DIY

Gradient Vase from a Bottle

Hello World,

My favorite craft projects involve repurposed materials. I previously showed two techniques for sprucing up vases with spray paint. Check them out here.

Last summer I found a tutorial for cutting bottles with yarn, nail polish remover, and a lighter- and failed miserably. I blogged about my Pinterest fail, and asked for suggestions to succeed next time around. I decided to give the technique another try, and actually succeeded this time!

Check out how to make your own gradient vase below:

1. Gather your supplies: spray paint and a bottle. If you want to try cutting your vase you also will need: nail polish remover, yarn, sandpaper, and a lighter.

2. Remove all labels from your bottle.

3. Wash your bottle. If you have sticker residue, let the bottle soak in sudsy hot water. Load a scrubby with soap and then have at the sticker residue. Dry your bottle.

4. If you want to cut the top of your bottle check out this tutorial. From my experience, I rotated my bottle more quickly, and for more than 30 seconds. Dull down the sharp edges with sand paper. If you don’t want to risk accidentally lighting anything on fire, skip this step.

5. In a ventilated area, spray paint your bottle. For a gradient effect, spray more towards the bottle, and quickly work your way up the bottle.

6. Allow to dry. In my last photo, I placed the top of the bottle upside down inside the vase portion to help hold my fake flower stems in place.

Ladder Fringe Necklace

Hello World,

I love a good necklace. You can wear them layered with a scarf, or by themselves to spruce up an outfit. Check out the tutorial below to see how to make your own bohemian necklace:

1. Gather your supplies: pliers, beading pins, beads, jump rings, and chain.

2. I didn’t have eye pins in my stash, so I instead made my own by bending the pin around the tip of a pair of pliers.

3. I then trimmed the flat head tip off the pin, and added my beads onto this end.

4. After adding all my beads onto a pin, I bent the other end into a loop, securing the beads.

5. Instead of closing the chain like a traditional necklace, instead line up your beads pins with each tail end of your chain.

6. Attach your beaded pins to the chain with jump rings using your pliers.

7. Create your bead fringes by adding beads onto flathead pins.

8. Attach your bead fringes to the end of your necklace with jump rings.

This is my first version. I want to create another with turquoise beads, longer pins, and a tapering fringe. (similar to my Darby Smart necklace)

Happy Crafting!

Repurposed Candle Jars

Hello World,

I’ll admit it. I have a candle problem. Whenever Bath and Body Works has their large 3-wick candles on sale, I can’t help but at least buy two. (And I stack the sale with a coupon, so the savings are even greater.) With that said, I have quite a collection of empty candle jars. I can’t just throw them away, so here is a project to repurpose them into a glitter colorblock vase:

1. Gather your supplies: a burnt out candle, glitter, Mod Podge, painter’s tape, a paint or foam brush, rhinestones, and glue (not pictured).

2. Either melt the candle on a candle warmer or in a saucepan full of simmering water. You also could pop out the wax with a spoon. Pour the melted wax into an unwanted plastic/glass container.

3. Remove all labels and tape off part of your jar with painter’s tape. Rub down any edges to avoid your Mod Podge bleeding through.

4. Cover your jar with your first layer of Mod Podge.

5. Pour glitter all that baby. Place a paper or mat on your work surface so you can later pour your leftover glitter back into its container.

6. Allow to set for a few minutes and repeat with a second layer of Mod Podge and glitter.

7. Allow to dry completely and remove your painter’s tape.

8. If you have messy edges, just scratch off the imperfections with your fingernail. Super or hot glue rhinestones onto your jar.

9. Fill your sparkly vase with fake/fresh flowers, twigs, pens, makeup brushes, etc.

Do you have a candle problem too? Check out this other tutorial to repurpose candle jars and this tutorial for using the leftover wax.

After covering the candle jar with glitter, I got a little excited and started glittering other items. I bought these candle sticks at a thrift store and planned on using them for another tiered jewelry display, but instead spray painted and added glitter to them.

Happy Crafting!