DECORATING 21 Inexpensive Decorative Bowl Filler Ideas

1. Rocks

Specifically heart rocks.

Aren’t they the cutest? Have you ever collected heart rocks before?

I have the BEST heart rock story that you can read here.

You see a similar live-edge wood bowl here.

// live edge wood bowl // scrabble tiles //

2. Scrabble tiles

This is an example of using an ordinary item in a bowl.

Scrabble tiles.

Who would have thought?

You probably have some sitting around your house in a board game right now.

If not, you can see some scrabble tiles here.

You see a similar live-edge wood bowl here.

// seashell sphere //

3. Seashell spheres

Look at these amazing spheres made out of seashells.

Aren’t they the cutest?

Just when you think you’ve seen everything something like this shows up.

You can see the seashell sphere here.

// gold metal sphere (similar) //

4. Metallic spheres

I love the idea of a little shine.

I’ve used metal spheres like these for years and you only need a few of these to fill up a bowl in seconds.

You can see similar gold metal spheres here.

// sand dollars //

5. Sand dollars and beach treasures

I have so many treasures from the beach.

Every year we collect them and fill bowls with them at the Cape.

These are sand dollars that I found and I dried them out and bleached them.

You can see similar already bleached sand dollars here.

// sea glass //

6. Sea glass

I have spent so many summers looking for seaglass on the beach.

Seaglass comes in many different colors and it’s the perfect bowl filler for summer.

You can see this seaglass here.

Here’s the prettiest multi-colored seaglass, too.

7. Decorative shells or coral pieces

Shells are another fun option for bowl fillers.

I also thought that pieces of coral might work, too.

I was going to add seaweed, but I thought that might be too much.

#calmdownkarianne

// dried lavender //

8. Dried lavender or other aromatic herbs

Yes to lavender.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

It smells so good and looks so fancy, too. Did you know a bag of lavender is under $8?

You can see dried lavender here.

// faux lemons //

9. Decorative fruit like lemons, limes, or oranges

I have never ordered faux lemons before.

Until you all suggested it.

Best bowl filler ever.

They are just so bright and happy (and inexpensive, too).

You can see these amazing lemons (that you all suggested to me) for under $10 here.

10. Pine cones, acorns, and dried seed pods

Every fall I fill a bowl with little pinecones.

I think little pinecones are so much cuter than bigger pinecones.

You could even add in some acorns—just make sure they are faux. I had to learn the hard way.

// faux succulents //

11. Miniature succulents or air plants

I think I would just go with faux succulents.

Truth?

I can’t tell the difference between real succulents and faux succulents.

And I think I want to choose the one that doesn’t need water.

Here’s a giant pack of them for under $17.

// moss rocks // blue and white planter //

12. Artificial moss or faux greenery

These moss rocks are the BEST.

I use them as bowl fillers (you can see them later on in the post with the blue and white balls).

But they also work well to cover the top of plants.

You can see moss rocks here.

You can see my favorite set of blue and white planters here.

13. Vintage keys or pocket watches

These are the keys from the farmhouse.

But you can find vintage keys and old pocket watches or mini clocks at thrift stores.

I love a bowl filler that knows what time it is.

// mini wood slices //

14. Wood slices

I had a bunch of mini wood slices left over from this project.

So I just added them to a bowl—so cute for fall.

You could paint them, too, to match your decor.

You can see the mini wood slices I use here.

15. Wood beads

This kind of goes for any craft supply.

Go and search your craft closet. You probably have something cute you could use as a bowl filler right now.

These wood beads look like art when you add them to a bowl.

16. Fabric or felted wool balls

Aren’t these the cutest for fall?

My sister made these and they are the perfect bowl filler.

See how to make these felted acorns here.

17. Ribbon

Hello, ribbon.

Meet my bowl.

Spools of decorative ribbon (especially if it’s velvet) make a great bowl filler.

19. Rustic jute or twine balls

If you like farmhouse or neutral decor, these twine balls are a great bowl filler option.

You can make your own.

Or you can find similar twine balls that come in a set here.

// moss rocks // larger blue and white spheres // smaller blue and white spheres (similar) //

20. Blue and white anything

I saved my favorite for last.

Look at this bowl filler combination.

Moss rocks and blue and white spheres.

It makes my heart so happy.

I actually have two different sizes to keep it interesting.

You can see the larger blue and white spheres here.

You can see a similar set of smaller blue and white spheres that I just ordered here.

Whew.

That was A LOT.

Can you believe there are so many options for creative affordable bowl fillers?

And I even found more options here that I loaded into my Amazon storefront.

Don’t forget to add any ideas you’ve used that I missed in the comments.

Happy bowl-filling day to you.

And now I wanted to add a few tips from all of you:

• Laura said: “At Christmas time I use old vintage ornaments.”
• Karen said: “I keep pretty cloth napkins in a bowl on my dining table and fresh lemons in a bowl on my kitchen counter (I use them often in cooking). I like it best when the things in the bowls are functional!”
• Kimberly said: “Old billiard balls, antique flower frogs, matchbooks/boxes, small faierie lights on a timer of course, different cursives and sizes of one’s initial- W for me, cookie cutters in the kitchen, and I highly reccomend jelly beans-brightly coloured or gourmet ones, extra points if if in individual tiny packets.”
• Janice said: “I have several large bowls that are painted on the inside. No need to add anything else. They are “filled” with art.”
• Ann said: “I keep a decorative bowl filled with polaroid-type photos. A bit like a scrapbook, but less formal. At Christmas I fill a bowl with glass ornaments and holly. And on my kitchen counter I heap veggies and fruit into a bowl (this is utilitarian but it turns decorative).”
• Rizae said: “Marbles! I have collected them for years. Cat eyes, steelies, ribbon, all types and sizes of glass marbles.”
• Jan said: “How about the remnants of yarn from various knitting or crochet projects all wound into balls of various sizes? I’ve used those before and think they look very cozy and homey and colorful.”
• Carol said: “While beaching in Nassau we collected 2 conch shells and added a few unusual NC Outerbank shells and star fish in a large tray in the living room that gives me many happy memories when I walk past it.”
• Teresa said: “Girls, today I was at Hobby Lobby and discovered these balls/orbs with scripture on them, FAITH, HOPE, LOVE but not on sale this week so waiting until next week to check them out again. Be great as part of a bowl. Wood look but not sure if they are wood.”
• Kris said: “I’m a fan of decorating with anything from the natural world.”
• Mary said: “Wine corks, glass fishing net floats.”
• JoLynn said: “We have 3 athletes and 2 of them are baseball players so each spring I fill my dough bowl with baseballs. It’s perfect for Valentines Day decor (red & white) and I sometimes leave them through July 4th but add some flag ribbon.”
• Jodena said: “I found (at the thrift store), a vintage friendship bowl. I had never seen one. The shape of the pottery is so pretty, heart shaped almost. I have been trying to decide what to put in it. If I display wrapped chocolates in it, they then become wrapped on my waist and hips.”
  

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