Thursday, July 15, 2010

River Rock Apothecary Jars





I made these apothecary jars as a gift. While the materials I used are more expensive than what I have been posting, I think that they are so beautiful. The ones I made are being used in a bathroom, but they could easily be used for a kitchen, living room, or bedroom. The colors of the flowers would be easy to change to match any given decor. I only have pictures of the finished product, because I made these awhile back.



So let's get started. I used the following per jar:

1 glass apothecary jar with lid (these can be purchased in various shapes and sizes at Ross, Michael's, Joann, or any craft store. Usually prices vary from $8 to $30)
1 bag small river rocks (I found mine at the Dollar Tree, but they can be purchased at any craft store)
1 bag decorative vine balls (I got mine at Ikea, but these can also be found at Target or any craft store. I used cream and brown for one jar, and just brown for another. The color is up to you.)
1 silk flower with long stems and many leaves/flowers (I chose one with a dark green stem and a dark flower because it is easy for light colored ones to look fake. I also chose one with a silk stem rather than plastic, because it is MUCH easier to take apart)
A few small decorative pine cones (optional)



First, I filled the bottom of the jar about 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Then I placed the vine balls in, leaving a little space. I then took the flower, tore off parts of the leaves and stem, and placed them around the balls to fill out the empty spaces. If there is too much empty space, you can put in another vine ball. Then I tore off some flowers, still attached to their stems. I placed the stems down towards the bottom so that the flowers reached toward the top. If I needed any more filler but the vine balls were too large, I just used the small pine cones. Then I placed the lid on the jar.

It does take some arranging, and there isn't a set way to do that. It all depends on the size of the jar, the size of the vine balls, and the type of flower you use. Enjoy!