How to Upcycle a Kids Toy into a Stunning Dinosaur Vase

With Spring just sprung, flowers buds are starting to burst and this fortnight’s tutorial is a great way to upcycle toys that have been well loved. If you’re like me and fancy quirky elements, pops of colour and child-friendly products in your home, then this Dinosaur Vase project is a fun way to achieve this.

Once you have created your Dinosaur Vase, share it with us on Instagram! Tag @tlifecreative in your creations 🙂

Upcycle a Kids Toy into a Stunning Dinosaur Vase

What you will need:

• Thick plastic animal toy, larger sizes work best
• Permanent marker
• Drill
• Builders file or coarse sandpaper
• Surface Prep Spray paint (clear)
• Plastic Primer Spray paint
• Coloured Spray paint
• Dropsheet or cardboard for painting on

Step 1

Source the plastic animal toy. For this tutorial I found an old dinosaur, made from thick, hard plastic in my children’s toy boxes, that was well coated in mud and looking rather tatty – time for a new lease of life! Discount stores are also a great source for plastic animals.

Step 2

Mark with a permanent marker on the back of the animal, the approximate centre of the circle to be created for the opening of the vase.

Step 3

Take the drill and at your centre mark carefully drill through the top plastic shell of the animal. You will feel the drill drop down slightly when you have broken through the plastic layer. Make sure you stop drilling once you have broken through the top layer, as continuing on will create a hole in the bottom of the animal (and the bottom of your vase!).

Use a thicker drill bit in your drill to widen your pilot hole and form a hole approximately the size of a 20 cent piece.

Step 4

Lightly file or sand, with thicker grit sand paper, any sharp edges or excess bits of plastic around the hole opening. Give the animal a quick wash to remove any dust or grime and leave it to dry completely.

Step 5

Spray the animal with clear Surface Prep Sraypaint and leave it to dry. It is essential to do this step, as primer and paint do not bond to plastic surfaces well by themselves and ultimately the paint will chip off.

Almost Done…

Once dry, coat the animal with Plastic Primer Spraypaint and leave it to dry. Finally, choose the colour you would like the animal to be and spray it with a couple of light coats of Spraypaint. Again, leave the paint to dry completely, preferably overnight.

You can source the Surface Prep, Primer and coloured Spraypaint from your local hardware store.

To finish, just add water into the animal through the vase opening and pop in a selection of colourful flowers! Animal Vases are child-friendly and don’t break, perfect in rooms with hard floor surfaces.