DIY Faux Vintage Milk Glass Inspired Candy Dishes

Love the look of vintage milk glass? You can DIY your own milk glass candy dishes and trinket boxes using quick-setting resin and spray paint. I’ll show you everything you need to recreate these antique-inspired pieces and also teach you how to make them.

These colorful resin cast candy dishes and trinket boxes were inspired by vintage milk glass, Depression glass and elegant glass designs.

Gorgeous, right?

While I love hunting antique malls, yard sales and thrift stores for beautiful treasures, I also enjoy the challenge of recreating the vintage look. When I saw Betsy’s tutorial for making resin crown trinket boxes on Happily Ever After etc., I wondered if I could use the same mold to make a faux milk glass candy dish.

My little experiment turned into something of an obsession. I ended up making an entire collection of colorful milk “glass” and Depression “glass” style candy dishes, jewelry boxes, vases and goblets.

Can you spot the fakes among the real deal?

Even if you’ve never worked with resin before, you can make these collectible-inspired castings. I’d rank this as a beginner to intermediate project.

More Resin Projects

It’s perhaps a bit more complicated than my resin swizzle sticks, gilded pineapple napkin rings or Halloween treat jars. So, if you want to practice first, those would be good projects to start with.

• 

• 

• 

• 

These trinket boxes requires a deeper resin pour and, for the colorful, clear pieces, the use of clear resin plus alcohol ink colorants.

But this project is totally do-able for a beginner.

This post may contain affiliate links. AttaGirlSays.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Vintage Milk Glass Inspired Resin Boxes

First, I’ll break down the supplies and the steps you’ll need to make the opaque milk glass inspired pieces. In a separate blog post, I’ll share step-by-step instructions for making the colorful Depression Glass and Elegant Glass inpsired pieces, just to avoid any confusion.

In addition to the written instructions, I have included a quick. video showing the process for making these faux milk glass candy dishes.

VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR RESIN TRINKET BOXES

So easy, right? You can leave the resin dishes as is after unmolding them or paint them in a pastel rainbow of colors.

Supplies for Resin Candy Dishes and Jewelry Boxes

• Amazing Casting resin kit (Make sure to get the 10-minute cure time resin in white)
• Silicone mats or something else to protect your work surface
• Rubber gloves
• Silicone, paper or plastic measuring or mixing cups resin (This is the measuring cup kit I own)
• Wooden craft sticks for stirring
• Silicone trinket box molds (I used this round trinket box mold, this crown jewelry box mold and this hearts candy dish mold for the pieces in my collection.)
• Protective mask
• Gorilla Super Glue (optional)
• Assorted spray paint in pastel milk glass colors (I’ll share the colors and paints I used when we get to that step in the tutorial.)
• heat gun (optional)

How to Make Faux Vintage Milk Glass Resin Boxes

I’ll teach you step by step how to prepare your work surface, mix quick-curing resin, pour the resin and unmold your finished candy dishes and trinket boxes.

Preparing to Work with Resin

Protect your work surface with silicone mats, kraft paper, plastic or wax paper. Make sure to wear plastic gloves. When working with resin, it’s also a good idea to use a protective respirator mask.

The quick-setting resin kit comes with two different solutions that go through a chemical reaction and harden when they’re mixed together. The kit also includes a set of measuring cups and stir sticks, but you’ll need larger cups for this particular project.

Make sure you purchase the white resin that cures in 10-minutes for this project. There are other types of resin with a longer working time and different finishes.

Before beginning, make sure to read the instructions included with your particular type of resin. Also, have all supplies on hand, as you’ll need to work quickly.

The manufacturer of Amazing Casting Resin recommends warming up your mold slightly before filling with resin to ensure the resin has the heat necessary to cure properly. You can heat your mold in a microwave on high for 1 minute or in an oven at 150 degrees for 15 minutes.

You can also use a heat gun on a low setting to warm the mold. This is the method I use when I remember to do it.

Mixing the Resin

For this particular tutorial, all measurments are for the smaller round trinket box mold with the fluted lid, which requires approximately 160 ML of resin.

This is the finished piece it makes:

If you’re using one of the larger molds, like the 3-part crown jewelry box mold, I recommend mixing and pouring the resin for the top and the pedestal first. Then, mix a second batch for the bottom part of the mold.

This will ensure that you’re able to mix the resin well and completely before it begins to set. This will also ensure the finished piece cures and hardens correctly.

To create your castings, measure equal parts (80ML) of Solution A and Solution B into the separate silicone measuring cups.

Pour Part A and Part B into a plastic cup and stir with a wooden stick until blended, about 30 to 40 seconds. The mixed resin should be clear and yellow, with no swirls or streaks..

As the solutions combine, the mixture will become slightly milky, then clear as you continue to mix. Proper mixing is important for the curing process.

Pouring the Resin

The resin begins curing in just a few minutes, so you need to work quickly to pour into the molds.

Fill the mold completely, trying not to overflow the resin. If you overpour slightly, you can cut or sand away the excess after the resin has cured.

The resin will begin to change colors, from clear to white, as it cures and hardens. It also generates heat as it cures, so the mold and the castings may be hot to the touch.

Unmolding the trinket boxes

Allow the resin to cure completely and harden before removing the castings from the molds. Because these are deeper molds, it may take more than 10 minutes for the resin to cure. You’ll know it’s ready it becomes white and solid and is cool to the touch.

At this point, you can remove the castings from the mold. The best way to do this is to pull the sides of the mold away from the cast piece, essentially breaking the seal or airlock. Gently peel the mold away from the resin, as you’ll see in the video below. Be careful, as the edges of resin pieces can be sharp.

If necessary, use scissors to snip away any bits of hardened resin that overflowed the mold. You can also use sandpaper to smooth the edges or sand any excess.

If you’re using a mold that has a pedestal base, you can use Gorilla Super Glue or another adhesive to attach it to the candy dish before painting. I created a variety of different styles of vintage milk glass by mixing and matching pieces from various molds.

Creating the Milk Glass Finish with Paint

While these resin trinket boxes are pretty as is once removed from the mold, I wanted to recreate the look of colorful milk glass.

I was inspired by such makers as Westmoreland milk glass and Portieux Vallerysthal, known for its blue opaline milk glass and other pastel colors.

Antique milk glass comes in all kinds of sumptuous colors, including blue, aqua, teal, lavendar, pink, mint green and pale yellow.

I used a variety of different spray paint brands, colors and finishes to make my milk glass jars. I used a mix of things I had on my paint shelf in the garage and what I was able to find online and at the home improvement store.

Make sure to use spray paint that is formulated for plastic or one that includes a primer. Otherwise, you may need to prime the resin dishes before painting them.

These are the colors and brands I used:

• Montana Cans Gold Spray Paint in Malachite Light
• Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch 2X Ultra Cover in Gloss Spa Blue
• Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch 2X Ultra Cove in High Gloss Turquoise Sky
• Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch 2X Ultra Cover in Satin Vintage Teal
• Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch 2X Ultra Cover in Gloss Seaside

Some notes on spray paint:

• Gloss spray paint creates the most realistic looking shiny milk glass finish. It will also show off any imperfections in the resin. It also takes the longest to cure and is possibly the least durable.
• Many pastel colors of spray paint are only available in satin finishes, which aren’t as shiny as a high gloss. You’ll get a slightly shiny, relatively durable finish using a satin spray paint.
• My favorite spray paint to use is Montana Cans Gold, which is an artist spray paint. It is offered in dozens and dozens of colors, and the spray is so smooth and fine. It only comes in a semigloss finish though, so you’ll need to use a clear gloss varnish over it if you want a high sheen on your DIY vintage milk glass pieces.

I only had one color of Montana Cans Gold spray paint when I was doing this project. But I’m planning to order more to add more colors to my faux milk glass collection. You just can’t beat the colors and fine mist spray.

Pin This! DIY Faux Vintage Milk Glass Jewelry Boxes