I hope imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, or at least of paying a compliment. Earlier this week I dropped by my friend John’s house in San Francisco for a little Holiday cheer (and consultation on his bathroom renovations), and I wanted to bring him a little gift. Early this year, John had brought me a creative and thoughtful host gift (which you can see here). Around a bottle of wine, John made a cylinder “vase” from some leftover grasscloth wallpaper and tied it with a piece of raffia. In the top he nestled a short, tight bouquet of greens and tiny white flowers cut from his garden, placing the stem end down in the well formed by the neck of the bottle.
I thought I’d try a festive Holiday adaptation of his idea and bring it to him.
I like the way it turned out. The process was quick, relatively easy and used only Holiday-oriented materials that I already had on hand.
First I cut a piece of plain brown wrapping paper to fit the wine bottle. (About 12″ wide and about 13″ tall works well.)
Then I trimmed the top at a shallow angle, which isn’t necessary, but I think it makes the top of the finished “vase” more interesting.
I taped the paper around the bottle,
tied it with a bow and wrote a message,
and then arranged some holly, fir and cedar (pinched from an arrangement in the dining room) in the top.
Eucalyptus, thistle and fir made a nice second version for a party tonight.
I think John was pleased. And his new bathroom’s going to be fantastic. . .
