Bottle Vases

Today I'm posting a super simple craft. First of all, let me tell you that I love glass bottles/jars. When I was younger I would always save glass bottles and display them in my room. They were usually Stewart's soda bottles or Clearly Canadian sparkling flavored water (remember that stuff?) I would also save glass jars and store crayons, candy, and buttons for display purposes. Cory makes fun of me because I would buy almost anything if it were in a mason jar. Sometimes I have to turn my head at Cracker Barrel to avoid seeing all the beautiful mason jars filled with candy. Below is a picture of a jar from my great grandmother's house. I'm not sure how old it is but my mom gave it to me a while back. I also really like this coke bottle they sold a few Christmases ago. It was modeled after the first coke bottle.

Ok, so now you know my love of glass bottles. I don't save every bottle I see now, but I still appreciate their simple beauty. One bottle I really like the shape of holds one of my favorite drinks: Frappuccinos! I know this sounds silly but every time I threw a bottle away it would make me sad to see it go. I had to think of a way to keep a few bottles around and for them to be functional. Functionality is one of my main goals in making crafts.

I finally found a solution when I opened my Martha Stewart magazine (this was when I was still in college). She had a craft where she painted glass with enamel paint so that water wouldn't damage it. So this brings me to today's craft.....Here's what you need.

Yummy Frappuccino bottles. Or any glass bottle, really.

And enamel paint. I got this at Hobby Lobby for about $2.

First you'll need to empty the contents of the bottle and peel off any labels. If the label leaves a sticky residue then you can always use Goof Off to get it off. Make sure the inside of the bottle has been rinsed out too.

Now squeeze some paint into the bottle.

A little paint goes a long way. After a few squirts start turning the bottle around to coat the inside.

After you've coated the inside turn the bottle upside down and place on either a paper plate or aluminum foil. You'll be surprised how much paint will run out of it.

After it dries, you can use your bottle as a vase or just for a pretty decoration. The cool thing about painting the inside of the bottle is that it looks like the bottle was made that color. It really has a cool effect and still has a glass shine. If you have a tinted bottle to begin with (like my great grandmother's jar) you can just put white paint in it. It just makes the glass look opaque.

On a side note, another really pretty bottle to use as a vase to hold pink flowers is an Arizona Green Tea bottle. Isn't it lovely? I think it has a "shabby chic" look to it and would be pretty at a picnic or barbecue.