You probably have a pair (or more) of them in your house. If you haven’t, you’ve most likely contemplated buying some. But that nagging question keeps surfacing: What the heck do I put in them?

Apothecary jars, cylindrical glass, clear glass vases… you see them in shops, in catalogs, in magazines. But when it comes down to it, I know I (and many others) have been stumped as to what to do with them next. So I started brainstorming and came up with this list, some I’ve seen, some I think would look cool. As a soft rule, smaller items should go in smaller vases. You don’t want the items to be overwhelmed.

1. Ribbon

2. Pinecones

3. Lemons or other fruit (fake lasts longest, natch)

4. Nuts in their shells

5. Letterpress letters

6. Nautical knots of rope

7. Shells

8. Vintage tree ornaments

9. Wrapped candy canes (unwrapped will leave a sticky mess)

10. Handfuls of sparkly costume jewelry

11. Postcards from friends

12. School photos (include mom and dad’s old ones too)

13. Bingo balls

14. Spools of thread

15. Dried corn husks

16. Shiny Christmas balls

18. Miniature pumpkins

19. Vintage wooden rulers

20. Collection of vintage watches

21. Old typewriter keys

22. Rattan balls, woven balls, stick balls

23. Cinnamon sticks

24. Love letters from your honey (with discretion!)

25. Antique silverware

26. Arrowheads

27. Pages from vintage books (some are already falling apart at many used book stores)

28. Origami cranes or other small scale origami

29. Vintage toy cars, trains, or airplanes

30. Jingle bells

31. Feathers (bigger graphic ones like peacock or turkey look best)

32. Shafts of wheat

33. Pretty soaps (wrapped or not)

34. Sand (top should not be level)

35. Polish hand-painted eggs

36. Concert stubs

37. Pencils

38. Evergreen branches (fake or real)

39. Sticks and moss

40. Paper or silk fans (try Chinatown)

41. Scraps of vintage lace

42. Fur (if you’re into that, but I’d advise vintage only)

43. Wine corks

44. Your grandma’s old glove collection

45. “Memory Jars” for each child – small momentos and polaroids

46. Sprigs of holly or mistletoe

47. Old clothespins

48. Dry autumn leaves

49. River rocks or lava rocks

50. Cocktail umbrellas