Whatever Fish You Wish

I love my hurricane vase. Every home should have one. I fill it with lemons, oranges, squashes, garland--whatever the season or my mood calls for, creating an easy and elegant centerpiece. Recently, I was thinking about what I would fill it with next when I realized that it might make an interesting fishbowl. And now that I am back from Spring Break, I am the proud owner of a calico-colored Shubunkin goldfish. Her name is Lola, which means "sorrow" in Spanish but she's brightening up my living room already. I will assume the fish is a she because I like the name and the calico coloring is so pretty, but it may be a Luke. Oh well.

I wanted the fishbowl to be interesting for me to look at and nice for Lola to live in. I started by filling the bottom with decorative natural-colored rocks and pebbles. These can be found in the home decorating section of stores like Target, Walmart and Pier One, usually priced between $5-$10.

Then instead of a tacky plastic castle or treasure chest, I put in two antique glass insultors. I used to use them for decoration on my bookshelf, but they look great in the water too. These now-collectable knick-knacks were onced used on the tops of telephone and electric poles in the late 19th to early 20th century. Even though mine are nearly 100 years old, they cost less than $5 at my local flea market. I think they are an unexpected, fun twist on fishbowl decoration.

For now, I bought a cheap plastic plant to give Lola a plant to swim around and through, but I hope to find a more interesting twist on the fishbowl plant too. I'm not sure what could substitute, but I will be keeping my eyes open.

Although I'm still working on it, I really like my hurricane vase turned Lola's new home. It turns out it's pretty easy to turn an ordinary fishbowl into a chic decorative piece.