350 Cards & Gifts Blog Hop!

I am so excited to participate in the Paper Crafts Blog Hop celebrating the newest special issue, 350 Cards & Gifts! AND, I'm happy to offer a giveaway for this issue, compliments of Paper Crafts. Just leave a comment on this post by Tuesday the 14th for a chance to win (each stop in the hop will be giving away a copy, so be sure to visit them all)!

  This issue is jam-packed with ideas for gift-giving using the crafty supplies we already own. Today I'm featuring a gift that I've just finished giving ... upcycled Dollar Store vases! Perfect to accompany a birthday card/gift certificate combo when you want to do a little something special. And they all use the same die in different ways. If you're new to my blog, you can catch up on all my quatrefoil die projects with the gallery link on the side bar.

It started with this one, which uses 4 of the quatrefoil cover plate dies. I cut the long sides off, lined up the ends and carefully glued them together. You can see the seam in this shot ... look directly under the knot of the bow and you'll see the column of quatrefoils is elongated on the left side. Depending on the size of the vase you're using you may have to do some creative cutting to make it work. A vintage ribbon from the 1970s is woven through the quatrefoils.

Let's try some more! These are all skinny dollar store vases. They work well for single, long-stemed blooms. Bonus that they only require ONE cut of the quatrefoil die, so it's easy to make multiples. It's a little short when wrapped around though, so you need to address the seam. The vase on the left has silver foil paper with a strip of gray paper covering up the seam. Turn this into a feature by embossing a sentiment on that strip. 

The seam on the middle vase is treated like a corset ... lace seam binding tape through the holes on each end and finish with a bow. 

The vase on the right has strips of 1/2" paper woven through the quatrefoil holes and joined in the back. The ends of the strips are strategically hidden under the die. One strip extends out with the sentiment.

 

Here's a close-up of the middle vase with the seam binding laced through the quatrefoil ends to hold it together. The sentiment is on a tag. Sequins peek through the negative heart.

The vase on the left uses 2 dies folded in half to get a more intricate pattern. It stands out even more when backed with white paper. Enamel dots are in the pattern's center holes. 

The middle vase uses double-sided paper folded in half to get a two-toned effect. One of the solid edges is left on the bottom.

The left vase (an antique ink well) showcases a single row of quatrefoils with the centers put back in. An enamel dot in the center of each quatrefoil gives a nice dimension.

Now it's time to fill them! Love the selection and price of the flowers at Trader Joe's. Jackson helps me pick out two $6 arrangements. (My husband used to order $70 arrangements from Pro Flowers until I saw the credit card bill. Now he stops by Trader Joe's once a month, and I enjoy them all year-round!)

 The purple arrangements on the left cost me nothing since the vases came from my house (milk bottle, soda bottle, antique ink well) and the grape hyacinths from my garden. The tall, narrow vases in the middle cost $3 each (I split a bunch of flowers in three, plus $1 for each vase). And the vase on the right only cost $7 for the entire bunch of flowers plus the vase. Aside from birthdays, what an affordable way to give a flower arrangement to a teacher, Mom, a grad (think school colors), or your incredibly kind neighbors!

 Here's a close-up of one of the $3 vases I gave to my neighbor who always stops by with delicious food to share. I don't spend much time cooking to reciprocate, but I do spend time crafting!

 

 Thanks so much for stopping by! Please continue on the hop to see what these incredibly talented ladies have made for you. You are going to LOVE Nina Yang's 3D present-topper at the next stop. And don't forget to comment at each blog for a chance to win your own copy of 350 Cards & Gifts!

Chan Vuong

Heather Campbell

Kimberly Crawford

Amanda Coleman

Kelly Griglione <-- you are here

Nina Yang

Alice Wertz

Emily Branch

Jocelyn Olson

Kalyn Kepner

Lori Tecler

Meghan McMillan

Piali Biswas

Vanessa Menhorn

 Thanks for looking!

-Kelly

PS. I hope you can play along with the Moxie Fab 350 Cards & Gifts week challenges! I'm linking these vases to the gift challenge.