How to Make a Rustic Twig Vase: Boutique Style for Under $10
Inside: Step-by-step tutorial for a super simple DIY twig vase with rustic charm that costs almost nothing to make!
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Do you ever see something unique at a charming specialty shop, but know it costs virtually nothing in materials? That you could probably make it yourself? And because of that, the high price tag makes you leave it at the store?
I’ve thought this exact thing when I’ve seen these cute natural branch vases in specialty boutiques and at Canton Trade Days. So as I was looking for a flower vase to decorate for spring this year, this idea popped out of the recesses of my brain.
While there are plenty of pretties at the boutiques that are worth the price because of the artistry and craftsmanship involved, this twig vase is not one of them.
If you have an old glass florist vase and a bunch of twigs that have dropped in the yard, this rustic twig vase may cost you absolutely nothing to make. Nada. As in free.
How to Make a Twig Vase.
Supplies needed to make a rustic twig vase.
- A round glass vase (or cylindrical container like a coffee can)
- Straight twigs
- Jute twine
- Hot glue gun (or a rubber band)
- Pruning shears
- Optional: brown paper bags or brown craft paper
How to Attach the Twigs to the Vase.
1. Line the vase (optional). Before I started, I lined the inside of the glass vase with brown kraft cardstock cut to the right height.
Feel free to skip this step. I didn’t know what I might use the vase for in the future, and this was an easy way to camouflage less than attractive fake flower stems that I usually use. (You can always drop this in later.)
Don’t have brown cardstock? Use a paper grocery bag or kraft paper.
2. Cut the twigs to the desired length. I found the straightest part of the fallen branches I foraged off of the ground and trimmed them to the approximate vase height with pruning shears.
I wasn’t super accurate on purpose. I feel like the slightly different lengths at the top of the vase make it look more natural, like the sticks were actually calling to be gathered and made into this natural forest creation.🧚♀️
3. Attach the twigs. My medium of choice to keep the twigs on the vase was hot glue.
If you don’t want to use glue on the vase, wrap a thick rubber band around the middle and insert the twigs one by one into it until the vase is covered.
I ran a line of glue along each twig, stopping about an inch from the top.
Then I pressed each twig onto the glass until it was secure.
Objects in nature aren’t perfect. Or straight. I chose the order of the twigs based on the size, texture, and curve of the ones it was going next to.
My twigs came from different kinds of trees and bushes so there was even more interesting variety in color, diameter, and texture!
4. Fill in the big gaps. After lining the entire vase in twigs, I filled in large gaps with a few thinner twigs:
The Finishing Touch.
Tie some natural jute twine around the center of the vase. Wrap it around as many times as you like. If you’ve chosen to use a rubber band this will take care of covering it up.
I like the look of the twine, but burlap ribbon would also work for a rustic look. But of course, any ribbon can switch it up for different themes!
And ta-da!!! This easy craft project has all the rustic charm of the boutique vase. And I made the entire thing with items from the house and yard.
It’s perfect for this spring in the kitchen to bring the outdoors inside with some natural elements. I have artificial flowers in the vase right now, but if I want to pop in fresh flowers, all I have to do is remove the liner and add water.
What if I don’t have all of the twig vase materials around my house?
- If you don’t hoard old vases like me, you can use any cylindrical container, like an empty can or candle holder.
- Or scout glass vases out at thrift stores. Or pay one buck at the dollar store. A vase like the one I used is less than $10 at Hobby Lobby and Target when they’re not on sale.
- If you don’t have a yard full of fallen twigs, they’re plentiful if you take a walk—I’m sure your neighbors won’t mind if you clean up their yard a little, lol. But if that’s not an option, you can even find small branches at the craft store.
more easy organic vase diy’s
I see a future for this twig vase out on the patio this summer in a simple rustic centerpiece. It was so easy and cheap, it may even get some twig vase friends.
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Excellent tips about the rubber bands and lining the vase with smaller twigs Shirley – thank you for adding them here to help everyone! And I think depending on the kind of sticks you use, you can really have quite different looks.
I made a couple of these throughout the years and they really are cute and I love that they are from nature! The first one I did was with the rubber band but I ended up putting 2 rows of rubber bands on it so the sticks wouldn’t keep sliding around, so one towards the top and one towards the bottom, then covered each with twine. The 2nd one I made was a bit different. I got some real super skinny twigs and hot glued those to the container (it was just like yours) and then I glued the bigger twigs over the top of the little ones. That eliminated the need for the card stock or adding brown paper and worked out beautifully. These most certainly cost way too much in the stores and boutiques I’ve seen them in so it’s definitely beneficial to make your own. I love yours with the lemons and daffodils on that cute basket tray!