DIY: Scrapbook Paper Flower Vase

Ok, so this isn't the most mind-blowing DIY project ever, but it's a cute, quick, and very inexpensive way to add some color to your space, especially in the middle of winter.

I don't know how the weather is where you are, but here in Rhode Island, we've had some extreme cold, and last night we got hit with about 10" of snow.  So, now that we are buried in a sea of white fluffy stuff that just makes the roads awful and ugly looking, all I want to see in my home are green plants and bright colors that remind me that Spring may be (or is hopefully) right around the corner.
Luckily for me, the paint colors that I have chosen for the house are all bright and cheery, so as soon as I get back to painting, all should be looking good. But, for now, I wanted to bring in some of the primary yellow that I have chosen as an accent color in the family room.  Right now, the only yellow in the space is the yellow end table that I showed you last week.  And the bookshelf that we have next to the TV is still empty.

Turns out that I have a ton of leftover vases from the centerpieces at our wedding. As you know, I put one to good use, and planted an avocado pit in it, so now my pretty little avocado tree is growing quickly and happily.  But, that still leaves me with 9 vases since we had bought enough for 12 tables and a couple ended up with chips along the rim.

I grabbed a vase out of the cabinet, wiped it out and then did something somewhat unexpected.  Using my yard stick, I measured the inside depth of the vase, and then I measured the diameter.  I took the diameter and an online calculator, and found the circumference of the vase and then added 1".  Now, you may be wondering why I needed to take measurements, right? Well, since I was planning on using fake flowers to brighten up my space (cats are the reason why we can't have nice things real plants), I didn't want the fake stems showing through the glass vase.  So, I grabbed a piece of scrapbook paper from my stash, making sure that the colors were going to match the space.  I made small marks on the scrapbook paper that showed the depth and circumference of the vase, and cut the paper. If you don't have any scrapbook paper, I'm sure you have some wrapping paper laying around somewhere, so that could be a great alternative!

Once the paper was cut, I rolled it up and slipped it inside the vase, and the extra inch that I added to the circumference helped make sure that the paper overlapped just a little bit so that there wasn't a gap showing.  Just like that, the once boring clear glass vase was transformed and looked really cute!

The next step was to cut the flowers. I had bought some fake flowers last Fall for the front door, and they were on sale so I got them at a really nice off-season discount.  They are the kind of fake flowers that are all attached together on a giant stem, so I took my wire cutters and clipped them off the large stem, and then slipped off the fake leaves from the stems.  You don't need to be too particular about the exact spot that you clip the stems, as it's probably better to have them different lengths, that way you can make your arrangement more dimensional with height. 

The only thing left to do once you have the flowers cut is to arrange them in the vase.  Since I was using both yellow and white flowers, I wanted to make sure that the colors were mixed in well, and because the flowers have wire stems, I was able to bend some of the stems so the flowers showed more.  

Once I was satisfied with the way it looked, I placed it on the shelf by the Expedit television stand and I love the way that it looks now.  It adds in that bright pop of color that I need right now. Plus, it makes it look just a little better now that there is something more than Cards Against Humanity on the shelving unit.  

And now it's time to get some other trinkets to put on the shelf, because this is still way too barren.  Plus, sometimes, accessories can be so much more fun than the big furniture items, right?!

Do you have any suggestions on what I could put on this unit?  I'm looking for pops of color - purple, yellow, silver, and white.  Is it possible to go overboard with plants and flowers? I kind of have an obsession with plants right now.