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

Light 'er up!

I love making new things from old stuff!

Thanksgiving is over, and now we all start thinking about Christmas. Well, those of us who love to make our gifts and decorations better get busy, if you haven't already.  Here's a project that anyone can do, even kids, if they are old enough to hit a nail with a hammer, and not their fingers.

For that 'country' Christmas feel, it's nice to use everyday items instead of buying expensive decorations. And you get the satisfaction of recycling and making something yourself. Like this one...

Project of the day:

Tin Can Luminaries

You will need:
~empty (clean) tin cans (any size will work)
~hammer
~large nail with a large head (easier to hit, and makes bigger holes)
~towel

This project needs a couple of days preparation. You will need to start collecting your empty tin cans (not aluminum pop cans), of course. I found some canned corn that comes in a can that has gold colored metal on the inside. This makes the candle really glow. The cans can be any size, large chili cans down to small tomato paste cans and everything in between.

Then when you have several empty cans and they are washed thoroughly, and the labels have been taken off...you need to fill them with water to about 1" from the top. Put these in your freezer overnight until frozen solid. It is a good idea to put several in the freezer at the same time. That way you can alternate the hammering part. I'll explain that later...

After the water has frozen in the can, take it out and lay it on a bunched up towel. You want to make a 'nest' for the can, so it does not roll away as you hammer. It can be slippery. Also the towel will absorb any melting water. Don't do this project on your lovely glass top coffee table, or your bouncy couch. A hard surface is best.

You can make a pattern or just random holes. Random is best, don't be too fussy.
Keep in mind that the candle's light will show through these nail holes. So you don't want to just dent the can, you want to puncture the metal, and punch into the ice.  Older kids (especially boys) love this project because they can hammer, hammer, hammer away. It would be nice to send them outside if the weather permits.

The ice inside will keep the can from caving in when you bang on it. But after a little while, you will find the ice starts to melt (on the larger cans), so put this can back in the freezer and take out another one, and start hammering again.  If you get tired, leave the cans in the freezer for another time.

You will keep making holes all around the can, starting at the top and working downward. Now keep in mind, if you plan on using real candles, don't puncture holes too close to the bottom of the can. You don't want any wax oozing out. But on the other hand, you don't want a row of holes around the top only, you will not be able to see the candlelight at the bottom very well. Especially if you are using tall cans.
When you are done, leave the cans in the sink or bathtub so the rest of the ice can melt.

You can line your walk with these luminaries, and since they are metal, you can use real candles if you wish.  You can also make a nice centerpiece for your table, but if you do, I would use battery powered fake candles. The Dollar store sells them, as well as most other places now. They won't heat up the can, the table surface, or leave wax anywhere.

tip of the day:
IF you have a  paper shredder at home, which more and more people do have, start saving all those little paper pieces. AND throw in some green and red papers (construction paper, magazine ads, etc.) for some festive colors.  You can use these in your Christmas gift wrapping. Even if the item is not fragile, it looks much more special when surrounded with 'frou-frou' papers.  You are renewing and reusing. These are also great if you have to mail gifts to those far away friends and family. Pack them in your shreddings~and keep recycling!

That's all for today!
Dee