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STEP ONE- The Vessel:
Start with a quart sized jar.  Mason jars work great and you probably already have one stored somewhere in your kitchen.  If not, pick one up at the grocery.

mason and paint

Spray paint the INSIDE of the jar.  This makes the glass look like it IS that color.  I love this Seaside Gloss paint color from Home Depot because it makes the mason jar look like old vintage milk glass.

IMG_3466IMG_3468 And I will just mention here that I used this same color spray paint to snazzy up a table too.  You can read about my blue paint obsession here.

mason jar

Ok so once that is dry (about 24 hours)… but I only waited 2 hours, which if you look closely you can see where the flower stems nicked off the paint.  I like the chipped look but if you are a perfectionist then let dry overnight.  And if you need more info about vases, you can see more on my post about unique vessels here.

mason with hydrangea

STEP TWO – The Filler Flower:
Next add your filler flower.  A filler flower is anything that fills out the vase.  It could be greens from your yard, cabbage/lettuce leaves, parsley, or full fluffy flowers….like this single hydrangea.

mason with rose and stock
STEP THREE – The Line and Focal Flowers:
Next add your line flowers near the back. Line flowers are tall and linear in shape.  Here I used two pieces of dark purple stock.  And add your focal flowers down lower near the front.  Focal flowers are the real beauties of the arrangement…the ones that often make you go “ahhhh.”  They are usually round in shape and have large blooms.  Here I used two lavender roses as my focal flowers.

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STEP FOUR – The Accents:
Then add your accent pieces…these are extra textural and colorful elements.  Items from the produce section of the grocery work great as accent pieces.  So I added two pieces of Purple Kale leaves to bring all my colors together (and cooked up the rest of the kale that evening).IMG_3453

And lastly, add any additional accent pieces if needed.  Here I inserted a few springs of Italian Parsley to add a bit more movement and texture to the arrangement, and give it a more “gathered from the garden” feel.

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STEP FIVE – Enjoy it!
Then I placed this little lovely on my coffee table to bring smiles to me, my family and my guests all week long.  I have had several inquiries about it….Such as “where did you get that old milk glass mason jar?” and “Wow…is that kale?”

IMG_3457So I encourage you to look in your pantry, under your sink and in your fridge and see what you can find.  All you need to make this little lovely is this basic recipe:

Basic Vase Arrangement Recipe for under $20.00:

  • Vessel – a unique vase/jar
  • Mass – one mass flower like a hydrangea or a full bunch of greens – such as parsley, kale, cabbage or greens
  • Line – 2-3 Line Flowers
  • Focal – 2-3 focal flowers
  • Accent -2-3 springs of herbs or veggies – basil, rosemary and geranium leaves would all look great.

mason jar arrangementHave fun!!!!