Hello there…hope you all are having a great Sunday! I'm popping in today with a short tutorial on a Test Tube Bud Vase. I have been seeing bud vases everywhere - on Pinterest, home decor stores and then I saw one on Shanty2Chic that I loved. And with Valentine's Day approaching, I knew I had make me one of those! To start off, I sketched out a rough design and made myself a mini shopping list. Then I ordered the test tubes online via Etsy and waited impatiently for them to arrive and finally they did on last Friday. Woot woot! On Sunday we were expecting a couple of our close friends to drop by for some afternoon tea and I wanted to dress the dining room up a bit, well there you go… there's my perfect excuse for some quick and easy DIY home decor! So on Saturday, we headed off to Bunnings (our local hardware one stop shop…it's the Australian version of Lowe's, I think) to pick up the supplies, came back and it was all done in less than 1 hour. I had to leave it overnight for it to dry. And I must have checked on it twice at night. I just couldn't help myself… I'm an impatient soul! So here's a short tute on how you can make one too. Supplies you will need to make the perfect Test Tube Vase:- 1. Glass test tubes with flat bottoms…I ordered 6 via Etsy ($10) 2. Piece of timber, untreated and ensure it's thick enough for the test tubes (Free from Bunnings as it was scrap wood) 3. Size 25 wood drill bit or depending on the size of test tubes (Investment purchase) 4. Black wood stain ($1.00 worth used. Had this in the garage) 5. Sand paper for distressing (Had this from previous project) 6. Danish Oil for sealing and shine ($2.00 worth used. Had this in the garage from previous projects) 7. OPTIONAL - 1 husband (who is helpful but grumbles constantly about missing out on watching a game on TV!) So Step 1 - Measure, mark and drill 6 holes with the drill bit Step 2 is to stain, distress, seal with Danish oil and leave to dry And Sunday afternoon just before our friends arrived, I put it together with some flowers and frilly drop cloth runner (my first attempt at sewing frills)! For $13.00, I'm pretty happy with my Test Tube Bud Vase! The pale pink flowers are so pretty and they were wild and free! I have no clue what they are called. It was the perfect weather today to take gazillions of photographs! As you can see the wood has a few dints and dips…imperfectly perfect for me! The holes turned out to be the perfect size for the test tubes. They fit in snug. Important note: To avoid extra costs or 'investment purchases' check the size of the drill bit you already have and then order test tubes or you could 'wing it' like me…order the test tubes and then go hunting for the drill bit with a grumpy husband! Well you know how it goes! :-) There's my drop cloth runner. I'm planning on adding a couple of lines on it to make it look like a grain sack. Don't you think fresh flowers give any room a positive vibe?! Simple but just right for our dining room. Perfect for Valentine's Day…I can picture it with lovely pink rosebuds or buttery yellow ones or even some lovely orchids? Or how about some long tapered silver or golden dinner candles? That would look so romantic! So there you go, that's my version of a Test Tube Bud Vase! I would love to see some of yours! I hope you enjoyed the tutorial. I will be back soon, with a few treasures I picked up at a recent thrifting adventure. Thanks so much for stopping by! xox Rani Click here to visit my ETSY STORE!