DIY: Flower Holders from Skincare Bottles

If you've been into any of our stores, you'll know that at Rocky we are big on reclaiming and reusing items in our decor. From dishes and tubs that were heading to the dump, to reclaimed wood and marble used to build walls and tables, our beautifully designed stores are home to a ton of materials that otherwise would have ended up in the landfill.

We'd like to help you join that movement at home! You probably love our skin care line as much as we do. Once a bottle has done its duty of holding the oils that made you all glowy, why not give it a second life in your home? Hannah, from our TD Square store in Calgary, created these stunning flower holders from empty skincare containers & a few other used items around her house.

Used stuff you'll need for the flower holders:

• 3 empty containers (Hannah used 2 toner bottles and one cleansing oil)
• Old piece of wood
• Fine sandpaper
• Coffee & Tea Stain (ingredients below)

And for Hannah's coffee & tea stain, you'll need:

• 3 cups coffee grounds (fair trade and saved from the morning coffees!)
• About a cup or so of black tea leaves
• About 3/4 cups water

What to do now:

1. Remove labels off old containers by soaking in hot water. Tip: use vinegar if there is still some stickiness.
2. Find an old piece of wood. Hannah had a wine crate in the garage holding some gardening supplies so she just broke it apart.
3. Sand the wood using a fine sandpaper to get it ready for staining. Make sure there aren't any splinters left!
4. Stain the wood. Instead of using an oil based stain, Hannah created a beautiful coffee & tea stain. It's so easy, and non-toxic! Boil the water and pour over the coffee grounds and tea; leave overnight. Use a French press or coffee filter to separate the grounds from the liquid (which will be your stain). Paint the wood with the coffee & tea stain. Be sure to let it dry between coats. Depending on the depth of colour you want, you may need a few coats. Hannah did about 8 coats to get the colour in the photo, but it's definitely worth it to have a natural and toxin-free stain!
5. Attach metal grips. Once the stain is done, you can attach metal round plumbing grips (or something similar you may have at home). Hannah had these left over from her basement renovations and they can be found in the plumbing aisle at the hardware store. Drill "pilot holes" into the wood and then screw the grips in place with the short screws.
6. Put vases in place inside the grips. The plumbing grips have a screw that you turn and it tightens the hold on your vase.
7. Hang it on the wall. Use some little eye screws and some thread or wire, or anything else that you have handy.
8. Pop in some fresh flowers in the containers. Stand back and admire your homemade masterpiece. It's beautiful!

Try more great upcycling ideas like creating a Water Garden or a Living Picture Frame, or share your own on our Facebook page!