Upcycled fall vase

Sometimes inspiration strikes us in the most unexpected ways. 

I kept one of those tall insulated coffee cups stored in my office desk drawer for months. I never used it (I'll explain why below) but I couldn't bring myself to throw it away either. And last week, after reading this wonderful post (thank you!) on KBB Crafts & Stitches (which, by the way, was actually one of the features of The Really Crafty Link Party #86), I suddenly new what I had to do with that cup. And so I turned it into a fall vase!

This was the guilty coffee cup: 

I was a rather discreet shade of dark gray on one side, but had a large company logo on the other. It was actually merchandising leftover from a conference held at the office a while ago. I don't usually drink coffee (no special reason, I just don't like the taste) but I could have used it for tea, or even water. But you see that little piece of paper inside?

Well, in it was written, and I quote: "This product contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm." Now, I don't live in California, but I'm guessing this substance, what ever it is, doesn't cause harm only there. After reading that, there was no way I was ever going to drink anything from that cup - and giving it away wasn't an option either because I wouldn't want anyone else drinking from it.

So, I just threw away the cover (hopefully it can be recycled without causing too much harm) and proceeded to upcycle the cup, turning it into a vase. Here's the result:

I covered the cup with beige felt and then added the bow and the felt circles. I could have used any other shape but the circles were easier because I just used my Sizzix circle die to cut them. Here's how it looks from the side and the back (you can see the seam joining the two edges of the felt):

Other than that larger seam, everything else was glued.

And the best? Not only was the cup an upcycle but everything else came from my stash too, so it was all done at zero cost! Yep, my favorite kind of project.

And now I have a lovely new vase to help with the fall decor in my living room!

Happy Monday,