Arranging 101: Toothbrush holder

Published July 19, 2012

I love finding alternative uses for ordinary household items. Not only do you feel like you are doing your part for the environment but it’s a great feeling to see something being utilized for another purpose. Whether it’s unused paint cans for storing bills, and mail or reusing your cleaned paintbrushes for cleaning in the tool shed it’s nice to find other uses for items rather than tossing them into the trash.

If you like fresh flowers on your dining table or in your powder room, you will love this idea. Transforming an everyday toothbrush holder into a flower arranging stand takes only minutes and the results are very pretty.

Decorative toothbrush holders are very economical and come in a variety of patterns and shapes. If you don’t have any around the home, simply purchase one or two from Linen and Things or your local department store.

Choose flowers that will suit the stand such as orchids, tulips and alstromeria. Cut the stems so that the floral portion is standing only 1-2 inches from the top of the holder. Fill the container with water and then add the stems.

These little arrangements look wonderful in sets of two’s and three’s on a dining table. Or place one on the sink in your guest bathroom.

Another quick idea is to use small-holed chicken wire inside your favorite vase or container. Simply cut the wire to form a small ball inside the pot and fill with water. Cut your flower stems to fit inside the container and be sure to cover any signs of the wire. The wire acts as a form for the flowers to be properly positioned in the vase.

If you are really in a pinch and you have the small, grapevine balls as decorative items on your table, these can be readily made into flower holders in minutes. Simply place the ball inside the round container and fill all the gaps with flower stems. In this case it’s nice to see the grapevine strands through the flowers.