Make a flower support for your Aalto Vase from air-dry clay—no oven needed

Flower support for an Aalto Vase—supplies

Flower support for an Aalto Vase—instructions

You’ll need air-dry clay, a rolling pin, a straw, and a marker cap to make holes and shape the outline.

Gently press the vase into the rolled-out clay to mark the outline of its opening.

1. Roll out the clay to about half a centimeter thick. Gently press your vase into the clay to mark the outline of the opening. Add about a centimeter all around it, as the clay will shrink slightly while drying, then cut out the shape with a knife. Leave the edges smooth or crimp them like a pie crust.

Add about a centimeter around the vase outline and cut out the shape.

A straw and a marker cap make it easy to create holes in the clay.

2. Use a straw to make small holes in the clay, and the marker cap to make larger ones. The holes can be of varying sizes.

3. Let dry at room temperature on a flat surface, turning occasionally so the clay dries evenly. It takes about 2–3 days for the clay to dry. If the edges start to curl, weigh it down with books, placing baking paper or plastic in between. Once the clay has dried, sand the surface smooth if needed. Varnish both sides of the dried flower support, or paint it first and varnish once the paint is dry.

A flower support made of air-dry clay makes flower arranging easier.

Try this idea with other vases, too!

You can also make smaller flower supports and crimp the edges like you would a pie crust. The flower rim on top of the shot glass was made with a cookie cutter, and the hole was pressed with a marker cap.

A crimped edge gives a charming look. You can also paint the clay once it’s hardened. Let it dry after painting, then finish with varnish.

If you have leftover clay, use a cookie cutter to make fun collars for shot glasses, for example.