PAPER VASE CARE
Every paper vase comes in packaging that explains how it works. This is the longer version, written because the same handful of questions arrives by email every week.
A paper vase is a sleeve, not a vessel
The water never touches the paper directly. You fill an ordinary glass, a jam jar or the cut-down base of a plastic bottle, stand it on a flat surface, and slip the vase over the top. The container inside does the holding. The paper does the looking.
Can I put water in it?
Not into the paper itself — into the container that goes inside. Halfway up is enough for most stems. This is the question we are asked more than any other, and the answer is the whole design: the vase turns something you already own into something worth looking at.
Is the paper waterproof?
Water-resistant, which is not quite the same thing. It is 180 gsm patented paper with a cotton thread, laminated on one side and sewn by hand, so splashes, condensation and wet stems will not soften it or leave a mark the way ordinary card would. It is not made to be submerged. If it does get properly wet, stand it somewhere dry and leave it alone — it dries flat and keeps its shape.
How long does one last?
There is no wear-out date. Kept out of standing water and away from long hours of direct sun — which will eventually fade any printed colour — a vase lasts as long as you want it to. Ours have been on studio shelves since the first collection.
Can I reuse it?
Yes, indefinitely. Lift it off, empty the glass, and put it away. It stores flat, so a small stack lives easily in a drawer and comes out when the flowers change or the table does.
How do I clean it?
A dry cloth, or a barely damp one for a mark that will not brush off. No soap, no scrubbing, and take care around the foil stamping — it is applied to the surface and will dull if you work at it. Dust more than anything else.
What fits inside?
The full-size vases measure 265 x 290 mm flat and take a standard drinking glass, a jam jar or a 1.5 litre bottle cut down to about 15 cm. The minis measure 168 x 168 mm and suit a small tumbler, a votive holder or a spice jar. If the container stands up on its own and holds water, it will do.
Does it work with dried flowers?
Yes, and it is the easiest way to use one. The vase has no base of its own, so the stems still need something inside to stand in, but with no water involved that can be anything — a tin, a jar, a roll of card.
Can I post one?
They are made for it. A paper vase travels flat in an envelope, which is why they reach places our ceramics cannot, and why they turn up as gifts more often than as self-purchases.
Still unsure about something? Write to us at webshop@octaevo.com. For a step-by-step with photographs, see How to Use the OCTAEVO Paper Vase. To browse the range, start with the paper vases or the minis.
