One of Those Days

One of Those Days A behind-the-scenes look at a fluid art experiment involving glass vases, creative optimism, shattered glass, and one very patient dog.

6 May 2026

I wanted to try fluid art on some glass vases for my upcoming Craft Fair. The setup process is usually fairly straightforward: clean the glass, create a makeshift stand to hold the vase upside down, set up a tray to catch the paint drippings, then transfer everything to a wire rack for drying with a silicone mat underneath. The leftover paint in the tray can be reused for jewelry projects or added back onto the vase if needed, so it always feels a little experimental and a little resourceful.

The first vase came out reasonably well, although I think I got a little carried away with the colors.

First vase, freshly poured

It did, however, improve dramatically once it dried. The colors softened and blended together in a way I actually ended up loving.

First vase, dried

For the second attempt, I decided to simplify the palette and stick to blues, pearl white, and just a touch of black. This time it was really starting to come together.

The marbling was softer, the colors felt calmer, and for a brief moment I thought, “Ah, this is going to be perfect.”

I moved the vase onto the drying rack, then decided it needed just a little more paint. In order to reach everything properly, I shifted the table out slightly.

This was a terrible decision.

The entire vase tipped over and crashed onto the floor in an explosion of blue paint and broken glass. My poor dog Ginger, who had apparently decided that lying underneath the table was the best place to supervise the process, looked up at me completely splattered in paint.

Second vase, in progress

Thankfully she was not hurt. She did, however, need a bath, which may have been the greater tragedy in her opinion.

I apologized to her profusely and attempted to make amends with frisbee throwing in the sunshine afterward. Fortunately, Ginger is a very forgiving dog.

Ginger, happy again, in the sunshine

I was feeling a little defeated by the end of it all, but also incredibly lucky that she was okay. Honestly, as far as paint disasters go, I have probably been overdue for one. It feels less like failure and more like a strange creative rite of passage.

At the very least, I learned a few things: secure the vase better, keep dogs away from the pouring station, and never trust a project that seems to be going smoothly.

But most importantly, I just need to clean everything up and try again.