Christmas Vase Fillers: 15 Cheap Ideas That Turn Any Glass Vase Into Designer Decor

Christmas vase fillers are the easiest way to make your home look like a designer dressed it, and most of them cost only a few dollars. Almost every house has a clear glass vase hiding in a cupboard, left over from a bouquet or a wedding gift. Fill it with the right things and it suddenly looks like the pricey displays in a holiday shop window. Our readers loved filling clear ornaments with tiny treasures, so this time we are filling vases, jars and hurricanes you already own. Think shiny baubles, pine cones, peppermints, dried oranges and even old wine corks. Group two or three vases of different heights for the most expensive look. So clear off the dining table, put on some holiday music and pick your favorites. These 15 cheap and cozy ideas take minutes, not hours..

Christmas Vase Fillers Starter: Mini Ornaments, Peppermints, Pine Cones and Cranberries

Christmas vase fillers look richest when you group a few vases together, each with a different filling. Start with mini red and gold ball ornaments in the tallest vase, plain peppermints in a slim one, snowy pine cones in a wide jar and cranberries in water in the last. Tuck fresh greenery around the bases and scatter a few loose berries on the table. The mix of colors and heights fools the eye into thinking you paid a florist. Which vase in your cupboard will you fill first..

You will need: three or four clear glass vases of different heights, shatterproof mini ornaments, plain peppermint candies, pine cones, fresh cranberries, fresh greenery.

How to make it: 1. Wash and dry the vases so the glass sparkles. 2. Fill each vase with one filler, tallest vase at the back. 3. Tuck greenery around the bases and scatter a few berries.

Floating Cranberries and Fresh Greenery

This one looks fancy and costs about the price of one bag of cranberries. Pour fresh cranberries into a tall glass cylinder, add cold water and push a few sprigs of pine or cedar into the top. Cranberries have little pockets of air inside, which is why farmers can flood the bogs and float them during harvest, according to Wikipedia. In a vase they stay bright red for about a week. Change the water if it turns cloudy. Would this look good on your kitchen island?

You will need: a tall clear glass cylinder vase, one bag of fresh cranberries, cold water, pine or cedar sprigs.

How to make it: 1. Pour the cranberries into the vase. 2. Fill with cold water about three quarters of the way up. 3. Tuck greenery into the top and refresh the water every few days.

Christmas Vase Fillers With Snowy Pine Cones

Christmas vase fillers do not get cheaper than pine cones from the backyard. Pick dry, open cones, shake off any loose dirt, and bake them on a lined tray at a low oven setting for about 30 minutes with adult help to dry out any sap. Brush the tips with white craft paint or dust them with faux snow so they look like a frosty morning. Pile them high in a wide hurricane vase and add a few evergreen sprigs around the base. Do you have a pine tree nearby?

You will need: dry pine cones, white craft paint or faux snow, a small brush, a wide glass hurricane vase, a few evergreen sprigs.

How to make it: 1. Clean and dry the pine cones with adult help. 2. Brush white paint on the tips or sprinkle faux snow over them. 3. Pile them in the hurricane and add greenery around the base.

Peppermint Candy Vase

A footed glass jar filled to the brim with red and white peppermints is pure Christmas cheer. Buy plain unwrapped candies in bulk, or unwrap a bag while you watch a holiday movie. The swirl pattern repeats again and again, which is exactly why it looks so striking. Set it on a coffee bar or a hallway table with a sprig of eucalyptus beside it. Guests will want one, so keep a small scoop nearby. It doubles as decor and a treat. Who in your house will sneak the first one?

You will need: a footed glass apothecary jar or vase, plain red and white peppermint candies, a small scoop, a sprig of greenery.

How to make it: 1. Unwrap the peppermints if they came wrapped. 2. Pour them in slowly so the jar fills evenly. 3. Add greenery beside the jar and a small scoop for guests.

Christmas Vase Fillers That Smell Amazing: Dried Oranges and Cinnamon

Christmas vase fillers can smell as good as they look. Slice two oranges thin, lay them on a baking sheet and dry them in a low oven for a few hours with adult help, turning them once. Layer the slices against the glass with bundles of cinnamon sticks and a few star anise in the middle. Top it with a sprig of pine. Every time you walk past, you get a warm, spicy scent that feels like Grandma’s kitchen. What scent says Christmas to you?

You will need: a clear glass vase, two or three oranges, cinnamon sticks, star anise, a baking sheet, a sprig of pine.

How to make it: 1. Slice the oranges thin and dry them in a low oven with adult help. 2. Press the slices against the inside of the glass. 3. Fill the center with cinnamon and star anise and add pine on top.

Battery Fairy Light Vase

When the sun sets at 5 pm, a glowing vase makes the whole room feel cozy. Grab a strand of battery powered fairy lights on thin copper wire and gently feed it into a clear bottle or vase, letting it coil naturally. Hide the small battery box behind the vase or under a few pine sprigs. Many strands have a timer, so it turns itself on every evening. It is a safe, flame free glow that kids and pets can be around. Where would a little glow look best in your home?

You will need: a clear glass bottle or vase, a battery powered fairy light strand with a timer, a few pine sprigs.

How to make it: 1. Turn the lights on first so you can see how they sit. 2. Feed the strand into the vase a little at a time. 3. Hide the battery box behind the vase with greenery.

Tiny Wrapped Gift Box Vase

Tiny wrapped presents stacked inside a glass cylinder look like a window display at a fancy department store. Cut small cubes from foam blocks or use empty matchbox sized boxes, then wrap them in leftover paper in red, green, white and brown kraft. Tie each with thin ribbon or baker’s twine. Drop them in one at a time so they tumble at fun angles. It uses up every scrap of wrapping paper from last year. How many tiny gifts could you wrap in one evening?

You will need: a large glass cylinder vase, small foam cubes or tiny boxes, scraps of wrapping paper, thin ribbon or twine, tape, scissors.

How to make it: 1. Wrap each tiny box in a different paper. 2. Tie a thin ribbon around each one. 3. Drop them into the vase one by one until it is full.

Jingle Bell Vase With a Velvet Bow

Fill a glass vase with silver and gold jingle bells and you have decor that sparkles and jingles at the same time. Craft stores sell bags of bells in mixed sizes for a few dollars, and the mix of sizes looks best. Tie a big red velvet ribbon around the neck of the vase for a classic touch. Set a few loose bells on the table around it. Every time someone bumps the table, it rings softly like a sleigh. Would you put it in the entry or on the table?

You will need: a clear glass vase, a bag of silver and gold jingle bells in mixed sizes, red velvet ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Pour in the bells, mixing large and small. 2. Tie a red velvet ribbon in a big bow around the neck. 3. Place a few loose bells around the base.

Christmas Vase Fillers Snow Scene With a Tiny Tree

Christmas vase fillers can tell a little story, like this snowy forest in a jar. Pour two inches of faux snow into a wide glass vase, then press one small bottle brush tree into the snow so it stands straight. That is the whole project, and it looks like a snow globe without the water. If you love these tiny trees, our bottle brush trees gallery shows many more ways to use them. Make a few in different sizes and line them along a shelf. Would you add one tree or a whole forest?

You will need: a wide clear glass vase or jar, faux snow, one or more small bottle brush trees.

How to make it: 1. Pour about two inches of faux snow into the vase. 2. Press the tree into the snow until it stands straight. 3. Smooth the snow around the base with a spoon.

Gold Bead Garland and Satin Ribbon

For a glam look that feels like a hotel lobby, coil a gold bead garland and loops of red satin ribbon together inside a round vase. The ribbon adds rich color and the beads catch the light from every side. Old bead garland from the back of the decoration box works perfectly. Set it on a marble or white surface with eucalyptus around it. It takes about five minutes and never wilts. It also keeps beautifully until New Year’s Eve. Do you have a forgotten bead garland somewhere?

You will need: a round clear glass vase, a gold bead garland, wide red satin ribbon, a few stems of eucalyptus or greenery.

How to make it: 1. Loop the ribbon loosely into the vase first. 2. Coil the bead garland in and around the ribbon. 3. Fluff the loops so color shows on every side.

Christmas Vase Fillers From Saved Corks

Christmas vase fillers can come from things you were going to throw away. If you have a jar of saved corks from family dinners, now is their moment. Fill a tall glass cylinder with them and tie a red burlap or satin ribbon around the middle. Add a few sprigs of holly at the base. The warm brown color looks lovely on a rustic table or kitchen counter. Ask friends and family to save theirs if you need more. What else have you been saving for a craft?

You will need: a tall clear glass cylinder, plain natural corks, red ribbon, a few sprigs of holly or greenery.

How to make it: 1. Drop the corks in, turning a few sideways for texture. 2. Tie a red ribbon around the middle of the vase. 3. Add holly or greenery around the base.

Rolled Family Photo Memory Vase

This is the most heartfelt vase on the list. Print copies of old family photos, roll each one into a tube and tie it with red and white baker’s twine. Stand them up in a glass vase on the sideboard. During the holidays, invite guests to pull one out and tell the story behind it. Grandparents love it, and kids learn about their family. Always use copies so the originals stay safe in the album. It turns decor into a conversation. Which photo would you want someone to pick first?

You will need: a clear glass vase or bowl, printed copies of family photos, red and white baker’s twine, scissors, a few pine sprigs.

How to make it: 1. Print copies of your favorite family photos. 2. Roll each into a tube and tie it with twine. 3. Stand them in the vase and add pine around the base.

Cozy Yarn Pom Pom Vase

Soft, fluffy pom poms in Christmas colors make a vase feel warm and Scandinavian. Wrap yarn around a fork or a pom pom maker, tie the middle tight, snip the loops and fluff. Red, white and green look classic, but cream and gray feel very modern. Pile them into a round bubble vase until it looks full and bouncy. This is a lovely project to do on the couch with a mug of cocoa while chatting with family. How many pom poms do you think fit in your vase?

You will need: a round glass bubble vase, yarn in red, white and green, a pom pom maker or a fork, scissors.

How to make it: 1. Wrap yarn around a fork about 60 times. 2. Tie the middle tight, cut the loops and fluff into a ball. 3. Fill the vase with pom poms in mixed colors.

Christmas Vase Fillers With Popcorn and Cranberries

Christmas vase fillers with popcorn and cranberries bring back the old fashioned garlands Grandma made for the tree. Pop plain popcorn with no butter so it stays white and crisp. Layer it in a tall vase with bands of fresh cranberries, pressing each layer down gently with a spoon. String a popcorn and cranberry garland with a needle and thread to drape beside it. It is a display, so keep it for looking, not snacking, after a few days. Did your family ever string popcorn garlands?

You will need: a tall clear glass vase, plain popped popcorn, fresh cranberries, a spoon, a needle and strong thread for the garland.

How to make it: 1. Pop plain popcorn and let it cool completely. 2. Layer popcorn and cranberries in bands, pressing each layer gently. 3. Thread a matching garland and drape it beside the vase.

Salt Snow Deer Scene

End with an elegant little winter scene that looks like it came from a boutique. Pour coarse Epsom or kosher salt into a tall vase for snow that sparkles in the light. Set a small white ceramic deer on top and add two tiny bottle brush trees behind it. The tall glass frames the scene like a window. If you enjoy little worlds inside glass, our fillable Christmas ornaments are just as charming. Swap the deer for a tiny house or a sled next year. What would you put in your snowy scene?

You will need: a tall clear glass vase, coarse Epsom or kosher salt, a small ceramic deer figurine, two tiny bottle brush trees, a long spoon.

How to make it: 1. Pour about three inches of salt into the vase. 2. Use a long spoon to set the deer and trees in place. 3. Shake the vase gently to settle the snow around them.