I have wanted to use this “vase” for some time now, but it always seemed a bit daunting. The shape/form is, to say the least, a challenge. Well, since Monday is the day that Cathy from Rambling In The Garden “challenges” us to join her in putting materials from our garden into a vase, I decided it was now or never!
The vase came from a friend, who was given it and also didn’t quite know what to do with it!
I thought I’d use the curve as a theme, and since the Ivy, Lamium and Hazel are all looking green and rather pretty right now, and are curvy to boot, they were the first things to go in the vase, along with some glass pebbles to help anchor them.
The last two Scabiosa ochroleuca flowers and some white Achillea also went in, along with a few fresh Buxus shoots.
It took a bit of tugging and pushing, and I added the water only when I was done…
Once I had finished it was placed indoors on my sideboard and I was very pleased with the final effect of simple green and curves. I really hadn’t expected ever to be able to use this vase, but I shall experiment further with it in the future now.
Do you have any odd-shaped vases you have never used?
Thanks to Cathy for hosting!
Oh Cathy this is gorgeous….I love the shape and how you filled it…perfect! I do have a few odd ones and continue to try and use them!
Thanks Donna! Sometimes a challenge is simply welcome, and I enjoyed playing around with this! 🙂
That does look a difficult shape, but I love what you have done with it. Just green foliage works really well for an arrangement.
Thank you Christina. It’s always nice to try out something new! 😉
This is lovely Cathy. Curvaceous and sinuous. Lovely greens. I’ll look at my ‘difficult’ vases in a new light now.
😉 I was in the mood to give it a try today!
A completely new perspective, well done, Cathy!
Thanks Anca!
That is such an interesting arrangement, lovely. well done, looks as if it might have been a bit of a fiddle.
Hi Dorris. Yes, it was a bit fiddly. And I had to be careful I didn’t tip the water out when moving it! 😉
I like it. It’s unusual and beautiful.
Lovely to hear from you Nancy! Yes, it certainly is unusual….
This is a vase for and with balancing. I am curious about how you´ll fill it next time. 🙂
The hazel catkins are open here too.
I shall have to give it some more thought next time I use it. 🙂
Oh what fun you will have with this – such possibilities! Look forward to seeing lots more of them!
Definitely a challenge! 😉
Well done, Cathy! I do have a few vases I never use for one reason or another, One just demands long-stemmed, dramatic blooms, which I don’t see in my garden but perhaps I’m not looking hard enough.
I find I look even harder at this time of year when materials become scarce. I think this vase lends itself more to greenery and leafy things rather than flowers though.
I do like the vase, you have created a very seasonal arrangement which looks very good on your sideboard.
Thanks Brian. It is lasting really well too. 🙂
That is a cool vase Cathy! Have not seen anything like it. I think your arrangement was very successful too–nice mix of materials.
I tried to find inspiration on the internet but didn’t find this vase anywhere!
That is an amazing vase Cathy – I can see you using it a lot in the winter when you can use the coloured stems of cornus and willows and twisted hazel to make a frame for winter greenery. Your arrangement today looks so unusual – really stunning!
Thank you Julie. Yes, I think it is more of a winter vase also because I have more time to mess around with it in winter! 😉
I love this Cathy, really clever use of greenery, your friend will be wanting this back now!
Hi Julie. It’s surprising what you can do with a bit of ivy and lamium… 😉
You certainly rose to the challenge, Cathy! Love the way you’ve worked with the forms 🙂
Thanks Amy. I am looking forward to trying it out again some time this winter.
Cathy, good for you for venturing into unknown territory. I’ve seen spectacular vases like that in hotel lobby settings. I can see how it might be daunting in the scale of an average home, but you’ve managed it beautifully. I think using the long, curving greens was brilliant. I love your photos too. What a nice post!
Thanks Alys! I do feel flattered. Perhaps starting out with low expectations is the key to producing something I am happy with! 😉
I love all the shades of green and the unusual shape of your vase. I am always surprised to see catkins in November because I associate them with spring. I picked some the other day and I was so pleased with the effect that I decided not to put anything else with them.
I always think it’s too early too when I see the catkins starting to form in the autumn. They do look lovely on their own too, I agree.
I want one! Have you the name of a supplier?
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2015 14:42:55 +0000 To: adbaylor@msn.com
Hello Donna, sorry, no idea where you can get one! I scoured the internet for ideas of how to use it but didn’t find this vase anywhere. Let me know if you do manage to source one!
Update: Anna has sent me some links where to find one (see below), and then I found this link too: http://www.amazon.com/Chive-Hudson-Curved-Glass-Flower/dp/B00E818V94
Hope these help!
Very creative – I like it! (Both vase and arrangement.)
It’s that time of year where greens and browns will now dominate… glad you liked it Jason!
What a challenging vase! You did a beautiful job, given those tough parameters.
I was trying to think of how I would use it. I thought of those small bunches of forced tulips you get in the winter (white would be lovely), lining them up one after the other. They are geotropic, so they would curve upward, mimicking the vase shape. Maybe try it next winter…post it if you do! 🙂
That’s an interesting idea Eliza. It isn’t terribly wide, so smallish bulbs might work. You have got me thinking! 🙂
I was thinking of cut tulips from the florist, but intriguing to think about using it for forcing!
I love the fact that you have risen to the Challenge Cathy. I think you are going to have fun with this, now that you have broken your duck. Eliza’s suggestion of tulips sounds pretty. I love the photograph outside in the low winter light, then again indoor with a white background. I find green things without flowers so very interesting. Well done. Bet we can’t find one like this in the UK, I think many of us will now be looking out for one!
Thank you Noelle. I haven’t found another one either, so it may even be unique… in fact I was wondering if it was originally intended for some completely other purpose…?!
Anna has sent me some links of where to find this vase… see below in the comments if you are interested. 🙂
I have never seen such an interesting shape before and I think, like Noelle, I will be hunting for one now! It has such possibilities and looks so elegant with your choice of flowers and foliage.
Hi Ann. You’re right, it does have a touch of elegance. It looks much better with something in it… it has been standing empty on the shelf for months! 😉
Hi Ann. Anna sent me some links on where to find this vase, so if you are interested take a look at her comment below. 🙂
Believe it or not, I’ve got the same vase and never know what to put in it! You’ve chosen just the right ‘bits’ – love your curves 🙂
🙂 I am a curvy kind of girl! 😉 No, seriously, I don’t like straight lines or stripes. I am pleased to hear you also have this vase and I am sure you will find something suitable one day to put in yours too. 🙂
Oh what a fascinating shape as well as a challenge to fill Cathy. You’ve risen to the occasion most superbly! I especially like the outdoor photos where vase, flowers and water look as if they are an integral part of the scenery. I noticed Donna’s question. A similar vase seems to be available here :
http://fowado.com/products/hudson-arch-by-chive-unusual-glass-vase
and
http://www.jazzitupinteriors.co.uk/acatalog/GLASS-ARCH-VASE-IN-SMOKE-CHARCH_SMOKE.html#SID=235
Thanks Anna! I realised I was looking for it in German, so thanks for the links in English and I will Google ‘arch’ vases now for inspiration!
I think you did a terrific job with the curved vase…it is so unusual. I have a very tall skinny vase that is my challenge. Stems have to be very long and if you put much in it, everything bunches together.
Thank you so much for your compliment Karen! I am now looking for some more challenging shaped containers for winter, since the filling material may get a little monotonous until spring!
What a unique vase, and you’ve chosen the perfect arrangement for it!
Thanks Sheryl!