The 5 Minute Vintage Vase - DIYish

DIYish Vintage Vase:

What you'll need

• Terracotta Clay Pot (new or used, small to large depending on desired size - new vintage options from Home Depot or terrain)
• Glass vase (or recycled glass/plastic jar water tight that hides comfortably within the clay pot)
• Rocks (if needed to weigh down jar - added to water)
• Cut flowers and greens of your choice
• Water

I've been on the hunt for beautiful vintage pots for years but I am a terrible shopper. I'm a shopper who wants the thing but doesn't really want to hunt for it...or pay for it. I would rather have it just appear in my home, miraculously with no effort and beautifully styled... or perhaps I received it as a gift? I also seem to forget I am wanting something until the minute I need it ie. a pair of shorts when it is finally sunny and over 59 degrees or a salad spinner when I have a bowl of wet lettuce and a table full of dinner guests. In this case it's a wheelbarrow full of lilacs and 3 vases to put them in (it's lilac season on the East Coast, which seems to last for one week, so you've got to get after it when those beauties are blooming). Knee deep in my cut lilacs with no plan, I go hunting as if my previous dream of magical home decor will just appear in my cabinets. Here is what I mustered up:

On a search through the garage I came across old terracotta clay pots we have been lugging around from house to house for the past 13 years. I go through gardening spurts but lately I have had no use for the pots because adding one extra daily chore beyond brushing my teeth feels exhausting. The hole in the center of the pot limits what can be done with these pots but the aged exterior was the look I had in mind.  Also in the garage was our recycling bin and a handful of washed out glass jars (think a Teddie's peanut butter jar). By chance, these jars fit perfectly inside of a small to medium clay pot. 

Trimming the lilacs down to the size of the jar I arranged them with half flowers and half beautiful lilac greens (that need to be trimmed year to year anyways to keep a clean lilac base) Nestling the jar in the pot - Voila! Like magic, I got myself some #coastalgrandma style on a #recyclebin budget.

This was all happenstance. If you do not have these things on hand, terracotta clay pots can be found at your local garden store, Home Depot, Lowes, or fancier places like Terrain as well as short glass vases (or any watertight vessel works) for $5-$25. If all you have is a plastic jar, add some rocks to the bottom of the jar with your water. This helps to weigh down the vase and keep your arrangement from toppling over. As long as it is water tight and can hide in the clay pot, you are golden.

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