A little beer, a little paint, and a lot of hot glue...

Decorative vases can be really expensive.  For a cheaper, and more unique look, try this craft...

I used beer bottles, but you could also use cheap glass vases or bowls (Wal-mart has them for $3-$10), drinking glasses, anything really.

I painted them using acrylic paint, and wrapped two with twine, hot gluing it as I went.  I used hot glue to write "love" and make dots on the black bottles, then painted over it once it dried.  I really like the textures I created.  My letters aren't great, but they'll do.  Don't worry if you make a mistake with the hot glue.  Once the glue dries, you can peel it off and try again.

To save money, use yarn instead of twine.  You could even use different color yarn to make stripes.  This is a simple, cheap project, and you can really get creative with it.  Use whatever colors you like and create whatever type of texture you want using the glue gun.

So easy. :)