Ideas for Decorating your Lanterns, Bell Jars and Dough Bowls

Roxie

 I have done a lot of traveling over the last few years and at all of my shows the number one question I get is "what can I put in this dough bowl I just bought?"  The second most asked question is "what do people put under these bell jars?"  I thought I would take a minute today to show you a few of my favorite ideas for accessorizing your favorite home decor items.  Lanterns, bell jars, and dough bowls are easy to jaz up and even change out with the seasons.  This is a great way to breathe some new life into your home without having to make big changes and spend a lot of money.  Toss a new pillow on the couch and you will feel like you have a new room!  

I like to decorate in layers.  Whether it is a lantern, a bookcase, or a Christmas tree, layers help you to create a full design that is so much more pleasing to the eye.  You can see in the pictures below that I started with the plain lantern, then added my bells.  I had to knot the twine on one of the bells to make it shorter so that I would have different lengths.  

---

After the bells I tied a piece of cute ribbon on the top, and then attached some fresh eucalyptus with that ribbon.  

It just took a few easy steps to really spice this lantern up.  

If you choose to use something fresh like eucalyptus, just let it dry naturally and continue to enjoy it.  It will change colors but will still be beautiful!

I love decorating the inside of a bell jar!  Historically, bell jars or cloches were used to cover plants to create a greenhouse effect.  While I think this is beautiful, you have to be careful to air the plants out or they will get moldy. Bell jars come in all sizes and are such a beautiful way to showcase your favorite treasures.  As a rule of thumb, you will need as least 3 things, and I like to incorporate some kind of greenery or "fresh" looking element.  Don't be afraid to use old family pictures, or vintage cards at Valentine's Day.  Ornaments and bottle brush trees are great at Christmas, but for Spring, you just can't beat a good bird's nest!  If you have a little collection of real nests, that's even better.   

Think of your jar as a little memory capsule and have fun changing out the pictures and family heirlooms.  

Now on to the dough bowls!  Whether yours is big or small, have fun changing out what you put in it and don't feel like you have to stick with one "perfect" thing.  Before taking these pictures, Tara and I went around the shop and gathered up a few of our favorite things.  Tara supplied the fresh and dried eucalyptus from her tree and I have a never ending supply of dried hydrangeas!

This is a collection of two white vases that can remain empty or be a catch all for what's blooming in your garden.  I included one of our favorite Park Hill candles that is surrounded by a faux eucalyptus wreath.  

One simple change up and you have a completely different look.  I traded out the wreath for a collection of faux succulents.   

The next idea is a grouping of mossy orbs, classic pillar candles and a bird's nest.  I used the flame less candles that are made of real wax so that they look real but won't drip on the bowl.

If you lean towards a more simple style, you could use just the mossy orbs by themselves or with the simple pillar candles.  

At home, I love to use my vintage pottery collection around the house.  Here I mixed a couple of vintage pottery pieces with dried hydrangeas.  

The dried hydrangeas with the bird's next seemed to be the favorite of the day so I will leave you with that.  A classic southern take on decorating a dough bowl.

A little dried eucalyptus added a nice touch of a different color and a new shape.

Like I said before, don't be afraid to change it up!  Move your favorite things around from room to room and enjoy them.  If you liked what you saw in the pictures, a few of the items above are available in our online store.  We would love to send a little something your way!  Happy decorating!

Shop Home and Garden Now!