7 Modern Ways to Style a Bell Jar or Cloche

I was fortunate enough to find this gorgeous seeded glass cloche at Junk Bonanza last month.  I love it so!  I think cloches, aka bell jars, are so beautiful.  They immediately give anything you put under them more importance.

But, when I was looking for ideas and inspiration for what to put under my cloche I came up empty-handed.  Sorry, but fake bird nests and random natural finds really aren’t my style.  I could not find any good ideas for modern displays under a cloche.

What’s a girl to do?  Make up her own.

I noodled on it for a while and came up with a list of things to try under my fab new old cloche.  Just for you, I tried them all out, crossed the bad ideas off the list, and came up with 7 to share.

7 Modern Ideas for What to Put Under a Cloche or Bell Jar

Before we get to the 7 ideas, I want to point out how I grounded my cloche for each look.  It just felt lost sitting on the bare table, so for each look I put something under the cloche to ground it.  It goes right along with my tips for grounding your decor.  I used my DIY chalk paint books, a disposable bamboo plate, and a regular white dinner plate to give my cloche a place to sit.

1.  Photo Under Glass

I saw some examples of this, but simplified and tweaked it to make it my own.  I love using large binder clips to hold photos, notes, and holiday cards.  I put a favorite photo on a binder clip and covered it with the cloche.  Such a sweet way to make a photo feel special.

2.  Glittered Feathers

This is my take on displaying natural elements in a bell jar.  I just needed to glam it up a bit.  My son was home sick a few days this week, so I put him to work glittering feather tips.  We painted glue on the tips and sprinkled with glitter.  Easy-peasey.  They look amazing under glass!

3.  Dust-Free Notions

Okay, this is a vintage modern look, but the crafter in me loves it.  I put my twine collection under the cloche to keep it dust free.  To give it a little height and interest I also included one of my large vintage wooden spools.  I wrapped the smaller bits of twine on vintage wood thread spools my mom gave me.

4.  Brass and Glass

I know some of you are not convinced yet, but brass is back and in a big way.  I love the warmth some good vintage brass gives off.  For a simple and elegant look, I arranged three brass candlesticks under the cloche.  No candles necessary.  This look celebrates the simple silhouette of the candlesticks.

5.  What’s Old is New Again

My favorite vintage things ever are family mementos.  By putting them on display, they are suddenly new and celebrated again.  These tiny booties were my husbands first pair of shoes.  They are amazing…all leather with a zipper that zips the shoe open cross-wise across the bottom to make it easier to put babies foot in.  They say “fabricado con mi piel” on the bottom…translation “made for my feet”.  I used a candlestick to give them a little extra height under the cloche.

6.  Yarn-Wrapped Nature

Another modern take on displaying natural elements, plus nothing beats a free decor project.  I wrapped a small wishbone-shaped branch with white yarn.  It is almost too long for the cloche, but I love how it goes all the way up into the handle on top.

9.  Wood and Glass

For this look, I used a plain white dinner plate under the cloche.  My mom came over last week and gave me these gorgeous carved wood balls she found at the thrift store.  I held the cloche upside down and put three wooden balls inside.  I put the dinner plate face down over the opening.  While holding the plate on, I carefully turned the cloche right side up.  I love how the wooden balls fill up the volume of the cloche.

Which look is your favorite?

I already found another home for the glittered feathers.  I think I’d like to find a new candlestick to display my hubby’s baby shoes on under the cloche.  I would put it in our dining room nook next to his family picture.  I also think it would be fun to change out the cloche often with whatever is inspiring me.