How to Make a DIY Clay Decanter That Doesn’t Crack

The only thing better than a super cute DIY Clay Decanter is one that you can make out of something you already have on your bar cart.

A cute statement DIY clay decanter made from an old Patron bottle! - sugar and cloth - Best DIY blog 2015 - houston - ashley rose

If you were one of the kids that took school art competitions verrrrry seriously like me, then you’re going to love today’s post!

We’re making a DIY Clay Decanter as part of Patrón’s “Art of Patrón” Bottle Art Competition. Because who doesn’t like a healthy dose of competitiveness to spice up their weekend DIY’ing?

A cute statement DIY clay decanter made from an old Patron bottle! - sugar and cloth - Best DIY blog 2015 - houston - ashley rose

That and the fact that you know we’re always down to prep the bar cart with another pretty thing, and even better when you can up-cycle a bottle you’ve already bought for the occasion.

Turns out that I’m still no clay artist though. It took me several tries to get a result I was happy with while also making sure the clay didn’t crack while it dried.

 Alas, I’m going to share my air dry clay tips to save you some time. Here’s how we made ours —

A cute statement DIY clay decanter made from an old Patron bottle! - sugar and cloth - Best DIY blog 2015 - houston - ashley rose

Materials and Tools Needed To Make A DIY Clay Decanter

Air dry clay

Foam brush

Cup of water

Clean glass Patrón bottle

Gloss shellac

Wax paper

Petite four cutters — Optional for shapes

Acrylic paints of your choice — Optional if you’re painting the final look

A cute statement DIY clay decanter made from an old Patron bottle! - sugar and cloth - Best DIY blog 2015 - houston - ashley rose

How to Make a DIY Clay Decanter

Step 1  Starting with your empty glass bottle, apply thick layers of the clay in sections pressing down firmly to blend them together.

Make sure to leave the top of the bottle last so that you have something to grip when you’re blending and placing the clay.

A cute statement DIY clay decanter made from an old Patron bottle! - sugar and cloth - Best DIY blog 2015 - houston - ashley rose

I liked the look of the unfinished clay surface, but if you’d prefer yours to be smoother, you can intermittently use a wet foam brush to moisten the clay and smooth the surface with your fingers.

I also made sure to make the clay go down to the edge of the glass bottom but didn’t cover the bottom so that it had a nice even surface.

A cute statement DIY clay decanter made from an old Patron bottle! - sugar and cloth - Best DIY blog 2015 - houston - ashley rose

Step 2 Once you’ve covered the majority of the bottle, you can finish the top lip.

A cute statement DIY clay decanter made from an old Patron bottle! - sugar and cloth - Best DIY blog 2015 - houston - ashley rose

To add a little extra pizazz, I cut out shapes using petite four cutters to place around the bottle.

A cute statement DIY clay decanter made from an old Patron bottle! - sugar and cloth - Best DIY blog 2015 - houston - ashley rose

Step 3 — Let the clay dry for at least 24 hours, making sure it dries slowly.

If it dries too quickly you’ll get cracks in the clay. To avoid this, you can wrap the finished piece in plastic wrap so that moisture evaporates really slowly.

This means you’ll also have to wait quite a few extra days for the piece to dry completely.

Step 4 — When it’s completely set, you can use acrylic paints to cover some or all of the pieces.

A cute statement DIY clay decanter made from an old Patron bottle! - sugar and cloth - Best DIY blog 2015 - houston - ashley rose

Step 5 — Next, you’ll spray the entire bottle with a coat of spray shellac — a food-safe sealant— making sure to NOT spray inside the bottle.

To avoid spraying inside the bottle, I stuffed a ball of paper napkins in the top.

Now you have a completely food-safe, custom decanter for your next party!

A cute statement DIY clay decanter made from an old Patron bottle! - sugar and cloth - Best DIY blog 2015 - houston - ashley rose

Last but not least, you can fill your decanter with any of your party favorites for a bar cart statement piece.

What do you all think? We’re excited to see some of your projects, so be sure to tag us so we can follow along on the competition with you!

A cute statement DIY clay decanter made from an old Patron bottle! - sugar and cloth - Best DIY blog 2015 - houston - ashley rose

More Easy DIY Clay Projects

A cute statement DIY clay decanter made from an old Patron bottle! - sugar and cloth - Best DIY blog 2015 - houston - ashley rose

A cute statement DIY clay decanter made from an old Patron bottle! - sugar and cloth - Best DIY blog 2015 - houston - ashley rose

DIY Clay Decanter

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Make this fun DIY decanter! It's a great project for beginners, too! You can make it any color you like!
Active Time45 minutes
Dry Time1 day
Total Time1 day 45 minutes
Course DIY
Category Bar

Equipment

  • Foam brush
  • Petite four cutters optional for shapes

Materials

  • Air dry clay
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 liquor glass bottle empty and clean
  • Gloss shellac
  • Wax paper
  • Acrylic paint optional in color(s) of your choice if you’re painting the final look

Instructions

  • Starting with your empty glass bottle, apply thick layers of the clay in sections pressing down firmly to blend them together.
    Make sure to leave the top of the bottle last so that you have something to grip when you’re blending and placing the clay.
    We love the look of the unfinished clay surface. But if you’d prefer yours to be smoother, you can intermittently use a wet foam brush to moisten the clay and smooth the surface with your fingers.
    Make sure to make the clay go down to the edge of the glass bottom, but didn’t cover the bottom so that it had a nice even surface.
  • Once you’ve covered the majority of the bottle, you can finish the top lip. To add a little extra pizazz, cut out shapes using petite four cutters to place around the bottle.
  • Let the clay dry for at least 24 hours, making sure it dries slowly.
    If it dries too quick you’ll get cracks in the clay. To avoid this, you can wrap the finished piece in plastic wrap so that moisture evaporates really slowly.
    This means you’ll also have to wait quite a few extra days for the piece to dry completely.
  • When it’s completely set, use acrylic paints to cover some or all of the pieces.
  • Spray the entire bottle with a coat of spray shellac — a food safe sealant— making sure to NOT spray inside the bottle. 
    To avoid spraying inside the bottle, stuffed a ball of paper napkins in the top.
Cost: $30
KEYWORD: diy clay decanter

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4 thoughts on “How to Make a DIY Clay Decanter That Doesn’t Crack”

  1. i dont know that my skills are food enough for a contest, but im totally going to buy some patron for our labor day party so i can make these afterwards! The citronage One would be a cute shape too

    Reply
  2. Such a fun idea! I love the clay decanter idea – I don’t have one at home yet (crazy, I know), so maybe I’ll make one!

    Reply

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