Have you ever looked through those bins of vintage silverware at the thrift store? Serious question, because up until about a month ago, it was a hard pass for me 😂 I was not sticking my fingers in there. Between the mystery grime and sharp knife tips, I just kept walking right past them every time.
Well…this DIY project may officially change that for you.
Or maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who already has some beautiful antique silverware tucked away at home that you’ve been thinking about getting rid of. Either way, today’s project is such a fun way to give old silverware a second life instead of letting it sit unused in a drawer.
Today I’m sharing how to turn thrifted vintage knives into magnetic bud vases that are actually watertight and can hold fresh cut flowers. Yep, real little flower vases for your fridge 🥹
I’m sure spoons or forks could work for this project too, but vintage knives were definitely the easiest silverware pieces for me to find while thrifting. In this tutorial, I’ll show you exactly how I transformed them into functional DIY bud vases with magnets for the cutest cottage kitchen decor.
This post contains affiliate links.
Here are the supplies I used:
Vintage or thrifted knives
Fresh or dried flowers
Ribbon or jute
When looking for a knife, make sure the handle is hollow. You may need to knock on it to figure that out. I got a selection of a few different knives to see if they worked the same...and they did!
Step 1:
Using a Dremel with a reinforced metal cutting disk, I started cutting at the handle about 2 cm below the knife blade. This may be different for every knife, but this seemed about where it needed for all of mine. If you cut too high, you will be cutting through straight metal where the blade meets the handle. I did cut one shorter not knowing, and that's okay...just made a smaller little bud vase!
Here's an idea of where I cut mine:
Step 2:
I then used a metal sanding bit to help take the sharpness off where I cut. This helped a ton! Don't skip this step.
Step 3:
I ended up cutting four for this tutorial.
I grabbed some magnets I already had and broke them to fit the back. You can purchase some that will fit here. I then used some gel super glue to put them into place. On that note, if you haven't used gel super glue and use the normal kind, I would highly suggest you switch! I didn't realize how nice the gel was until I accidently got the original kind, and that stuff is so liquidy and seeped all over the place, even onto my counter...which then super glued my vase I was fixing onto the counter. It was a mess.
Or, you can put some dried stems in them as well! 
Step 5:
Step 4:
If you want to use this a real bud vase for cut flowers...fill it up! I used my itty bitty pitcher to fill it with water.
I then cut a flower from my flower bed, and put it in there! These are watertight and won't leak...unless you overfill them.
If you wish, hot glue or super glue a bow onto them to finish them off.
Which one is your favorite? I go back and forth! I can't decide. This one below is so beautiful and ornate. I have three more of these same knives. I want to cut them so bad, but then realize having more than even 3 of these may be a bit excessive haha.
I add the bow onto this one since it had the longest handle.
And this one, I love it because I can imagine it being a large scale vase. I didn't meant to cut this at such a strong angle, but it ended up being so cute!
Let me know if you do this and share them with me on my social media!
pin for later:
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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