wine bottle gift bag

I have some great sewing buddies who pass on fabric. And I love to figure out ways to recycle it. I got a particularly fun batch of fabric samples that used to be attached to a large sample book.     

                                                                       They have two grommets in the tops and all four sides were serged and finished.  I figured out that the height was a perfect size to fit a wine bottle in. But what about those grommets... so what I did was use them to put a ribbon through to close up the gift bag around the neck of the bottle.  And to minimize the amount of sewing, I turned the top down, stitched a casing into which I threaded the ribbon. If you look at the photo at the right, you will see that the top part is a little different than the bottom part. That's because it's the 'inside' pattern of the fabric.

The ribbon comes out of the grommets and they give a nice finished touch to the gift bag. I also made four wine glass coasters to match the bag. So now when I go to someone's house for dinner, I can bring a bottle of wine in a gift bag that can be recycled over and over. But the coasters can be kept by the first recipient as a hostess gift.  The coasters were made by zigzagging a circle of heavier fabric. Then trimming away the outside close to the zigzag edge.

 

If you don't have access to fabric samples, but have some fabric that would make a nice bag, you can still make some simple cloth wine bottle gift bags very quickly and easily.

Measure the fabric 18" X 13", and a length of ribbon about 24" long. (The ribbon in this picture was a little too short, it was 18" and I couldn't tie a bow with it when I finished. So I would rather have a longer piece) Fold the top down 3" toward the wrong side. Fold the ribbon in half and tuck it inside with the folded end extending out a little bit.

Sew up the bottom and up the long side, catching the ribbon into the seam. You don't even have to hem the top down. Because it will be hidden inside. Turn the bag right side out. Put your wine bottle in, take the ribbon ends, wrap around the bottle and tie. And tell your hostess that she could pass on the gift bag to THEIR next dinner party hostess.

tip of the day: I have an ivy plant which is getting a bit leggy. So I took a wire clothes hanger, curved it into a circle, straightened out the hook and stuck it in the middle of the pot. Then I wound the ivy around the circle to create a faux topiary.

That's all for now...

Dee

bottle gift bag

I was given a bag full of fabric samples, and each one had two grommets in them. So I put my brain to work, and came up with today's project of recycled fabric...
This can be used with wine bottles, olive oil, or flavored vinegars. It's a great hostess gift

Wine Bottle gift bag
you will need:
fabric, ribbon (about 18"), sewing machine or hand stitching

The sample was the perfect size for a wine bottle. But you could use these for olive oil or flavored vinegar, etc.  But the problem was that the grommets were too close to the top.  So I folded down the top and stitched the bottom edge. Also I stitched 1 inch above this to form a casing to put the ribbon through.

Then turn it inside out, and stitch along the side and bottom. Turn inside out and then take a ribbon, add a safety pin onto the end, and feed it through one of the grommets until you come to the second grommet and come out. Pull ribbon through until the ends meet.

When you go to a friend's for dinner, or for a special occasion, put a nice bottle of wine in here, tie ribbon tightly with a bow, and surprise your hosts with a wonderful, REUSABLE, bag. Or when you go to BYOB gathering, you can transport your wine in style. White, chilled wine will stay cooler longer and as it 'sweats' the bag will help with that.

(IF you don't have samples with grommets, you can use a piece of fabric, cut 15" x 13". Fold down the top, double and stitch a nice clean edge. Fold 'right sides in' and catch a ribbon, that has been folded in half, as you sew the side seam so when you turn it inside out, the ribbon will stick out and you can tie it up that way.)

today's tip is:
keeping a package of floss in your purse can come in very handy. Not only can you keep your teeth clean after meals out, but I have needed a string to tie something with in a pinch, and floss is strong and handy.

That's all for now...
Dee

Wind Chimes

I bought a bottle cutter on Ebay last year. And I've been having fun using it. I make glasses out of beer bottles, windchimes, candle holders.
It brings back memories of my teenage years back in the 70's. I had the exact same cutter and made lots of things back in the day of hippie/recycling/macrame/candles. But this time when I bought it on Ebay, it cost $50.00! yikes. I wish I would have kept my old one (along with my original Barbie doll in her zebra bathing suit).

My first entrepreneurial venture was making candles and macarame hangers & wooden candle sticks. My dad let me use his lathe, and from a 4x4" block of wood I turned it (literally) into a candle holder. He was always instructing me on the 'safe' use of his tools, and he never thought I was not capable of using them. I used a band saw at 16 years old. And still have one today.

I would schlepp my goods to the 'head' shops around town and sell my stuff. Now that was 40 years ago and I'm still making stuff and hauling it around selling it. Now it's in my local shops or craft fairs.  We creative folk are like sharks, we gotta make stuff or we die!
I am so happy that I grew up in a home that hand made things were treasured.

So if you have a bottle cutter, this project is for you. If not, try a technique I heard of using a wire wrapped tightly around the bottle and heat it and cool it. You would turn the bottle over a candle flame, then rub it over an ice cube. Repeat process until it cracks. Then use a rough sand paper grade under running water until the edges are smooth.

Today's project is:

Bottle Windchimes

left one is a wine bottle, right one are two beer bottles.  You need a chain, keyrings, and beads.  There is key ring inside the bottle to stop the chain from sliding all the way up. And then a keyring on the bottom of the chain (which you can get a hardware store) to hang the 'clinking' stuff.  I used a shower curtain/metal ring on the beer bottle one. And for the wine bottle one, I used glass beads and a piece of fused glass the clanging parts.

I was kind of experimenting and the windchimes I see have all kinds of stuff hanging from them. Use cord and shells, or beads and metal pieces like washers. The hardware store has loads of fun stuff to use.
I made chimes using a wooden dowel with stuff hanging off of it. Be creative, even if you don't use a bottle, you can just hang a bunch of stuff that will clink together.
The main thing is, that you are creating! Remember, you can't mess up, have fun!

tip of the day:
summer time has bugs, but this tip came from a landscape artist friend. (I'm not sure if I've used this before, so excuse me if I did)  She suggested that using 'bounce' fabric softener sheets tucked into the cushions of your outdoor furniture helps keep the skeeters away.  It's worth a try. If nothing else, it will make your stuff smell fresh! Hey, stick one down your cleevage, and hopefully the bugs won't follow! :)

That's all for now...
Dee

Wine Bottle Vases

We had an awesome party to celebrate the twins' 30th birthday last month.
We had great food and wine. And with wine, of course, comes wine bottles.
So with this great collection of different shapes and shades of wine bottles left over, I made some great stone vases.  And, of course, we are recycling...
today's project is:


bottles using a flash

 Wine Bottle Vases

You will need:
~an empty wine bottle, with the labels removed
~Granite/Stone textured spray paint
~Painter's tape
~scissors

natural light through the bottles


To get the labels
off, you can put them
in an oven on low heat.
Most glues will come off with heat. Afterward, you might want to use GooGone to get any residue off.

I put my bottles in a pot of boiling water to loosen the glue. It worked pretty well. I put water inside of them, so they would not float.
Still had to use a straight edge razor blade to scrape off some pesky pieces.

Then you will need to 'mask' off a design with the painter's tape (which is blue and easily removed, unlike regular masking tape which can be toooooo sticky).

Take scissors and cut shapes (or use strips if you want stripes) and place on the clean bottle. Remember these masked shapes will show the bottle color through.

I found the lighter green bottles were a bit nicer, because they let the light show through better.

You can find the Stone spray paint at the hardware store. I used the brown color on three of them, and a white color on one.  The brown color looks more natural, more grainy------->

After you have the bottle taped off, take it outside and spray. This will take a few coats, with 20 min. in between drying time. To spray this stuff, you have to 'spritz' it on a little bit at a time, moving around the bottle.  One thing I found, especially with the darker color, is that if it goes on too thick, you can't see the blue tape under it, and that makes it difficult to peel off later. Because you can't see the tape. So don't put more than 3 coats on.

After it has dried, peel off the tape pieces carefully. The paint will chip off if you pick at it. So no unnecessary scratching.
I used silk flowers in them, but fresh baby's breath or big sunflowers would be stunning in these as well.

tip of the day:
Sometimes I use a recipe that calls for just a bit of lemon or lime zest. And then I have the rest of it leftover. Now, I cut it up into slices, and put them in an ice cube tray, fill up with water and freeze. So when I need an ice cube for water or ice tea or a special drink, I can have ice and a citrus slice all in one.  This is great for punches too. (you can find ice cube trays at resale shops, cheap. Handy to have for lots of stuff).

That's all for this week...
:D

Art in the Orchard

Not only do I love making new stuff from old things,but I love selling them even more!

The last weekend of August I spent a wonderful two days with my daughter Dana in the middle of an apple orchard.
We were selling our creations at the El Dorado County Artists sponsored: Art in the Orchard.

In the middle of this beautiful apple orchard, there were artists of all kinds. Fine art, crafts, handmade goodies galore. Along with live music, food, and fun events for kids, we had a great two days.

Dana made hats, bags, and wallets, as well as her fine art set up on apple crates  I had Betsy's (Dana's twin sister) prints and cards as well.

Besides these awesome creations, I had my own recycled aluminum can jewelry, and fused glass stuff. I also made some recycled beer bottle glasses, as well as recycled fabric bags and tins.

The weather was hot, the company was exceptional and the scenery was beautiful. All who came had a fun time, and we enjoyed each and every person who stopped by to chat, shop and enjoy our wares.

For a sneak peek at the kids' stuff check out their websites:
dana@danabetsy.com  and betsy@danabetsy.com  and of course mine: http://www.arttowearbydee.etsy.com/

Tip of the day:

I use a carabiner (that I took off my metal water bottle)  to secure my keys onto the outside of my purse. I got tired of hunting for my car keys at the bottom of the abyss, so now I attach them to the outside of my purse, and can lock the car, and unlock it, while the keys are dangling on the outside of my bag. And I find them in a snap.
It's so much faster and easier, and I'm much happier. :)

That's all for now!

Dee