I have this green vase that I bought so many years ago at Target on clearance for next to nothing. There is nothing special about it but I have always liked the shape and for a time I did like the color. However, in my new home it just seems bland and out of place. Given my green philosophy of reusing what you can I thought the green vase could be easily transformed. As a result I thought I’d try out a new craft project…

The vase sits beneath a painting I absolutely love. It’s an abstract of horses and the idea to make the vase compliment the painting in a rustic sort of way came to mind.

I vaguely remembered this trick from a Real Simple magazine several months ago where small interesting vases with unique shapes were transformed using a few simple items. Taking this concept and running with it I opted to use manila rope, double-sided carpet tape, and a hot glue gun. As a result my not-so-unique green vase experienced a fabulous transformation. For next to nothing and about two hours time I changed the face of the vase.

First I created a patchwork of carpet tape so that I could better manage wrapping the vase without blowing through a zillion glue sticks and burning my fingers to the bone (let’s just say I’m not so skilled when it comes to the glue gun).  With the help of the carpet tape and the use of the glue gun in a few select areas the rope was twisted around the vase from bottom up. 

Once the project was complete I felt like it was missing a little something therefore I rigged a random knot and wrapped it around the neck. It adds a bit of detail (and hides a couple mistakes I made at the base of the neck). For the first pass at a project like this I’m pleased with the end result. The cheap green vase now looks like an expensive accessory from a rustic designer shop!

Check out this transformation and others at the 83rd Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch!