November 17, 2017
10 Ways to Reuse Your Vases This Fall
Your boyfriend sent a bouquet to the office for your anniversary, you bought flowers specifically for your sunshiny kitchen windowsill, or you had a centerpiece delivered for a dinner party.
After about a week, you’ve enjoyed the blooms but they’re past their prime. Toss the flowers but don’t toss the vase. Here are 10 ways to reuse, revamp and revise those containers.
1. Desk Organizer
Your desk is cluttered with scissors, pens, pencils and paintbrushes. Clean it up by putting everything into the vase. Even if it’s littered with paper clips and thumbtacks, the contained chaos will also act as desk decor.
2. Kitchen Utensil Holder
Use a wide-mouth vase as a way to store your kitchen utensils. From spatulas to wooden spoons, whisks and ladles, your kitchen organization is getting a makeover. And your utensils will be easy to grab when you’re cooking.
3. Terrarium
Turn your vase into a terrarium. Fill the container about a third of the way with sand. Choose succulents from your local nursery or garden store. Succulents need very little water to survive, so they make great plants for those who don’t have a green thumb. Check out A Life Unfolding blog for inspiration.
4. Coin Catcher
Coins just make your purse heavier to carry around. Create a home base for these loose coins and use the vase as a modern day piggy bank. If you have a lot of pennies, use the vaseful as a copper-colored decoration. It works great with an old-world look or muted color scheme. Check out this antique-feeling piece.
5. Collection Display
Marbles? Billiard balls? Seashells? Wine corks? Whatever your collect, put it in a vase. The vase acts as both a container and a pretty way to display, making your collection into a work of art.
6. Luminaries
Create luminaries with a vase and a tea light. Play with designs like lace, or wrap the jar with yarn and paint. These will give the vase a fresh face lift and you’ll want to debut them on your brick fireplace or front step.
7. Lanterns
Create a hanging lantern arrangement. To make a lantern, put an inch or two of sand at the bottom of the vases. Then, set the base of a candle into the sand. If the vase is larger, you might consider a cluster of three candles. Use wire or string wrapped around the bottleneck to hang it. Cluster different shapes and sizes together, and pair the lanterns with hanging wildflower bunches for a stunning display perfect for an outdoor wedding, party or dinner
8. Bookend
Load up the vase with pretty stones or marbles and use your new creation as a bookend. It’ll stand out on the bookshelf and hold your books upright in place. It’ll also add height to your current book arrangement.
9. Picture Frame
Mount a photo to colorful paper and place it inside the cylinder of a vase, hugging the inner edges against the back, with the photo facing the inside. The bend of the glass will give an interesting — almost fish-eye lens — perspective to the photograph and makes for a conversation piece among your family photo frames.
10. Vase 2.0
Go to town with Washi tape, available in different widths and patterns. Decorate vases for a holiday, or just to display on the living room shelf.
Think before you put away that vase. With so many ways to repurpose and reuse, we know you’ll find a project that fits your space best.