Here is the Vase & Container Design forum.

Fantastic! I like vases to put the flowers in, but sometimes I may have flowers that are very short, looking more like a child's posey bunch, and I nevr have a vase that woud make them look good.

I have foudnthat glass baby food jars and the small individual siz e cans of pringle s make a good vase.

I have taken twine and glued it roudn and roudn the out sid eof the jar and the can and add a raffia bow and have a vase that didn't cost an arm and a leg.

I am wondering what other ideas folks may have for vases and decorating them from items around the house.

I sometimes use mugs or teacups with a small frog inside to hold the blooms in place if the mug has a large opening. I like your idea with the twine! I'm going to try that.

Or you can get these mugs at the dollar store.

Sometimes it works to fill the container part way up with marbels. Which you can also get at the dollar store Hehehehe, can you tell I love cheap ideas?

Steven.. yep I go there alot too. I also sometiems find things to us e at the thrift stores. Last tiem I went to oen thrift store found a big , mean huge bunch of artificial flowers that would look on my wreaths and got it for two bucks instea d of the 12 it normally would have cost.

That a good idea. Didn't think about that coffee cup idea. Would be good for Mother's day sales. I coudl get soem nice cups, put a frog in like ya said , fil with water, and put small arrangemtns in them.

I also take on Mother's day usually plants for the widowed Mother's who have nobody that day. Coudl giv e them a cup with flowers in it, instead of just wrapping some flowers in tissue and then wilting by the time they get home. Ya got me excited with that idea. LOL

You could even match the colour of flower to the colour of mug. Or what is a really cool idea that I have done before is, you take a tin can, remove the label and put paint all around the mouth of the can so it runs down the sides. The put a flowering plant in the can that matches the paint colour! It looks like the colour from the flowers spilled over and ran down the sides of the can!

Sweet!!!!!!!!!!! Fantastic idea! Now I can bug all my friends to save their veggie and soup cans. That would be great idea for market. What kind of paint do you use?

I also take forget the name of the leaf. If coems off a shrub that grows and is very stiff and as wide as a baby food jar. One leaf will wrap around the outside of the jar and tie a piece of raffia to hold it on. Maybe the shrub name will come to me, btu lot s of wide garden leave s will work too.

I just use acrylic paint in the squishy bottles. I think you can get it at the dollar store aswell! And just squish that paint around the mouth of the can. Its cheap and fun! And you can always line the can with a baggie or something to prevent any possible rust.

I don't have a pic of the can but I did it with this primrose. I used red and cream paint.

Let me know what kind of leaf it is when you think of it.

I love the mugs that look like fancy drinks! Have to remember that for a garden club meeting. Could even find a bloom (maybe a zinnia) that looks like the little umbrella that the tropical drinks have...

Thank-you!

Zinnias are great and they last a long time when cut! But they really guzzle the water though so you have to watch that. Can you grow Coneflowers where you are?

People do, I don't. I'm not much into perennials. Too impatient (hmmm...didn't I just tell you in a c-mail to be patient ). And also since I don't have a lot of space, I like to be able to change things up every year. Perennials mean less work, but then that parcel of garden real estate is committed...

Thanks for the tip re: zinnias guzzling. I didn't know that.

I grow both perennials and annuals. I like to have some of everything and be able to change it up too.
I was thinking of starting a new thread where we can show off the vases we have and talk about what sort of flowers might look good in them. It might be a fun idea!