So what exactly do you put in a cloche? I know people that are very creative with them, but I was left scratching my head, often than not, trying to figure out what to put in mine.
The trick is to find something small enough that will fit in it, that is tall enough to be seen. I went through my large selection of vintage books and found just a few that would fit in my cloche. Then I added a hand to give it a bit more interest. I used a very big book on the bottom, so I could move the whole thing easily.
I got the idea of my darling friend Bev. Look at her cloche below. I love the old stack of books and the trophy inside the cloche. That is ONE TALL CLOCHE!!
And Bev has such a good eye, that she can leave the cloches empty, and it still looks good!! I think having more than one cloche, in varying heights, makes the empty ones interesting.
Below I just added a little sugar scuttle (I think that is what it is called.) The cloche gives the item the illusion that the items underneath are so important they must be protected by the glass.
Below I placed a vintage lottery ball holder on top of a book. The cloche gives it an air of ‘importance.’
Clearly, I’m not the cloche expert. So what do you put in your cloche??
As you may know I’m a contributor for the Bali Blinds website. I would love for you to join me there today. I’m talking about how to make over a bookcase into craft storage. CLICK HERE.
I’ve admired cloches having seen all the clever things people do with them. I finally bought a couple before leaving Houston and haven’t had a chance to play with them much. I did use them as part of a tablescape but wasn’t totally satisfied with the look. I need more practice.
Hi Anita, did you attach those wings to the lamp stand? Thank you!
Diana, that is in Bev’s house, and I am not sure how she did it. She is really talented!!
Love my cloches. I’ve gathered all of them for a centerpiece for a baby shower and stacked baby cups and booties in them. A collection of different things. They are great during the holidays. I’m lucky enough to be close enough to sometimes shop at LaurieAnnas and she is a master at using them. http://laurieannas.blogspot.com/
I am a huge Cloche fan hence, my blog name. Not sure where I got it from but they intrigue me. I have a good collection of them. I enjoy putting anything that is dear to me under them that I want to make a statement. Decorating many for the new house. Love using them for the holidays too. Can’t wait to share.
Cindy
I, too, love cloches and didn’t know how to decorate with them, went to Pinterest and found many, many ideas. Using these images, I was able to fill them with items I love and show off to their best advantage. You have used yours beautifully and the more you play with them the happier you will become. I love the stacked books and the hand!
Anita:
What great ideas for using a cloche…I would have never thought of using small books to raise things up which always look too small. Thanks so much for the inspirational idea!
{{HUGS}}
Joy
Books, beautiful faux flowers, urns, tea cups…pretty much anything that will fit. I’ve loved them for years. They make just about anything looks so much more elegant. Yours are beautiful!
I agree that cloches can be tricky. It takes some trial and error to find the right combination of small, tall, and noticeable-enough to make a statement. I am still experimenting!
I VERY much like the one in the last photo. It reminds me of an upside down tulip.
Pretty – Pretty!!
I am a cloche fanatic! As a matter of fact, I was just playing around with one tonight and posted it on Instagram. I fill them with EVERYTHING! I was thinking about how it might be nice to place a few in descending height, empty. Guess it’s not a bad idea, huh?:)
xo Kathleen
Exactly what ever you want to…..in my cloche right now it’s empty, sitting up high above the cabinets. I had so many vintage cloches, bell jars designed to use in the gardens with there obscure weathered glass, and ended up through time selling them off in my retail shop her in town. It was impossible to house them all in my smaller investment rental that I ended up moving into after the sale of my much larger home.
I have one and although it’s not antique. It is vintage and quite large and clear enough to display in…. I must get it down and do some sort of vignette with it, hmmmm! What can I come up with after all you have inspired?
Always enjoy my visits and your post that inspire so!
Xox
Dore
I love these, Anita, but I never seem to find any on my treasure hunts. I’ll just keep searching. Meantime I’ll head over to your Bali article.
Later – Cheryl B.
I love my one cloche! Ii was married in 1969 and I saved my cake topper but n
ever knew what to do with it. I saw a cloche online that was very reasonable and, after all these years, a light bulb went off! It now sits on a clear glass vintage ribbon plate that is a perfect fit for the cloche I ordered. It even came with a little blackboard tag. I wrote the year of our wedding on it and hung it on the knob on top. Perfect!
I have three cloches in varying heights and occasionally use them in my dcor. you just inspired me to do something different with mine. I love the way you used books and the hand! maybe I’ll have to dust mine off.
Loved all the beautiful ways to showcase items in cloches…yes, I love that cloche of your friend Bev’s too..and love that gorgeous lamp beside it!…
I put a real bird’s nest in one of my cloches. I found it in our garage, added a burlap bow and placed it in a cloche. It looked great!
I love them too! I use mine on a pretty cake plate-you can stack several cookies on a plate inside and put on your buffet until after dinner, or use a smaller one on larger cake plate as a centerpiece – I put fake snow on the cake plate with a little evergreen and 2 skaters inside the cloche –
My Grandmother would be so amused to see a cloche used indoors! She had them everywhere in her backyard garden…her entire backyard was an amazing garden of roses, dahlias, pansies, zinnias, hydrangeas, peonies, pussy willows, lilacs….she would place a cloche over her tenderest of treasures…nursing them along as they grew strong enough to be left alone in the elements…I have two cloche’s and they are outside in my garden…I will bring them indoors before our first freeze…I usually put a plant under the cloche…sometimes I sit the plant on top of books, giving it height under a taller cloche…I love your ideas….
Great inspiration, my cloche got put away at the end of summer, I must look for it and try some new ideas.
Lee 🙂
I have several cloches and love them all. I have 2 with bird nests, 2 with trophies, pears and just air! They are so much fun to play with. At Christmas I put little pultz houses. Also snowmen. Oh soaps in the WC!
Smiles, Alice
Love these beautiful little accents. It is amazing that something clear can add so much oomph!
This post was before I started following blogs and thanks to Lory at Designthusiasm, I saw this on French Country Fridays about decorating with a cloche. I have a cloche on both my dining tables and love that guests can see through them. Now, I am collecting the glass covers used on cheese servers as a cloche for small decorations. It may be tacky to some, but they can be picked up at most thrift shops and Goodwills. I’m hoping to do something with them for this Christmas, maybe in groupings. I love the books as a base! Very creative! OH, the dollar stores have the sweetest ceramic birds that are in solid muted tones; birds are always welcome in my cloche. I did learn not to put fresh flowers under the glass dome because it fogs up! XOXO
Excellent ideas Cecilia!!! I love it. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I like to use candle stands to elevate other things in my cloche. I have a collection of stands in different materials, finishes and colors that never see candles. ? The stands hold items like a mix of faux and real moss balls, succulents, shells, coral, rocks, pine cones, bird nests, mushrooms … small books can also lean vertically against the other items.
Nancy, that sounds beautiful!
I put old cameras in my Cloche. I have several sizes of both vintage leather fold out cameras & Cloche’s. I get the big ones at Hobby Lobby when the glass goes on sale for 50% off. I bought several for my daughters wedding center pieces. For the base I’ll use old cake stands or platters. I’ve even used a column base from a architecture salvage as a base for a cloche that had a antique clock in it. I’ve also put antique dolls in them. They have a nice small size at IKEA with a brass base. It’s cute for small dolls.
What a fabulous idea Linda!!!