase, up against the glass. Add the dots one at a time, then move the template around, lining it up with the dots you have already placed. Continue doing this until you have added all the dots.
Tips
- I made sure my row of 3 vertical dots was evenly spaced for the height of my vase.
- I also checked the spacing of my dots around the vase before I added the stickers, to make sure I didn’t end up with 2 rows of dots on top of each other at the end.
Gold Dot Vase
I have periods of creativity and a desire to be more creative. In some periods I have more creative ideas than I do time and money. Other times I can’t think of a single project even if I was bribed with tacos. Recently, I have been riding a creative wave. I will ride it as long as I can! Remember this later, if your blog goes through a dry period! This project turned out even better than I had imagined (which is rare), and I am smitten with this cute spotted vase.
I was inspired by the Anthropo-inspired Confetti Vases and started searching for other glass vessels to paint. This rectangular vase was found in my cabinet. I used (you can find similar ones at Michaels or HomeGoods) and some metallic gold craft paintings.
Kate Spade’s random placement of dots is the pattern that I have lusted over for years. Dip your sponge into the paint and press gently on the glass. Avoid moving the sponge, as it can smear paint. The toothpick works great for popping those little air bubbles. I wanted the gold dots to be opaque so I painted them in several layers, allowing each layer to dry between.
After 24 hours, I put the vase into a cool oven, heated it up to 400 degrees, and baked it for 30 minutes. Then, let it cool down completely in the oven, before removing it. This process brought out the metallic shine and hardened the paint. It’s also been put through the dishwasher without any problems.
DIY WINE GLASSES GOLD DOT KATE SPADE
Ah, wine glasses! You probably enjoy the look and feel of quality glassware if you drink wine like me. Even if you are not a drinker you will agree that it is more fun to enjoy your beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) in a fun, stylish glass.
In the last few months, I have seen more and more gold. Not just for New Year’s Eve but all year long. The addition of gold makes anything more fun, flirty and luxurious. By that, I mean adding the gold in a way that doesn’t make it look too old-fashioned or gaudy.
The DIY wine glass inspiration
Kate Spade has done an excellent job of capturing this trend and making it playful and flirty. They have a whole gold dot collection that has been selling out since its inception. You name it, and they’ve put gold dots on planners, wallets or handbags. People – and me included – are eating it up!
Kate Spade’s glassware was the item that really caught my attention in her collection. The gold-dotted glasses, and accessories that go with them.
The Essential Supplies
- Stemless Wine Glasses They should cost around $10 per set of 4
- You can use champagne glasses For a fun addition to your champagne bar
- You should always make sure that you are buying GLASSWARE and not PLASTICWARE. You’d hate to spend all that time and effort on something only to have it thrown away after a single use.
- You can use champagne glasses For a fun addition to your champagne bar
- Gold Permanent vinyl
- Silhouette Cameo Cutting Machine (or similar die-cutting machine)
- You can buy pre-cut gold dots if you don’t have a machine to cut the vinyl. (Or you could try cutting them yourself but that would take a lot of time.
Kate Spade Extra Supplies for All Items Shown Above:
To make the entire Kate Spade collection (not just wine glasses), start by using the gold foil, and cutting machines (or the pre-cutted dots in the absence of a cutting machine). Then follow the steps listed below.
- Acrylic ice bucket
- Plain Glass Pitcher
- Plain Glass Vase
- Clear Acrylic Drink Shaker
- White Circular Coasters
- If you need them for more than one use, then you can choose Clear Glass Coasters.
- Plain White Paper Napkins
Step 1
- Start your Silhouette design studio (or a similar program that is compatible with your cutting machine).
- Click on the circle icon in the toolbar to the left. Now, on your design area, create a circle that measures approximately 1/3″ in diameter (see the dimensions shown in the picture above).
- Place the circle at the upper-left corner of the design area. Then duplicate the circles until they reach the right side.
- Copy the circle row until it covers about half of your design area.
- Then, send the circles to your Silhouette machine for cutting out. The final result should look similar to the image above.
Step 2
- Take one of your glasses, and begin to place gold dots on the bottom.
- Remove each dot from the vinyl backing one by one and place them in an even pattern on the bottom glass.
- In this first step, place dots on the glass side about 2″ up.
- Continue in the same pattern up the side until only the top 2″ of the glass is left without any dots. Be sure to keep the pattern of gold dots sporadic. If you wish, you can add additional dots in the next step.
Step 3
- It’s time to make GLITTER rain on your glasses! You can skip this step if you prefer the look of the spaced-out dots (similar to the Kate Spade sunglasses).
- If you prefer the look of gold confetti, like I do, then fill in any blank spaces by adding more gold dots.
- Filling in the spaces is best done at the bottom of the glass, working your way up.
- As you add more gold dots to the sides of your wine glasses, start by adding more at the bottom and then less as you go up. This will create the illusion of gold confetti falling on the side of your wine glasses.
That’s all! This is a simple 3-step process because pressing each dot by hand can take FOREVER. When you multiply that by the number of glasses you are making, be ready.
I spent 6 hours DIYing 8 wine glass embellishments with gold dots. It took a little bit longer than I thought it would because my silhouette was set to the wrong setting.
You can’t simply peel off each vinyl dot from the backing. Each dot is completely punched out of vinyl, with the backing still on. Each tiny gold dot had to be carefully removed with a needle. OH, SO LONG! It would have been so much easier if I’d just adjusted the ratchet to a lower setting. You have been warned.
