What Are Creative Uses for a Thermos?

Some thermoses are just too pretty to keep stowed away in a cabinet. From vintage to contemporary styles, you can use thermoses as handy containers for decorative as well as functional items. Make a statement in every room of the house with a thermos that promises more than just keeping its cool.

Centerpiece Vase

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Create a casual seasonal centerpiece with a thermos filled with water and a bouquet of flowers. For a winter or holiday centerpiece, place cut poinsettias in red or white in a plaid printed thermos filled with water. Usher in the spring and summer seasons with fresh cut daffodils or roses in a solid pastel colored thermos. Feature an autumn bouquet of goldenrod flowers or pansies in a checker printed mercury glass thermos for vintage rustic appeal. Formal centerpieces call for a sleek aluminum or stainless steel thermos filled with white lilies or a single amaryllis bloom.

Workshop and Office

In the workshop, use a thermos to hold nuts and bolts. You can also use a thermos to hold a variety of picture-hanging wires, anchors and sheet-rock screws. You'll have everything you need for easy-access picture hanging.

For the office, use a tall thermos to hold rulers. Use a shorter thermos for holding pens or pencils. If you're always misplacing stamps or mailing labels, put a roll in a thermos and feed consecutive stamps from the mouth of the thermos.

Pet Food Container

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An old thermos with a handle makes a cute pet food container for dry kibbles. Fill it to the brim with your pet's favorite food, replace the lid for secure storage, and keep the thermos near pet feeding stations. The thermos handle makes pouring pet kibbles into bowls quick and convenient.

Double your convenience with another thermos filled with water for your pet. Just pour water into your pet's bowl as needed. This thermos use is particularly handy for pet stations not located near a water source.

Planter

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Fill a thermos with four inches of pebbles or marbles for drainage and then top with a layer of potting soil. Plant a vining plant such as English ivy or a philodendron at the mouth of the thermos. Cover with more soil to hold the plant at the roots. Keep the thermos in an area exposed to filtered sunlight. Water once a week and allow the plant to flow over the sides of the thermos. For a maintenance-free planter, fill a thermos with water and add a lucky bamboo stalk. Store in a filtered-light area such as a windowsill.