Create a Vase! Simple DIY Gift Idea

Let’s reuse a jar to make a vase! Giving a small gift of appreciation is my cup of tea. But buying it is NOT what I believe.

In this article, you’ll find How to repurpose a jar into a vase.

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What you need for a vase

•  Jar (yummy butter chicken sauce was in it!)
• Recycled Paper (packaging paper & tissue)
• Jute Twine
• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Flowers & Greens (from your garden!)

How to make a vase

Step 1: Prepare

First of all, gather the items for your vase.

Tip : The best place to look for materials is a recycle box and your craft storage. For glass jars, wash it with soapy water.

Then, place the jar on the wrapping paper. Make sure the paper is a suitable size for the jar. Once you know the size, cut it!

Tip : The size doesn’t have to be precise. But it is always a good idea to cut bigger than you think you need. When the paper is big, we can easily trim it down. If you do end up with a piece that’s too small, you can always come up with a plan B to make it bigger – by gluing two pieces together, for example.

Step 2: Turning the jar into a vase

First, place the jar in the middle of the cut piece. Then fold up the paper to the desired size.
Tip : pinch four corners to bring them up above the jar.

Step 3: Create an original wrap for the repurposed vase

This is the fun part. First, remove the paper off the container and make it flat.

Tip : these wrinkles on the paper make it unique.

Second, tear some white tissue into different shapes/sizes. Then, start gluing them onto the main (brown) paper. Let your designer eyes shine!

Tip : tear the tissue pieces and lay them out for the color balance. You can certainly leave some areas unglued and have them loose as a design.

Lastly, let the glue dry. For the time being, pick some flowers and greens in your garden.

Tip : go outside and see what’s available. Most definitely, it is a good idea to include seasonal items.

Step 4 : Be a florist!

To begin with, sort the plants you just harvested.  And group & lay them on a flat surface. At the same time, put some water in the jar.

Tip : cosmos (the white flower on the left) in Japanese characters means ‘autumn cherry blossoms’. Giving the cultural diversity, sedums (darker pink flowers in the middle) bloom here in fall. As you know, the plants you bring from outside have seasonal messages.

Then remove all unwanted leaves off the stems. Start arranging your flowers and greens.

Tip : This extra step makes flowers last longer.

Final step: The repurposed vase is born!

Once you finish arranging the flowers, place the vase in the center of the special paper. Bring the paper up to snuggle the jar.

Then tie the top (to secure the paper) with the jute twine. Add some wooden beads to make it interesting. Finally, the project is completed!!

Tip : you may want to switch the order of the process. Obviously, it would be much easier to wrap the vase, then arrange the flowers. This way, the water won’t spill when you try to tie the twine. Also the arrangement doesn’t get squished. Yes, I often learn from my own mistakes…

My parents in-law recently moved to a new place. Unfortunately, I could not see them (by choice). Since my career is ‘high risk’ for covid-19 exposure, I have to refrain from visiting. So I wanted to send them my thoughts.

Since my mother in-law absolutely loves flowers, it had to be flowers from my garden. She also enjoys creativity of any kind. That’s how this project was born!