Alternative Uses For Vases

We all have them and we usually only pull them out when we buy a bouquet of flowers. There are numerous other ways to use those vases we have around the house, and here's just a few:

• Make a planter. Clear vases are ideal for planting flowers or herbs and they are so much prettier than those green plastic planters. Fill the bottom 1/3 of the vase with rocks or gravel and the rest with dirt. Plant away! How about lining up a few, each with one bulb in them?
• Transform them into candle holders. Fill with sand, coffee beans, gravel or anything that else that will hold a candle steady. Work the candle into the sand by twisting and pushing down slightly at the same time until it's secure.
• Make a centerpiece. Fill a clear vase with anything that fits the season. Citrus fruit for the summer, jelly beans for Easter, pinecones for Christmas...you get the idea! Add a seasonal bow around the vase if you wish.
• Make a holiday tree. Fill the vase with sand and insert small branches of desired length. Hang Easter eggs, holiday ornaments, handmade ghosts...whatever the mood calls for!
• Use smaller vases for holding pens and pencils, kitchen utensils or hairbrushes and combs.
• Make a display for your next gathering. You can create levels to your buffet table by using an inverted vase between two plates. Just make sure whichever end you use on the bottom plate is wider than on the top. You may want to secure with hot glue "just in case". Use various heights of vases for a tiered effect.
• Create a unique gift. The next time you're at a loss for a hostess gift, grab a vase and fill it with something related to the party (candy corn for Halloween, Christmas ornaments, seashells for a beach party). Your hostess will love it, will be able to reuse it AND you just recycled.
• If you have a variety of mis-matched vases, but want to make centerpieces for several tables, no problem. Cover them to match your party (birthday gift bags, gingham material, wrapped scarves, etc) Here's an idea to get you started:

So don't just let those vases sit in a closet until the next time you have fresh flowers...reuse them now!