Try This: Vivified Vase

Here's how to create this stunning wood chip vase.

By Susan Wasinger
July/August 2009
Try This 1
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Turn a leftover can or vase into an eye-catching piece of eco-décor.
Photo by Susan Wasinger
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Slice of Nice

This is a simple way to turn a humble vessel into an eye-catching piece of eco-décor. It’s the perfect project to create right after the trees and bushes have had their yearly pruning. Cutting wood into slices lets its beauty and character show. A few thumb-thick branches can yield enough slices to cover a surprising amount of square footage. Be careful, though—once you start seeing the transformation, no plain surface may ever be safe again!

Materials 
Several small branches from trees or bushes, ranging from ½ to 1½  inches in diameter
Terra cotta pots, old vases or recycled tin cans
Low-VOC, nontoxic glue such as RooWood Glue
Coarse sandpaper

Tools
Lopping shears or long-handled pruners

1. Using shears, cut branches into slices about ½-inch thick. You will need slices in a variety of diameters to cover the surface completely.

2. Start at the bottom of the pot or can and work your way up. Dab glue on both the wood slice and the pot’s surface to ensure a good bond.

3. Always dry-fit each piece in place first to ensure that it will fit nicely with the other pieces. Fit tiny slices into small, awkward spaces.

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Comments

  • karl froehlich 5/6/2010 11:36:41 AM

    Been with your tools for some time now.

    Thank You,

    Karl, Connie

  • AhmedI 8/3/2009 2:23:46 AM

    Wow, I love the way you transform the leftovers of you used can and vase to a fabulous home décor. Thanks for the tips on how to make this décor. Nowadays, we need to protect our environment and one way of doing so is reusing or recycling things that are non-biodegradable. Doing this is really fun and it will avoid us in getting cash advances [see: http://personalmoneystore.com/Cash-Advance/ ] since we can do it by ourselves rather than buying expensive decors.

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