Busted Vase Glass Heart 💗

This project is a sweet, super-dimensional pink glass heart made from busted vase glass layered on a soft, pearly pink background. It’s imperfect on purpose because the variety of shapes and shades is what makes it so charming! This project is beginner-friendly and perfect for Valentine's Day or just sharing the love through art.

Step 1: Create a Soft Pearly Pink Background

Start by painting the entire canvas with metallic pearl/metallic white. This gives your background a subtle glow under the glass and resin.

While the pearl layer is still wet, dip your palette knife into a light pink paint (like Baby Blush) and smear it randomly into the pearl. You’re not covering the canvas - just adding gentle blushy streaks for dimension and highlights. Let the background dry completely before moving on.

Step 2: Lightly Sketch a Lopsided Heart

Once the background is dry, use a pink watercolor pencil to draw a heart shape. Keep it very light - the pencil is forgiving and will disappear under glass and resin.

Don’t stress about making it perfect. In fact, the heart in this project is intentionally a little high on one side and low on the other, because a slightly “off” heart looks more organic and interesting once the glass is layered.

Step 3: Prep Your Glass Pieces

If you honed your glass (recommended), the pieces will likely have glass dust on them. Use a soft brush to dust off each piece before placing it on the canvas.

If you are pulling pieces directly from your bucket that aren’t honed, be careful - fresh-busted vase glass can be extremely sharp. If you don’t have a honing stone, you can rub the edges gently on a concrete curb/sidewalk to dull them.

Step 4: Build the Heart Shape with Layered Vase Glass

Start by placing your curved pieces along the outside edges of the heart first. The curved vase pieces make a beautiful natural outline without needing perfect cuts.

As you fill in the heart, overlap pieces and layer them right on top of each other. Don’t worry about pointy edges or matching sizes. The magic of this project is using the glass “as-is,” straight from the bucket, so it looks wild, textured, and dimensional.

Once the heart is mostly formed, you’ll probably notice small open spaces. Grab your glass bucket and pick a few pieces to tuck into gaps. Keep filling until the heart looks full and balanced, without big empty spots.

Step 6: Mix Resin

Before you mix resin, raise your canvas off your table using blocks (or spare canvases covered in plastic if that’s what you have). The goal is to prevent resin drips from gluing your canvas to your surface. Make sure the canvas is level. If it’s tilted, resin will slowly slide to one side and pool.

This project used ArtResin mixed 1:1 (equal parts resin + hardener). The project only needed about 1 ounce.

To mix: Stir slowly for 3 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the cup. Avoid whipping, especially in winter, because cold resin traps more bubbles.

Step 7: Apply the Resin

Instead of pouring resin like a normal flat piece, this heart needs resin under and between layers of glass. Start by drizzling resin over the top of the heart. This does two things: it keeps pieces from shifting too much, and it starts sealing your layers. Make sure all the top surfaces get coated, especially around sharp edges and stacked areas.

Once the top is coated, start gently lifting or tipping pieces, especially in stacked areas, and make sure there is resin:

• on the canvas underneath, and

• on the underside of the glass pieces

Then press the pieces back into place. This helps everything stick down, including the layered glass-on-glass areas.

After everything is placed and secured, add a little extra resin across the surface and use a gloved hand (or a brush if you prefer) to spread resin gently around the heart so it looks finished and fully sealed.

Use a heat torch to pop any bubbles. Keep your heat moving constantly and never hover in one spot.

Place your piece somewhere level and dust-free to cure. If your room is cold, resin may cure slower and hold bubbles longer - warm conditions help. Once fully cured, your heart will look glossy, vibrant, and beautifully dimensional!

If you're a member of The Shattered Circle, you'll find this tutorial in your classroom under Art Shattered Weekly Facebook Lives, search for "Busted Vase Heart".

If you don’t want to miss my Facebook LIVE art instruction, make sure you are on my texting list. I always text 10 minutes before I’m going to go LIVE, so you won’t ever miss it. You can text “Hey Cindy” to 901-519-2923.

Want more inspiration and artwork?

•  My website artshattered.com with resources, shop, and more!
•  My creative membership The Shattered Circle, where you can explore the world of glass art with online workshops, a supportive community, and more!
•  My mini creative membership Just A ‘Lil Bit Monthly Glass Art Club, where you’ll get a new quick and easy online tutorial for just a lil' bit of sparkle in your life!
• My Facebook page where I go LIVE every Wednesday night.
• My YouTube channel which has tons of free art lessons right at your fingertips.