You’re thinking I’m going to talk about knitted cloches, right? But I’m not. I’m going to talk about glass cloches and a topic that has nothing to do with knitting. I visited my friend Meda last weekend. She’s the person that got me into cloche-ing. (She also accuses me of making the word “cloche”, which is a noun, into a verb – cloche-ing. As in, “Look – that’s a fun little fall decoration. Very cloche-able.”) Cloches were originally designed in the 1800’s as a way to protect new, tender plants. Putting a cloche over a plant turned it into a mini greenhouse and protected it from predators, while ensuring an environment rich in carbon dioxide and heated by the sun. Nowadays, people use them to create small displays or vignettes, to showcase different treasures, or to highlight something fun.
In October, I did a fall theme with the little cloche in the first photo, above. I popped in an owl, a couple of pumpkins, some candy corn, and a squirrel. It’s amazing how many little decorations I already have, that fit perfectly into a scene like this. I’m already looking forward to doing one up for Christmas, then Valentine’s Day, and beyond. (Birthdays would be fun – you could add a few photos of the birthday person, along with a few little things that remind you of them.) My friend Meda has several around her house, each containing a different type of something. Here is her fall themed cloche (love the little pumpkins in the teacup, and I also love the antique tea strainer alongside.) She had a baby shower recently and put antique baby items under a cloche and used it as a centerpiece.
Here’s one of her other displays, which shows old treasures from her grandmothers (compacts, purses, perfume bottles, etc,). She and I both like antiques, so we have had fun finding little bitty things that would be fun to cloche around. I also think it would be fun to display my favorite skein of yarn (all caked up), some older knitting needles, and a little knitted toy in one. Maybe I need to get one to use at Loopy. Cloche-ing takes ordinary things and turns them into a display. (You can find inexpensive cloches at places like Home Goods, Marshalls, Target, etc. You can also use glass cake domes, little glass cheese domes, etc. Some come with a stand or pedestal, but it’s also easy to put it on a tray.)
So – do you have any other cloche-able ideas? What would you put under glass?
Sheri whomightnothaveusedtheseglasscloches
whenbothkidswereyoung 🙂
(Note – tomorrow is a no-mail holiday here in the States, so we will be closed. We’ll be back packing orders and welcoming in-store shoppers on Friday!)
LOVE these fall ideas. I have some old books that I stack under a cloche. I have also done seashells: fill the cloche, put a plate on top and then turn it over.
Hope no one bumps it.
I really like the grandmother idea, although I have so little from my own grandmothers.
Some pretty yarns and needles are an idea I CAN use.
Thanks. Makes me need a pumpkin spice latte and my projects….
I love the idea of cloches in the garden. I think my basil might not get eaten by creatures if I could keep it under glass. Indoors…I wonder if I might end up having to wipe off a lot of dust (dog hair) and fingerprints, etc. Love the concept, though. The antique treasures display really appeals to me. Hey, wait…I have a cheese dome. Hmmm.
I have never thought about using cloches, so you have given me a whole new interest to turn some attention to. What a really lovely idea. I have a small table just inside the front door that will do very nicely with a cloche on top with protected treasures inside. Thanks!
That’s a no-brainer: Cake.
Yarn that I would want to look at and enjoy while trying to find the perfect project for it of course.
It’s probably a bad sign (and a second sign of how tired I am) that my first thought was my husband. Not that he would fit under a glass that small.
I have a large amount of lampwork beads that I have not used for jewelry even though they are gorgeous. I think a cloche with some finished pieces would be a wonderful thing for something that is currently precious, but completely hidden away.
Yarn and needles…. with cat hair.
CHOCOLATTE cake 😉
Oh I can have fun with this idea! I love miniatures but hesitate to buy them for lack of a place to display them. I DO have some pieces of my mother’s dollhouse furniture (Mom is 85). I love the idea of being able to “peek” into a small other world and that you only have to dust the cloche and not each piece!!!! When my mother re-married YEARS ago – her sister dried her wedding bouquet in silica crystals and put the flower arrangement in a glass apothacary jar – very similar. I’m thinking maybe some lace with silk flowers with my great grandmother’s wedding ring in it along with a photo of her (I think I do have an old wedding photo of her I can scan and make smaller) – instead of keeping it put away. This is like 3-D scrapbooking 🙂
I use a cake plate to put a small display up with each holiday…but you’ve opened up a whole new world for me….THANKS…
I have a massive Pez collection so I would make a new arrangement for each holiday. I had a display at the library a few years back and it was very popular. It’s inexpensive and fun!
I have never thought about cloches. Little Loopy might have to behave if he was inside with some balls of yarn and miniature sweaters or socks.
My mom’s always been good at that kind of thing. Me? Not so much. Though recently, a friend got me back into dollhouses/miniatures. I would be tempted to do holiday themed rooms around a family of mice. You know, their living room on Christmas Eve with a little tree and fireplace with stockings, maybe a Fourth of July parade, that kind of thing. In place of a shadow box. (Though I might get some of those, too….)
You could cloche ink pens and inks with knitting tools from a particular era. I collect both. Would make a lovely display. I’m fond of the victorian era and beyond till 1960.
I never thought of this. But, I sure will starting now!
I liked your displays, although I don’t think I could make one. Too many little people and I would think of Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar” too often.
Maybe that would be a good Halloween one though… a choche-ed copy of the “The Bell Jar”.
Hmmmm, right off hand, I can think of a very meddlesome cat (aka BadBoy) I might like to cloche. At least for a little while. With breathing holes. He just broke a genuine Art Nouveau vase. And he’s still alive.
It would be cool to do little displays like rooms or something. You could even do a little Christmas tree for Christmas!
I love your creativity and your friend’s, Sheri. I have some bakelite knitting needles from great gma plus other old items would look great in a cloche. What fun.
A Frog prince statue would totally be under mine! I always say I caught the prince when I found my frog (um…husband!)
I have one of these with my grandpa’s retirement watch in it; now I know what it’s called. Thanks!
You have introduced me to a new craft that I was not aware of. I have taken tokens and memory-related items and put them in glass for birthdays, anniversaries, etc. but I love this. Any holiday could be done, thank you for teaching me something new today.
When I was little I made a family of mice out of modeling clay and my grandmother cloched it and kept it for ages.
Thank you for teaching me what cloche means!!! lol : ) Anyway, those displays are sooo adorable and intriguing all at the same time. I really love the way you can make anything seem more important and spectacular just by putting it under glass. It’s like a mini museum in your own house!
As for what I might want to cloche – not sure yet – probably wedding stuff for my hubby and me. Ticket stubs, the fertility almonds which we’re both afraid of, the postcards from our honeymoon, and maybe something tall to give it depth, like a beer bottle. lol : )
Have a fabulous day off – I’m still at work!
OH – you’ll be so proud of me – i finished a hat in approx 3 days (working full time puts a huge cramp in my knitting time) and my hubby asked me who made it for me. lol
<3 Christienne
*sigh* I just finished dusting the teapot collection and putting it to rights. I would never have a permanent cloche of anything.
But I do like the idea of displaying some little goodies on a seasonal basis in a cloche.
I could put away all the dainties I have on shelves and in cases all over the house. Box them up, then display a few each season. Less dusting and more focus on a few cool bits. What would the items be? Little things from trips-wood animals from Germany/Austria. Crocheted teacup my grandma made me. Ohhh, and the socks she knitted me as well. Hmmm.
I do have one permanent cloche-type thing. I took a small fish bowl, half filled it with Gulf sand and shells from the beach. Mementoes from a family trip to Florida. Glued a heavy coaster for a base, to hold it all in. What’s nice is that it acts as a dry snowglobe. I can tilt it and the sand shifts, revealing/concealing some shells.
Well, how about the obvious — yarn! And maybe a few implements, a small piece of knitting ….
Unfortunately, no space and a ton of dust make this a lovely idea that I’ll probably never use! But I like to see yours!
Thanks!
My in-laws wedding cake topper was cloched. It was lovely.
Those are cute! They’d make awesome Christmas decor.