Attention all Busy Girl’s, we have another QUICK & EASY DIY project that you can whip up as a Glamorous Hostess Gift throughout the upcoming holiday season (cough, cough… like next week for Thanksgiving!).

But before we officially move onto the tutorial, allow us to review….

Busy Girl DIY is defined as a craft or do-it-yourself project that aligns with the busy girl’s style, budget, and lack of free time, materials, or confidence in her ability to craft. These projects take around 15-30 minutes and require minimal amounts of time, material or talent (like this one, this one or this one). These projects allow Busy Girls to get the look they love without the hassle. You’re busy, we’re busy… we get it. Let’s do this…

Flowers are always a nice gesture and the staple hostess gift for Busy Girl’s like us. A bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine…check and check! However, etiquette says that you should never bring in “un-vased” flowers to the host or hostess. Why not, we wondered?

Of course it’s always the thought that counts… and any hostess would be extremely grateful for any token of appreciation, we’re pretty sure. But if we’re being technical here, un-vased flowers require the hostess to take time away from her entertaining, cooking, and greeting in order to give those gorgeous blooms a new place to live. It’s not a huge inconvenience for the hostess (and you’re not being rude by bringing these in without a vase), but when a hostess has food in the oven, guests loading into her home, and she is trying to greet, get drinks, and take coats from everyone- cutting down flowers, finding a vase that fits, and putting it all together just doesn’t lend itself well to giving guests her undivided, welcoming attention. To combat this etiquette tip, we thought it would be more convenient, glamorous AND thoughtful for us to still bring in our staple flowers, but making sure we handle the cutting, vasing, and sprucing up the blooms well before we enter her doors.

With this pre-arranged gorgeous vase, you are showing that you:

1. Planned ahead
2. Care about her precious time
3. Want to provide her with a gold & glamorous vase she can re-use all season long!

It’s a win-win-win if you ask us!! Plus, this vase is simple to make and doesn’t require a lot of time, money or creative talent. Busy Girls—we can do this and we have plenty of time to finish this project up for next week’s celebrations.

What you’ll need:

• Liquid Gold (This stuff is AH-MAZING and officially our new best friend)
• Soft Hair Paintbrush (so important that it’s soft hair)
• Vase (this one cost me $1 at the Dollar Store!!)
• Painter’s Tape
• Scotch tape (optional)
• Flowers (got this bunch from Jewel for less than $10)

Rookie Tip: While you have all the supplies out and the vases only cost $1, why not make a few to get you through all of your holiday events?!

So here goes nothing. All you really have to do is tape around the vase to create the “line” or look that you want. Make sure you press firmly on the line that the paint will hit, this will ensure none of the gold liquid will seep under the tape.

I used the soft haired brush to put one coat of liquid gold on the exposed part of the vase.  The directions on the back of the liquid gold suggested using the soft haired brush and I can see why. If I used a different paint brush, you probably would have seen the brush strokes and it wouldn’t have that smooth, gold finish. So listen to the directions and use that soft brush! If you have some extra time on your hands, let your first coat dry and put on another coat for extra coverage.

After that, let the paint dry and slowly peel away your painter’s tape. You should be left with a crisp gold line.

Fill the jar up with water and place your scotch tape like a grid on the top of the vase. This post has a step-by-step tutorial on how to do this. Ever since Casey shared that tip, I always use clear tape to help me arrange flowers.

Little by little, I place flowers into the vase’s grid… starting with the greenery around the sides.

Then I placed the other random flower types until I got the look that I wanted. I would suggest waiting to do this part until the morning of the event or the night before the event. This will guarantee your arrangement looks fresh for the hostess (and at the party).

I love the elegant and simple look the liquid gold gives this project. To think this was just a dollar store vase that now looks far more expensive and sophisticated! You can hand off this project to the hostess and she will have nothing to worry about to prep these beautiful blooms for the party!! You will be a Busy Girl that looked like you took a lot of time & effort to spoil your gracious host with this one-of-a-kind gift. Such a win-win!

P.S. If you like this BUSY GIRL idea, check out our other Busy Girl DIY ideas by clicking on the Busy Girl icon on the sidebar. Happy Crafting, you fellow Busy Girls!! xo