Posts Tagged ‘recycled’
DIY Water Carafe from Wine Bottle
What I thought was just a week or two has turned into a month! I promised a tutorial on this, um, a month ago? Sorry about that. To quote the great Alan Parsons Project, “Time keeps on slippin’ (slippin’) into the future…”
I wanted to make some cool upcycled (recycled) wine bottle glasses for some gifts. So I started hoarding collecting our wine bottles specifically for the project. After lots of You Tube viewing on cutting wine bottles, and a failure to purchase or make a glass bottle cutter, I decided to switch gears and try something else… etched glass.
Continue reading…
Tags: crafting, crafts, gifts, home, recycled, wine, wine bottle
Making a Magnetic Pin Holder
More decoupaging. This Altoids mint tin was stashed in a box waiting for its next life. Yeah, yeah, on the brink of hoarding here, but I LOVE recycling, or upcycling. Maybe this could hold some paper clips, safety pins, or thumbtacks if you’re not into sewing.
Here’s what I did to make this fun little box. I took an old refrigerator magnet (an out-of-date freebie sheet magnet), cut it to size and stuck it on the tin.
I dug up some scrap fabric and traced around the lid. Then I just cut around my traced line to make sure the fabric would completely cover the lid.
I lightly brushed Mod Podge on the top of the lid and flattened out the fabric. When the lid was dry I decoupaged two opposite sides down to cover the entire lid… like pick the front and back, or the other two sides. It’s the corners that demand your attention. I treated the corners like I would wrapping a gift box lid – nice, neat hospital corners. Then I “Mod Podge-d” the heck out them so they’d stay down.
Used my sharpest craft blade (X-Acto knife) and trimmed around the lid when everything was dry. I let it dry for 24 hours (Mod Podge paranoia). Tip: Take your time with the cutting and trimming part. Mod Podge gets all crispy and tough to cut through. PLEASE be careful.
And here it is! My own little magnetic pin holder.
Look! The pins stick to the top!
Those are a couple of my other pin holders. Vintage, eh? I’m so looking forward to having the magnetic one next to my sewing machine… pins won’t get away from me so easily now. Maybe this means I have sewing projects coming up?? *grin*
Making Bottle Cap Magnets: a Mini-Tutorial
Last week my daughter and I were having fun on Election Night. Here’s the long version of what we were up to. I only call this a mini-tutorial because there’s not a whole lot of science that goes into this. You can make all sorts of miniature art using regular bottle caps… clearly, you can see how much we’ve been holding onto. Stores carry blank bottle caps and bottle cap kits for art and jewelry, too. We gathered all sorts of supplies like sequins, confetti, rhinestones, glitter, scraps of cardstock and patterned paper, newspaper, glue, Mod Podge and magnets.
Just glue and stick your doo-dads… recycle cards, even newspaper ads! They all start to look like potential mini-magnets. (It’s probably easier cutting out circles with a round punch, but I went old school and used my engineering compass.)
While your art is drying, it’s a good idea to weigh them down if the paper starts curling up. Just use a little plastic wrap and coins or, if you’re nerdy like me, little scale weights.
We let our bottle caps dry overnight, then added some Mod Podge dimensional magic to get them glossy and pretty. Glue your magnets and you’re done! You could package a little set as a gift or party favor… I really like this tutorial on glass magnets for packaging.
Tags: bottle cap art, bottle caps, crafting, crafts, fun, kids, recycled
DIY Decoupage Beer Label Coasters Tutorial
These are fancy looking, but oh so easy to do with some simple materials. Again, I feel like I need to mention that there are lots of decoupage coaster tutorials out there. All are very searchable, and use everything from color copied photos, scrapbook paper, scrap fabric, wine bottle labels… my coasters use local beer labels. Great gift idea for a host, or that beverage aficionado in your life!
You need:
- Water
- Tub or mixing bowl large enough to submerge your bottles
- 4″ x 4″ Stone tiles (found at your home improvement store in the flooring section)
- Foam Brush
- Mod Podge, or some acrylic decoupage medium
- Felt (adhesive-backed)
- Optional (but useful): Safety pin or dressmaker pin, plastic card (i.e. used gift card), very fine sandpaper, clear acrylic spray
**OH, when you’re looking at the tiles, check them for chips and dings before you purchase. People pick through them!**
First, you’ll want to remove your labels. I filled our empty beer bottles with water, then submerged the bottles in hot/warm water in a large mixing bowl. Actually, I left it overnight, and in the morning, the labels were super easy to remove. No rips, no shredding. Lay your labels down to dry. (Now go put your glass bottles in the recycling bin…)
Prep your stone tiles by wiping down with a damp towel. They get pretty dusty at the home improvement store. Assuming your labels are dry… use your foam brush and apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to your tiles, nice and easy. Place your labels where you want them, and then press them down firmly.
You’ll get tiny air bubbles, air pockets, because stone tiles are bumpy and porous. Just work out the bubbles gently with your fingers (or plastic card) from the middle of the tile and outward. This is also when you might find a pin handy. I would gently poke the air bubble then push the air out with my finger. Let the tiles dry for about 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, check your tiles. They will feel tacky, but you can touch them. Add another coat of Mod Podge, and work out the air bubbles, and let dry. Repeat two or three more times. I painted five layers, each time working out any air bubbles with a pin.
Let your tiles dry completely overnight, or 24 hours. If you don’t like the tacky feeling, which I don’t, you can “wet sand” your tiles with very fine sandpaper. I wet a small piece of sandpaper and just went over the tiles. Your decoupaged skin won’t be messed up at all… it will become smooth. Skip the sanding (or not), then just seal with clear acrylic spray, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Lastly, cut 3-1/2″ x 3-1/2″ felt squares and glue under the tiles, or if it is adhesive-backed, just press into place.
Tags: beer, beer label, Christmas, coaster, coasters, crafting, crafts, decoupage, diy, gifts, holiday, Mod Podge, recycled, tile, tiles, tutorials
Wordless Wednesday: Bottle Cap Magnets
Mini-tutorial coming soon…
Collection of Bottle Caps for Crafting
Use magazine or newspaper cut outs for Bottle Cap Magnets
Bottle Cap Magnets: Decoupage medium drying
Election Night Crafting results
Tags: bottle cap art, bottle caps, crafting, crafts, fun, gifts, kids, magnet, magnets, recycled
Halfway through May: Super Moon, Crafting, Teacher Appreciation
May started with a great Super Moon
Hello, friends. I know I say this all the time – where do the days go?! Seriously, here we are in the middle of May, and it’s been forever since I’ve blogged. Thanks for staying connected with me on Facebook and Twitter. It’s truly appreciated. Those outlets have helped me stay in touch when I’ve come up for air.
Soccer and t-ball practices, class projects, teacher appreciation week, baptism, communions, weddings… Spring is in full swing.
First T-ball practice: my son and his friends from preschool
My daughter's class project - California on a shoebox float
A shoebox float with fringed party streamer
Teacher Appreciation Gift idea: notes in a giant "pill box"
Been busy with envelope calligraphy
Daughter and I are addicted to making bows
The perfect gifts on Mother's Day: handmade with love
More Resources
More Teacher Appreciation ideas
Paper Bows, and more Paper Bows
Tags: gifts, paper, recycled, recycled paper, teacher gift
