DIY Blue Opaline Glass

I love all milk glass, but blue French opaline is my favorite. The color is so dreamy and looks beautiful in just about every space.

I've collected a few pieces here and there (this one and this one and even this little one on my desk are still favorites), but opaline is so dang expensive! I drool over collections like these below from Eddie Ross and the home of the owner of Juicy Couture.

I decided to try my hand at recreating the look with a little spray paint for my wardrobe vanity's jewelry drawer.

I went to Goodwill and picked up an assortment of clear glass dishes for about 50 cents each. I tried to get a good mix of shapes, sizes and patterns in the glass. Some of these are butter dishes, there are a lot of saucers and little bowls and even a few ashtrays.

I spray painted just the backs of the dishes. I couldn't use a primer because that's all you would have seen from the front, but the bright blue oil-based enamel spray paint from Rustoleum that I used probably didn't need a primer anyway. I just made sure to wash the glassware really well first, so there was no dirt or grime to prevent the paint from sticking evenly to the dishes.

The trick is to not coat the glassware too heavily, so that lots of light still shines through the sides of the glass. A couple of light and even coats will work perfectly.

If you have any drips inside the dishes, you can scratch them off with a razor blade. You want a crisp edge between the paint and the inner glass surface.

I use the dishes for holding the earrings I wear the most often. There's also a dish for safety pins and a pair of my glasses.

The ashtrays actually work the best for separating stud earrings and the little bowls with rims are perfect for hanging drop earrings with hooks.

I love seeing the "opaline" dishes peeking out from the vanity drawer. The color is so pretty!