Creative Decorating with Flowers

Using flowers as interesting decor is a time-honored tradition, but by no means out of style. Flowers are a healthy way to brighten your home and liven-up dark corners. Flowers can be used as centerpieces, window sill liners, bathroom fragrance, and bedroom ambiance. Using water or soil makes no difference because flowers are happy no matter where they lay roots.

Sometimes, however, we get tired of the normal pots and vases, and we go in search of creative ways to display flowers. The holidays are great times to begin this endeavor, with time off of work and an occassion on which to display your craft, but flowers are festive no matter the time of year. Try these creative vases and pots, and watch your home bloom into an aesthetically appealing, joyful place to be.

Watering Cans - Old watering cans make beautiful flower vases, and can be cleaned up and repainted to suit the decor of the room. If you have three of different sizes, line them up in a window sill, or arrange them on an endtable next to a lamp. Antique coal hods and teapots can be used in the same way, and are wonderful additions to a doorstep or patio table.

Bottles - Bottles can be reused rather than thrown away. Use a glass cutter to remove the narrow portion of the bottle and decorate the outside with beads and ribbon. You can also fill the bottle with water and add colorful beads to the inside for a very appealing vase. Tie a bow around the top or fashion smaller bows to the outside of the glass.

Champagne Glasses - For an elegant or formal dinner occassion, fill champagne flutes with water and add short-stemmed flowers. Decorate the stems with ribbon or beads or group several in the center of the table for an elegant centerpiece.

Bowls - Take a large bowl and add floating flower petals to water to create an attractive coffee table piece. You can also add tea candles to the mix for an even more beautiful effect. You can also use this in your bathroom to create a peaceful atmosphere for a long bath.

Mason Jars - Colored glass jars of any kind are suitable for homemade vases. Decorate them with ribbons, sequins or even colored saran wrap for a festive occassion.

Crystal Dishes - Crystal candy dishes are a beautiful way to display clipped flower heads. Place small candles on either side to light up the display, or set several on a table under the light of a floor lamp.

Enamel Pitchers - Pitchers can be used as flower vases for a lovely country kitchen, or outdoors on a patio. Leave it how it is or paint it to your liking, and tie a colorful ribbon around the handle for an added touch. Displayed alone or in groups, pitchers make great vase displays.

Buckets - Buckets might be the last way you'd think to display flowers, but they can also be the most cost-effective. Take simple, round buckets and fill them with fertile soil. Plant flowers in the buckets. Then, wrap a thin chain around the rim, secure it with superglue, and hang the buckets in a window or from the edge of a patio covering. Voila! Cheap, attractive hanging plants.

Vases - Take three identical vases - one taller than the other two - and fill the larger vase with colorful beads. You might want to make a pattern with the beads, creating layers of different colors, and top it with gold or silver foil. Place flowers in the two smaller vases, wrap a ribbon around the rim, and display the trio as a beautiful centerpiece.

Milk Jugs - Glass milk bottles - especially the antique kind - make great flower vases. Decorated or left alone, they are classy and useful.

Using these ideas, let your imagination run wild. Use creative pots and vases to cover unsightly blemishes on wooden furniture, or to block a hole in the wall from view. Use them as centerpieces for festive meals and with candles for a peaceful ambiance.