Rustic Birch Bark Vases and Votive Holders
Play , Winter 2012
Rhythm of the HomeNo Comment
The holidays are a time of celebration. Frequently these celebrations take place around a table eating yummy food while visiting with loved ones.
Coming up with a centerpiece is always a tricky thing in our house; usually we end up filling the table with bowls of food and glasses, leaving little room for anything decorative. My little boy and I made these vases recently after finding a fallen birch tree during a walk in the woods near our house.
They are quick and fun to make, as well as inexpensive. The bark can be found online by searching for birch bark sheets but if you can find it out in nature, all the better! The vases can be found inexpensively at many craft stores.
Materials
Dry, thin birch bark
Cylindrical vases in desired sizes
Glue gun or other strong glue
Ribbon or leather cording
Scissors
Measuring tape
Instructions
To begin, measure both the height and circumference of each vase. Add one inch to the circumference measurement to allow for the overlapping of the bark when wrapping around the vase.
Lay out the bark, measure and cut to size.
Wrap the bark around the vase and glue liberally at the seam.
Have a little helper carefully hold the bark together as tightly as possible while the glue dries.
If you don’t have a helper to hold the seam together (or you have a larger vase) it is helpful to use a few ribbons to hold the seams together while the glue dries. The extra ribbons can be removed once the glue is dry.
It is not necessary but if you like, you can cut a length of either ribbon, raffia, or leather cording to add a decorative detail.
For an added detail, you can cut a few sprigs of evergreens to tuck into the ribbon.
The vases are beautiful filled with festive floral arrangements, or you can even put a small battery operated votive in the bottom of the vase. It’s all the better if your bark has a few holes in it. This allows for the light of the votive to shine through and illuminate your beautiful meal.
Note: Please do not use real candles in these vases as they may melt the glue and can be a fire danger due to the dry bark. Battery votives shed just as lovely a light as the real ones and will not put your home or little ones at any risk.
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Julia Daby is a Registered Nurse who lives happily with her husband and little boy in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. She enjoys crafts of all kinds, eating good food, reading, and being outdoors. Most important of all….she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She has a small store on etsy where she and her twin share sewing and fiber tutorials to inspire creativity in other Mamas. She writes about life, family and creativity at Happiness Comes. She also can be found at Windfall Dolls, where she and her sister give away Waldorf inspired dolls to deserving little ones.
Rhythm of the Home is an online magazine for families that focuses on creating with children, nature explorations, seasonal celebrations, conscious parenting, and mindfulness in all that we do.
