How to Reuse Clear Glass Floral Vases

Glass floral vases are too good to throw away, but their heritage is usually so obvious that they're seldom reused. Here are some ideas for revitalizing them.

Things You'll Need

• Ribbons
• Clear-coat Spray Paints
• Craft Paints
• Cut Flowers
• Dried Flowers
• Greenery
• Old Flower Vases
• Pebbles
• Pillar Candles
• Sand
• Stained-glass Paints
• White Glues
• Chile Peppers
• Kumquats
• Limes
• Spray Paints
• Stickers

Instructions

1. Faux-finish the exterior to look like stone and fill the vase with sand or pebbles so it can be used as a bookend on a high or low shelf. (Near eye level, the sand or pebbles will show.)

2. Spray-paint the interior of a shiny-glass vase with copper paint and a clear sealer, and add gold stickers (such as stars) to the exterior if desired. Some paints will withstand wet arrangements, but others may be best-suited for dry ones, possibly with the flower materials sprayed metallic gold.

3. Embellish the outside of the vase with stained-glass paint sold at craft stores. At Christmastime, for instance, you could do a red-and-green vase for holly or pine cuttings, with a red ribbon around the neck of the vase.

4. Decoupage gift-wrap paper onto the outside of the vase by diluting white glue almost by half with water. Overlap small pieces of the paper so that it fits curves nicely, and then clear-coat the dried paper treatment so that it resists humidity.

5. Reuse plain cylinder vases by filling them with something colorful. Limes and kumquats immersed in water can anchor the stems of cut flowers; curving chile peppers of red, green and chartreuse (no water) are pretty enough without flowers, although you might add a bow of wired ribbon to the outside of the cylinder.

6. Turn over a slim vase and examine its hollow base - perhaps it can be a holder for a pillar candle. Paint the vase/candleholder, if desired.

Tips & Warnings

• Test metallic spray paints to see whether they're water-fast by spraying the interior of a castoff jar. Let dry completely, and then fill with water and let stand several hours.