Classy Beer Bottle Centerpiece

Yes, you read that right, folks.  "Classy" and "beer bottles" rarely go together, however, in this case I think I'm right.  Why?  Because, I said so.

After hanging out on Pinterest and seeing a bunch of fun cut bottle projects, I bought myself a bottle cutter for Christmas, thinking it would be the gift that keeps on giving (making things and emptying alcohol bottles).  I got the Generation Green g2 Bottle Cutter, I think I paid around $20.  I read the directions, twice, and rummaged through my empty liquor bottle collection (which is embarrassingly extensive).  Removing the labels and top off of my Smirnoff bottle took forever, so I was hoping this would be the hardest part.  Wrong.  After using the little gizmo to score around the bottle, I dipped it in boiling water and then in ice water, per the directions.  Nothing.  Tried again.  Nada.  Re-read the directions and it said to try the boil/ice dip 5 times, leaving the bottle submerged for 5 seconds.  I dipped it for 30, and finally got a break.  However, it wasn't a nice, clean cut.  It was something that you would use in a seedy bar to stab the dude you caught trying to slip roofies into your drink.  Not classy.  I tried again with a Kahlua bottle.  Same miserable result.  I didn't get any pictures, but it appears that this lady at Craft Test Dummies had the same results.  Trying not to get discouraged, I decided to try one more time on a beer bottle.  They are made out of thinner glass than liquor bottles, so I thought it might be easier to get a clean cut.  BOOM!  Success!  I was able to get 5 out of 6 bottles cleanly cut.  Which gives me 5 cute little juice (or something on the rocks) glasses.

 
Now, I have 5 bottle tops to deal with.  I decided to make a little candle holder/centerpiece for the outside table. 

5 bottle tops and a piece of driftwood

 I traced the bottom of the bottle and a tea light on to the drift wood, as the bottles need to be raised up a little bit so the candles get enough air to stay lit, but not so much to blow out.

Authentic beach tumbled tile pieces.  Collected and hoarded, by yours truly.

Glued the tile to the wood using a silicone tile adhesive, being careful to leave room for the tea light and also overlapping where the bottles would rest.

Done, and you can barely see Helper Cat under the table.

Classy, no?

I'm going to try the bottle cutter again on thicker glass, now that I've gained some confidence in the gizmo.  Hopefully I'll be able to showcase some more classy, crafty, recycled projects soon.  Better get drinking!  Glug, glug, glug.

Thanks for stopping by!

Bright Paint, Big Words

I'm not usually a fan of "word art".  You know, the crap some people put on their walls to remind them to "dream", or my favorite, "live, laugh, love"?  I figure if you need a reminder of those things, you've got bigger problems.  I made an exception to my rule for this project.  Not only because it required me to go to the beach and collect driftwood, but because I also got to use fun, bright paint.

I collected a pile of driftwood and then proceeded to go to the grocery store, where the man that loads the groceries into your car asks me, "que paso" with all of the wood.  I told him I was building a new house for my hombre.  Giggles all around.

The day I started this project was super rainy and humid.  The wood was SOGGY.  So I popped it in the oven on low for about 10 minutes to dry it out.

Mom, what are we having for dinner?

Out of the oven and a base coat of plain white paint to seal some of the furry parts so I would have a smooth surface to do the lettering.

Don't mind the soft porn in the newspaper.  Breaks up the corruption, moped accidents and stabbings.

I painted all of the pieces a different color and threw them back in oven.  I have no patience when it comes to watching paint dry.

I free-handed all of the letters, but you could easily use a stencil or trace a font.  It took a couple of coats to get good coverage on the lettering.

I think they turned out great and I think I'll make some more!  After all, I could always use a reminder to do the things I already do ;)