Quick, Easy Upcycled Vase Idea (with Zinnias)

Here is a SUPER quick and easy gift to make without sewing a stitch:

My mom did me a big favor today, and so I cut her a bouquet of zinnias from my garden.  I picked up several glasses like this at the Goodwill outlet for a dime a piece, and I figured one would work just fine as a vase.  But it sure did look plain, so I grabbed some scrap felt and my glue gun.  I just pinked the edges of a pink felt strip to glue around the glass, and decided that here again was a perfect place to use one of these felt flowers.

I have made probably several dozen of these felt flowers, and attached them to barrettes, hair bands, pins, a bag, and now a vase.  I made them from red felt and made the petals a bit pointier, and made them look like poinsettias, which I glued on lapel pins to make "corsages" for the ladies at Tall Sprout's school, last year for Christmas.  I think this vase would look nice with blue felt around the glass, and poinsettias like this....and that this would make a thoughtful, sweet gift for a teacher or neighbor, or anyone.  These can be used as votive holders, for candles, when you don't have flowers for the vase.

If you don't already grow Zinnias in your garden, I really recommend it.  Zinnias grow easily from seed, come in many colors, and can withstand drought and extreme heat.  Our heat index has been 199 every day for at least a month, and many plants in the garden kinda poop out about this time of year, but the zinnias stand tall and happy and are flowering profusely.  I didn't plant more than a packet worth of seeds (I planted parts of several packets, for color variety), but I have had enough zinnias this summer to keep several vases always full in my house, and have shared bouquets with several neighbors, and now my mom.

You don't have to have a green thumb or much garden space at all to grow zinnias.  They are for certain my favorite annual flower to grow, because they are so prolific and their beautiful flowers make me happy when I see them in the garden or the vase.  And I LOVE having flowers to share, so they can make loved ones happy as well.

I am linking this easy upcycle at The T-shirt Diaries, for Upcycled Awesome this week; head over there for lots more creative upcycle ideas! Here is the button that will take you there: