Easy DIY Wall Mounted Test Tube Vases
Updated on June 25, 2021
There’s something about the shape of clear test tubes that just begs for a DIY…. so today I want to share a fun test tube vase project with you. This one is unique in that it is mounted to the wall – making it perfect for anyone who lives in a small apartment or doesn’t have very much surface area to display plants or flowers.
Here’s what you’ll need to make your own test tube vase set:
- 3 clear glass test tubes
- 1/2″ thick wood, size 12×12″
- 3 pieces of leather, size 2×4″
- 8 thumbtacks
- Washi tape or painters tape
- Acrylic craft paint
- E6000 glue (optional)
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Hammer
- 10″ wire
Begin by taping off a stripe of wood using the washi tape (or painters tape). It should be about 3 inches wide. Mix up the perfect paint color and apply it to the wood. Be sure to get the edges of the wood too. Let it dry for an hour or two.
Next, wrap a piece of leather tightly around the test tube. Carefully remove it, keeping the ends of the leather together so the tube will ultimately fit snugly back inside the leather strip. Poke a thumbtack through the leather ends and then try it on the tube again to make sure it still feels tight.
Place the leather with the thumbtack through it on your painted stripe and hammer the thumbtack securely into the wood. Place a thumbtack in the other side of the leather opening and do the same thing. Before hammering the tack in all the way, try the tube in the leather once again to make sure it still fits.
It should look something like the image above. Do the same for the remaining two pieces of leather so that they are evenly spaced across the strip of paint.
Last, you’ll make a hanger for the back. Hammer a thumbtack into the top left quadrant of the back side of the wood, leaving just a bit of space between the top of the tack and the wood so that you can slip the wire around it. Create a loop in one end of the wire and twist the ends around each other. Slip the loop over the tack. Make a loop on the other end in the same manner and then hammer another tack through that loop. If you’re worried about the wire coming undone, feel free to add a bit of E6000 glue on either side.
Now insert the test tubes and hang it on the wall on a nail or screw. And you’re ready to fill them with water and plant clippings!
These would be perfect for wildflowers as well, or even small pieces of bamboo. You can refill the water by using a watering can with a small spout, or even something like a turkey baster so you don’t spill all over the wood. If you need to empty the water, be sure to flip it over so the wood is on top when you pour the water out.
You don’t have to limit it to three test tubes, either… you might want to do a longer version with 6 or 8 tubes if you have a wide wall in need of decoration. The sky’s the limit. Happy crafting!
