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.  

DIY: Silver Washer Vases

I've got a really neat little craft project for you today. I still have about 40 vases left over from my wedding centerpieces, and in looking for some way to decorate them, I came up with an idea - metal washers.  I have seen vases decorated with pennies before, but since I will mostly be using silver metals in my decor, I wanted to use something that wasn't copper.  In brainstorming different ideas on what I could use, I thought of both nickels and dimes, keeping in the money theme, but figured that would cost too much, literally.  So, the last idea that I came up with was metal washers from the hardware aisle.

Now, before you head out to the hardware store, do some research on the size of washers that are offered.  You will want to make sure that your washers fit perfectly on all sides of your vase.  Since my vase is square, I measured the width and height of the sides and then was able to determine that my 3"x3" vase could use six #10 washers for both the width and height, since each washer is about a half inch, bringing me to the dimensions of my vase.  If your vase is cylindrical, measure the circumference and the height and then you can do some simple calculations to figure out how many #10 washers (or any other size that you choose) you will need.  If your vase has some shape to it that isn't consistent, I suggest that you go smaller with the size of the washers, rather than larger, as it will be easier to fit more on in tricky spaces and they will lay flat on your vase.  

For adhesive, you have your choice of products.  You could use a really durable glue to secure them onto your vase, but just be aware that some glues do not work well with glass.  For this project, I used silicone adhesive, which is waterproof - important for a flower vase, and dries very quickly.  

So, to start, gather up your supplies. You'll want your adhesive, your clean and dry vase, your washers, and then not pictured below are a chopstick and a small paint brush that you will likely throw away when this project is finished. Chances are, your adhesive will not wash out of the bristles very easily, so use one that you don't really care about, or buy a little cheap one from the dollar store. 

Once you have prepped your workspace, get to work by adding the adhesive of your choice to the back side of the washer.  To make this easier and keep my fingers clean, I threaded the washer onto a chopstick, and it slid about 1/3 down the stick.  From that point, I used my little paint brush and painted the back of the washer (the flattest side) with the silicone adhesive. 

Once the washer was painted with the silicone, I flipped the chopstick over, and placed it where I wanted the washer to be. Just tapping on the front side of the washer with the handle of the paint brush made it slide off of the chopstick and onto the glass vase. From that point, all I had to do was gently push it to where I wanted it to be and then press down with one end of the chopstick to secure it in place.  The washer below is a little gummy with some extra adhesive, but it will come right off with a paper towel if you catch it when it's still wet.

And then you just repeat that. A million times. But in all reality, I used 36 washers per side of my vase, which means that I used 144 washers.  Close to a million, right?

Anyway, when you're done placing all the washers on the vase, let your adhesive dry and then you're good to go!  A plain vase just became something really, really cute!

I figured it was acceptable to use some of the leftover bamboo favors from our wedding to put in this revamped vase that was also from our wedding.  I am really looking forward to making more of these, since I have so many vases leftover. I think they are so cute, and are the perfect punch of modern decor for my home.

And, if you have some extra vases lying around in your home, you could very easily and inexpensively do this as a gift! The holidays are coming up quickly, and what's better than a homemade gift, right?!

What else could you use for vamping up an ordinary vase?

A Different Type of Glasses

Sorry about being missing!  We've been enjoying the beautiful weather we've been having, and are also celebrating the holiday. Happy Memorial Day, and thanks to all who have served our country!!

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming :)

Since I am making our table centerpieces, I have been making frequent trips to the motherland, aka Michaels.  I have been buying them out of 3" square glass vases on every visit, and on this past one, I was able to score enough to complete my collection, which I actually didn't know until I just counted!!

Ashland 3" Square Vase from Michaels / Personal Picture

Ashland 3" Square Vase from Michaels / Personal Picture

Bags and Bags and Bags of vases / Personal Picture

So, now that I have the vases, I should probably start figuring out if the Jell-O idea will work...

I also probably should have figured that out prior to purchasing all these vases. Oh well.