Wine Bottle To Flower Vase Project

If you ever find yourself in a creative rut, then you might want to look and see what products are available to use.

Plaid online has this moto on their home page; “Plaid Crafts is your source for creative products, education, and inspiration.” This was enough to entice me to check out and see what was available and once again find inspiration for my next bottle craft project.

Plaid Crafts Homepage

From the many different types of paints to the brushes you will use to apply them, Plaid Crafts has everything that you could imagine. I’ve never really worked with this medium before and it was a little bit overwhelming at first. Paints broke down into; Multi-Surface, Enamel, Chalk, Frosted Glass, numerous glitters and then of course everyone’s favorite – Mod Podge. I soon came to learn that Mod Podge had a variation as well; Extreme Glitter!

Paint Brushes for every occasion. The brushes that are labeled “Best for Glass & Fabric” looked like the perfect fit for the projects that I had in mind. This pack included; Flat brushes, Scruffy brushes, and Liner brushes. Another paint brush set that was made for Glass & Ceramic surfaces came with six varieties including; Wash, Flat, Angle Shader, Filbert, Round, and Liner. Behind each name was a visual picture that helped me make the connection to what it was that they actually did (I have a lot to learn).

Glass and Ceramic Brushes

On top of the brushes also came the Detail Painter. These pencil shaped tools will come in handy when your applying the paint to the stencils. By minimizing the bleeding that can occur while your painting, the blunt edge actually pushes the stencil down to the surface to avoid the paint from going underneath. Once again, I didn’t even know these existed!

Detail Painter

Peel and Stick painting stencils. The endless fonts, wordage, and designs will have you feeling like a kid in a candy store. The ‘Happy Words’ and ‘Wanderlust’ sets got my eye right away. Whatever the occasion or season, you will find these reusable stencils to come in very handy for your craft piece.

Peel and Stick Stencils

Let’s start simple. I really don’t know where to start at this point so I’m going to try something that looks and feels pretty straight forward. Armed with the Mod Podge Extreme Glitter (a teenage girls dream come true) and one of the Flat nylon brushes, I’m going to transform an ordinary bottle glass vase in an extraordinary flower vase.

With the bottle scored, separated and sanded, it is now ready to begin the painting process. It might be wrong to call Mod Podge a paint but it always goes on looking like a primer so I’ve always called it that. A nice even coat over the whole bottle will not only preserve the label but also give the whole vase the glitter appearance.

Click on our how to video below:

The end result. I was very pleased with the final project. The additional step of applying the sealer and allowing it to dry properly was minimal and it showed really well with with only one coat. Adding another layer would have been easy to do but I was after a more subtle look. Not too glittery but enough to give the shimmery appearance. Mission accomplished!

This was just the beginning. There are more paints, more brushes, and I haven’t even gotten to the stencils yet! Let’s call this what it is; me dipping my toe in bottle glass painting. I will post more projects as they are completed.

Plaid Folkart

I would like to thank Shauna from Plaid Enterprises for all her help and generosity. For more information about the company and products they sell visit them on;

Facebook – Inspired by Plaid

Instagram – Plaid Crafts

YouTube – Plaid Crafts

If you’re feeling inspired then please share in the comments below. Do you have a project in mind? Drop us a line!

Workman’s Friend Superior Barrier Skin Cream Review

Workman's Friend

Are you rolling up your sleeves and getting ready to delve into your next messy project?

Before you get too far into it, let me tell you about a time saving tool that you’ll want to have in your tool box from now on. We were lucky enough to score some samples of a new product called “Workman’s Friend”. This time saving applicant will help with your cleanup at the end of your project.

Application and use in three easy steps!

Workmans Friend Instructions

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Benjamin Franklin had it right all along. While I was opening this up I couldn’t help but recall all the messy jobs that I’ve tackled over the years and how handy this would have been. Images of the Machine shop instantly popped into my head where you knew going into a project that you were going to come out a big greasy mess. Afterwards you would stand in the wash area with a pumice soap and warm water trying to clean yourself up. After removing 10 layers of your skin you felt confident enough to handle the food you were about to eat. It’s easy to recall the smell of that soap even today!

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

Workman’s Friend Barrier Skin Cream is odorless, non-toxic, and safe for all skin types.  My machine shop days are behind me but I still find myself involved in some messy projects around the house. From painting to landscaping, there really is no end to the amount of dirt and grime I’m able to get myself into. One thing that I always seem to be doing is painting. This isn’t just one of the gems you get from owning a home but also all of the DIY projects that I do as well. This chore will now seem less intrusive once I’ve taken the time to do a little preventative care with my hands.

Putting it to the test. I had an opportunity to give my new skin cream a try on a little project that involved painting the outer edge of a walk way. Using a cement paint and highlighting the area so that when people came out of the building they would see the edge to prevent miss-stepping off from it. This isn’t ordinary paint and most of the tools that I used to put it on the surface were going to be disposed of once the job was completed. My hands were not disposable and so this made perfect sense to give the product a good test run. I used one of the small packets that contain .11 fluid ounces. This was an adequate amount to cover my hands thoroughly. Once I had it rubbed on I set out to work. There was no oily feeling like some hand lotions leave and this was definitely a plus for me being able to handle the paint brush rollers.

No matter how hard I try to at least keep some resemblance of control for these projects I still manage to get paint on myself. My oops rag was used more than once and even by-passed for a quick touch with my finger to prevent a run over. By keeping the project moving because the paint was developing a skin on it even while I was painting, I never really had time to clean up after myself during the application process. Once the painting was completed I finished up with cleaning the brushes and casually wiped my hands off so I could drive home and do a more thorough cleaning. When I got to the sink to wash my hands it seemed a little strange that there really wasn’t that much paint on my hands. The casual swipe that I had taken with my painting rag had removed the excess paint with minimal effort.

Workman's Friend Skin Cream Products

I really thought that I had gotten off easy with this project until I realized that I had missed a spot on the back side of  my arm. No skin cream had been applied to this area and it was then that I understood just how reliable the Workman’s Friend really was. It wasn’t as dramatic as the shop days but there was a definite difference between the areas when it came to clean up.


End result. For a minimal amount of time that it takes to apply the skin cream it made up for all the extra time that you will spend cleaning up afterwards. I was really impressed with how well this product worked and it now has a permanent home in my tool box and work area. Now if they could only make something for my clothes!

 

 

How To Make Bottle Lamps At Home

bottle lamp psychology

The most rewarding and important type of learning is through experience, creating something with our own hands.

I have put together several articles and numerous videos explaining the bottle lamp making process. If you are looking for those instructions then you can visit our post titled; Turn a Jack Daniels Bottle into a Lamp. Today I wanted to delve into why you benefit from making a bottle lamp at home.

Stoppers for your bottle lamp

What really makes creating something at home more rewarding as opposed to simply purchasing an item is the sense of accomplishment that you get when the project is completed. Whether you’re re-painting a room or decorating you always have the satisfaction of knowing that you were able to see the endeavor through to the end. I get the same satisfaction from mowing the lawn. Simple, easy to do but sitting up on the deck and looking at this small accomplishment is almost the equivalent of getting an ‘atta boy‘ from a colleague. “You did it“, “You made it“, job well done.

If you really want to get the most enjoyment out of making a bottle lamp at home then you should try including someone else in your artwork. If it’s your kids, spouse, or friend, having something tangible to show at the end of your collaboration will undoubtedly be one of the most rewarding things you will have. It isn’t too hard to imagine a conversation that starts out; “Hey remember that time we made that bottle lamp together . . . . .

fun DIY projects for your home

That moment is never lost or forgotten. You will remember it with more clarity than purchased gifts exchanged at a party. In the end which one holds the most value will easily be determined.

Now that you have your sense of accomplishment and a memorable moment in check let’s look a little deeper at what’s happening on a more subconscious level.

Accomplishments and know-how can’t be handed out or downloaded into someone’s brain like they are for the characters in The Matrix. They must be earned through individual effort. It is the endeavor that generates a sense of pride and inward esteem.

Courtesy of Richard E. Cytowic, M.D., M.F.A., Psychology Today

Building on your ‘sense of accomplishment’ as now laid out the foundation for a new level of things that you can achieve. Those hungry little endorphin are always looking for more of that feel good that you have just accomplished and will likely open up the idea that you will feel empowered to move onto something bigger or more elaborate.

It was that small building block that moved us toward larger goals and achievements. Just because I’ve wired a bottle lamp doesn’t mean I’m going to rewire our house anytime soon. My ambitions are always geared up but will remain in check.

If you can relate then please leave a comment below. Share your experience or moment with our readers.

LED Starry String Lights

LED Starry String Lights by innotree

Highlighting areas around your home just got easier.

Warning: This is not your Dad and Mom’s Christmas light string. The fond memories of decorating for Christmas include going through strings of lights and determining which ones worked and which ones didn’t. Once you had them all sorted out you then began the lengthy process of trying to determine which bulb was the culprit to the broken lighting process. Ah the memories.

LED Starry Light String

Welcome to the new age of light strings. Today’s light strings are LED which makes them way more energy efficient then the big old electrical lines that hung around the mistletoe and they are so light weight that you can literally hang them on anything. When we got these I felt like a kid at Christmas all over again. Highlighting practically anything that you have in your home almost has a high school feel to a teenagers dream of decorating their room. Let me tell you that if this thing ran off of batteries I would have wrapped the dog in them.

Once you light string is set up, and they are illuminating your new focal point, than you get to experience the real joy of these little glowing gems.

LED Starry String Lights Headboard

The ultimate light show. Now grab the remote and start playing with all the different options. With over eight different settings to choose from you will be more than overwhelmed at the different possibilities that you can create. Some of the settings were very erratic and left me feeling like I was at a rave. Instead I settled for the more mellow feel of a slowly fading light that would rebound and come back again. It was like watching the stars at night that fade away into day over and over again. Throw on a little music and suddenly this boring little room in our home had taken on a life all it’s own.

LED Starry String Lights Mantel

Don’t stop now. I’m having way too much fun now and everything is fair game. For inspiration I headed over to Pinterest and those crazy kids had everything lit up. The book shelf was next followed by the mantel over the fire place.

LED Starry String Lights Bookshelf

After all of this and I hadn’t even gotten to the very thing that inspired this whole thing – the bottles with lights! Thinking about how I had drilled a hole into a glass bottle and threaded the huge light string through seems a like a distant memory already. The big and bulky lights have now been replaced with tiny little LED bulbs that could be fed through a hole much smaller than anything that I had needed to drill before. This particular light string was over 33 feet long! If I had managed to get them all inside the bottle it would have looked way too busy. One of the things that I had discovered while hanging light strings around the house was that they looked way better if they were hung loosely around things. It would allow the lights to look more natural rather than forced. In my opinion, the same rule should apply to DIY bottle lights as well.

LED Starry String bottle with lights

The LED Starry String Lights comes with a remote control and USB adapter. The length of the light string will allow you to cover some large areas around your home. The copper wiring is flexible enough to adhere to the shape of what you want to illuminate that it makes anything fair game. I was joking about the dog earlier. Please, leave Fido alone, but still have some fun.

Buy The LED Starry String Lights

The starry string lights, also called fairy lights, are available for only $12.99 on Amazon. Buy a couple of strings for your own home and be sure to get a couple to give away. Fairy lights will make great gifts for those hard to buy for family members and friends. You can give them away in the box they come in or incorporate them into a cool container/bottle like in the picture above.

Have you used LED string lights? Leave us a comment below.

DIY Bedside Lamp

Make your own DIY Bedside Lamp

Creating your own personalized DIY bedside lamps is easier than you think.

With a simple glass drill bit and a lamp kit you to can create your own bedside lamp. Warning – If you want to keep balance in your bedroom it is highly suggested that you plan to make two of these lamps. Of course having matching lamps on a homemade night stand on both sides of the bed will offer a more lucid look. Check out the article on the 9 benefits of DIY Furniture on our lifestyle blog.

Tips for making DIY bedside lamps

How To Make DIY Beside Lamps

Step One – Find your favorite decanter. Now remember that this will be the last thing you look at before your head hits the pillow at night. With that thought in mind, you might want to go with a lamp base a little more neutral looking than the one we used. I could have simply removed the label on the bottle in the picture and still gotten that cool blue feel. The label matched our decor so I opted to keep it. The look you hope to achieve with your own DIY bedside lamps should help you decide on your chosen design.

Step Two – Collect the tools. Here is a list of tools and supplies you will need to make your DIY bedside lamps. They are… two empty glass bottles or decanters, glass drill bits, lamp kits, lamp shades, and (optional) rubber grommets, and bottle filler. Once you’ve collected all your materials you can begin your glass bottle transformation. Check out our resources page if you need any of these supplies.

Step Three – Drill the glass bottle. Find a spot on the backside of your bottles, preferably the lower section, for your electrical cord hole. I go into more depth on drilling glass with my post ‘Tips For Drilling A Glass Bottle‘. For the purposes of this post I’ll stick to the steps needed to make the bedside lamp.

Step Four – Start the wiring process. Before you run the cord through the holes you drilled be sure to put on the rubber grommets. Once you have lamp kits wired together you can push the grommets up to the edge of the drilled glass section. This gives your DIY bedside lamps a more finished look and covers up any disparages that might have occurred during the drilling process.

Tips for making DIY beside lamps

The optional filler that was mentioned above is something that you can add to your bottles before you put the top of the lamp kits on the bottle necks. Color filler can pretty much be anything that you want, provided that you can still get it through the neck of the bottle. Adding filler will hide your electrical cord and give your lamp added stability, unlike an empty bottle, keeping it from tipping over.

Step Five – Attach your lamp shade. Matching lamp shades to the different shapes and sizes of bottles or decanters is one thing, but you will also want to match the feel and colors of the room. If your lampshades are too big then you’ll be top heavy, go too small and it will have a bowling pin look to it. Find your happy medium on size and color and you’ll be ready to put the icing on the project. Check out the article ‘How Can We Make The Ideal Lampshade For A Bottle Lamp?‘ for more tips.

Step Six – Enjoy your DIY Bottle Lamps! Not only have you created very unique, one of a kind lamps but you can also fall asleep with the satisfaction of knowing that, “Yes, I made that!

Make your own DIY Bedside Lamp

Are you hungry for more? Be sure to check out our DIY Show Off pages for more inspirational bottle crafts. With so many different types of lamps to choose from, you just might find yourself making different variations of the same bottle.

Have we inspired you to make your own DIY bedside lamps? Leave us a comment below. 

Happy Crafting!

Nick and Silke

Color Cord Company Standard Plug-In Pendant Light

DIY Bacardi Pendant Light

If you have the bottle cutting tools then the Color Cord Company has an easy to use Pendant Light Kit for you.

I have been trying to envision a bottle craft project for quite some time now and just need all the right things to fall into place so that it could come together. One of the first pendant lights that I made a few years ago involved a Bailey’s bottle and a salvaged cord from an old hanging lamp at a garage sale.

“Nick took apart the base lamp so he could feed the wires through the bottle. The next step was to drill a hole in the bottle cap and the Baileys bottle itself.” From the Baileys Bottle Pendant Light article we wrote back then.

How to make a pendant light

The problem – It seemed like a good idea at the time. The finished product was functional and it looked pretty cool, but I actually drilled out the bottom of the bottle with a large glass cutting drill bit. It was a very lengthy process. Incorporating the bottle’s original cap gave the light a more complete look. The hitch was that after it was on awhile, the bulb gave off a fair amount of heat, and the top got really warm. Today’s LED bulbs would fix that problem, but to be able to re-create this particular bottle light it would take all the same elements falling back into place. Mainly, the cord that I picked up at a garage sale and having to drill a very large hole.

The solution – The Color Cord Company has the kit that would solve that problem! The ‘Standard Plug-In Pendant Light Cord Set‘ has all of the hardware that you will need to complete your pendant lamp. With over 35 colors and patterns to choose from you will easily be able to co-ordinate your glass bottle to a matching cord. Now that’s cool!

Want to have the visual experience to help you with the pendant light making process?

Click on the ‘Instant cool decor’ image below to watch our short how-to video on YouTube:

Color Cord Company pendant lights add instant cool decor

Color Cord Company is the industry leader in cloth covered electrical wire, pendant cord sets, and lighting accessories. Founded with design and DIY in mind, they strive to provide high quality products with the finest service and selection. The constantly design and create new high quality products and accessories. The Color Cord Company product range is ever growing and changing in order to offer the newest and most innovative lighting goods on the market.

 

Color Cord Company Web Page

A little bit more about The Color Cord Company –

“Color Cord Company is the industry leader in cloth covered electrical wire, pendant cord sets, and lighting accessories. Founded with design and DIY in mind, we strive to provide high quality products with the finest service and selection. We do color. With an unmatched selection of cloth covered wire, lighting parts, and lighting accessories in up to 75 different colors there is no greater resource for modern lighting.” Courtesy of the Color Cord Company About Us page.

15ft Standard Pendant Light Kit

For this bottle pendant light project I used the Standard Plug-In Pendant Light Cord Set – Red & White ZigZag. The red and white were a perfect match for the emblem on the large Bacardi bottle’s label. The easy to use Color Cord pendant light kit comes with a plug-in and switch already attached to the cord. Additional hanging hardware is also included.

Bacardi Pendant Light Project

Two bottle cuts. By removing the neck and the base of the bottle I was able to feed the cord through the bottom and out the top. The bottle neck was too narrow for the plug-in and switch to fit through. Scroll down to see the finished Bacardi pendant light. The tools that I used was a bottle cutter and the Creator’s Bottle Neck Cutter. You can find both glass cutters on our Resources page.

Creators Bottle Neck Cutter

End result – I was more than impressed with the way this all turned out. It was an easy and fun bottle project to put together thanks in large part to the pendant light kit. A colored glass bottle would be in order to tame the amount of light that was being emitted but finding a matching cord wouldn’t be a problem, with over 70 colors to choose from. The heavy duty colored cord that is constructed around the electrical wires offers an extra layer of protection without compromising on style.

Buy The Pendant Light Kit

Easy Bacardi Pendant Light Kit

By the way, we will be including several of the colored pendant light kits by the Color Company in our 2017 Winter Giveaway!

I think this Bacardi pendant light turned pretty nice. The pendant light kit couldn’t be easier to use and the different colored cord open a world of possibilities.

If you have a comment or project idea you would like to share, please leave a comment below.

Glass Bottle Crafts 3.0

cover for glass bottle crafts book

Attention those of you always interested in learning new ways to express your inner creative self.

The Glass Bottle Crafts 3.0 e-book can help let you release some of your creative ways that are just yearning to escape. This book is filled with step by step instructions in the art of drilling, and cutting glass bottles. The detailed step by step instructions will allow you to transform empty glass bottles into real works of art.

cover for glass bottle crafts book

Aside from being environmentally conscious you will also be creating unique one of a kind gifts that will transcend ordinary, everyday department store gifts. If you have been holding onto a decanter from a special occasion then there has never been a better time to transform it! Why have an empty bottle sitting around? Sound tacky right? Why not turn it into a lamp or a wind chime? A whole new life awaits these empty vessels that can say so much more than an empty bottle sitting on a shelf.

The glass bottle craft book also contains highlights of the many tools that can be used to help reinvigorate your empty glass bottles. Glass bottle cutters and the sanding techniques that can be used give your new glass tumbler a smooth finish. The tools that are mentioned in the book have been reviewed and tested by us and you can read the in-depth reviews on our blog site bottle-lamp.

Here are just a few of the many projects that we have made over the years with different empty glass bottles: Lamps, bottles with lights, plant holders, wind chimes, drinking glasses, votive candle holders, flower vases, and a party light string that incorporated left over beer bottle necks (see photo below). The only limit to these projects is your own imagination.

Rolling Rock Party Lights

Family fun – Nothing brings people together than a shared experience that everyone can participate in. Why not set your kids up with some glass paint and a few empty bottles? Let them decorate and you can incorporate the light sets to illuminate their art work? Those simple glass bottles will become something more endearing and be thought of as a keepsake. Imagine coming across this shared experience years later and having that memory of putting it together. By simply plugging the light string back in you will have ignited a flood of memories that will always be remembered.

The glass bottle plant holder. A few years back we made a couple of plant holders from some empty glass bottles. This was really more of an experiment to see if we could add some decor to our back yard patio area. Finding the right plants to grow in a contained space such as this was the easy part. Working with the bottles so that they would hang properly was the challenge. After carefully drilling out the end of these bottles we added the dirt and plant that would literally hang upside down. A wire was then looped around the neck of the bottle that was used to place it on the pant hangers that we had in the yard. Voila! The end result was pretty impressive and the plants actually produced some small cherry tomatoes. It wasn’t enough to put anything together but we would always pick a few when we were outside.

Glass Bottle Holder for Tomatoes
Cherry Tomato Plant Holder

Working with filler. Whether it was a bottle with lights or a working bottle lamp, each individual project had it’s own type of filler that was incorporated into the project. Some of the first bottles that I put together were just a plain light string inside a bottle. It was afterward that I began to experiment with different ways of changing the way that the light was projected. One of the ways that I tried was with the use of crystal fill. Crystal fill is a clear acrylic piece that is often used in floral arrangements. After drilling the hole and putting in the light string, I simply filled the empty space with these little glass pieces. The weight of these bottles was pretty heavy but they allowed the lights from within to illuminate more uniformly. I liked the look but we also wanted to use something a little more lightweight. We experimented with tinsel but it just wasn’t quite the same.

bottle filler for lamps

The bottle lamp fillers offered yet another creative way to incorporate the feel of the bottle and lampshade itself. One of my favorites was sent in by one of our readers who had used old rusty nails. By adding the filler to the bottle you are doing more then just hiding the electrical cord that runs through it. You are also giving the bottle stability and offering a decorative flare to your final project. Over the years we have experimented with many different types of fillers and they have all come out with good results. The glass colored marbles will always be my “go to” for these types of crafts. Matching the color to the bottles original content is just another way of showcasing the bottles original purpose.

Absolute Bottle Lamp DH

Wind Chimes. One of the projects that I had envisioned doing with the bottle cutter was the wind chimes. My ideas were pretty elaborate and involved not only incorporating cutting the bottles but also drilling them as well. I wanted to run a fish line through the multiple rings and have the weight down at the bottom. I found the right bottle cutter to allow me to cut the many glass rings that would be needed. the whole thing came to a stand still when it came time to drill the glass holes. The rings just couldn’t hold up to what I was trying to do to them. Ultimately it was our readers who submitted their DIY Show Offs that helped enlighten me on how to actually go about doing it.

Cutting Glass Rings

Flower vases. Both wine and beer bottle labels have evolved into their own art form. After doing the many different bottle crafts for so long I can’t help but look at these bottles and begin to imagine them re-purposed. Choosing a bottle of wine has become more of allowing myself to realize the end purpose rather than the actual contents. Who knew that by simply cutting off a bottle top you would be able to make a flower vase that is both unique and personal. The time from emptying the bottle to filling it with flowers is so minuscule now that it’s almost eerie.

Recycled beer bottle flower vase

Drinking glasses.  Similar to the flower vases that we have the beer bottles are just as much fun to make in little to no time at all. The most time that you will spend on this project is the sanding. You will want to be more mindful of the glass edges on your drinking glasses then you will on the flower vases. Through all the different glass sanding techniques that are available, making your own set of personal glasses is easy.

 

Votive candle holders. Burning candles can offer more that just rich aromas to your home. The soft glow of a lit candle also offers a way of creating a relaxing ambiance to unwind after a long work day or while taking a warm bubble bath. What better way to showcase these candles then with your own home made candle holder. Like the previous flower vase and drinking glass, all you really need to do is score and separate your bottle. If you are spending any time at all looking on Pinterest at the many different bottle votive candles then you have probably seen the glass bottles that are cut at an angle. I get asked about this one a lot because people want to know how to make them.

Get glass bottle crafts ideas

Honestly, I have never made one of these type of cuts before. Yes, they look cool but the only way that I could possibly see pulling this off is to invest in a wet saw. Personally I can’t make this kind of an investment into something that will be used maybe once or twice and then collecting dust in the corner of my garage. That said, it would be cool to just at least try one once.

Recycled Bottle Tea Light Candle Holders

The Glass Bottle Crafts 3.0 e-book offers you a world of opportunities to up-cycle your old glass bottles and decanters. If you wanted to see a precise, no nonsense way to drill and cut glass bottles then this is the book for you. For the low price of $2.99, you really can’t go wrong!

Upcycle EZ-Cut Bottle Cutter Review

Glass bottle cutter review

Presenting and reviewing the Upcycle EZ-Cut Bottle Cutter.

Sturdy and easy to use, this glass bottle cutter comes right out of the box and hits the ground running. Spending a little extra for the “Deluxe” kit will also get you a heat tool for assisting with the glass separation process. The bottle cutting kit that I received for this review included; the bottle cutter, heat gun, DVD video tutorial, sand paper and instruction sheet.

Upcycle EZ-Cut Bottle Cutter

Straight out of the box, the first thing that stood out for me, was the polished finish and simplicity of this bottle cutting tool. Five wheels are aligned to allow you to lay the recycled glass bottle out for scoring with an adjustable metal bar to set the length, see image below. The light colored wood finish on this bottle cutter gives it a nice polished look. Four rubber feet attached to the bottom help prevent marring on the surface of your work space. Assembly was as simple as removing the screw that holds the positioning bar for your bottles. Voila! The bottle cutter is now up and running. To see the bottle cutter in action watch my video demo on YouTube – Upcycle EZ-Cut Bottle Cutter Demonstration

Upcycle EZ Cut Beer Bottle

Straightforward and no-nonsense. Why make things complicated? You can easily achieve quality bottle cutting results with the Upcycle EZ-Cut. Having the option to get the “Deluxe” kit allows you to save time and resources with the bottle separation process. By including a mini heat gun the bottle will separate quickly and smoothly. If you’re in the market for an economically priced bottle cutting kit than you really don’t need to look further. This is it!

Upcycle EZ Cut Score Line On A Beer Bottle

Pros:

  • Minimal assembly
  • Easy on the pocket book
  • Adjustable holder allows for variations of different glass bottle sizes

Con:

  • Does not cut square bottles

Upcycle EZ Cut Heat Gun

A quick note about the blue mini heat gun for crafts. In my initial run with this great bottle crafting tool I treated the gun like a candle and allowed way too much time for the heating process. The gun offers a built-in stand for self-support and a concentrated heat source. Its quick to heat up to 650°F with 320 Watts that is designed to focus on a small area. You really will not have to run the heating gun that long over your separation line, about 45 seconds while continuously turning the glass bottle will be enough. This saves you even more time on top of not having to boil and waste a bunch of water!

Upcycle EZ Cut Separation

Bottle Cutting Success!

Upcycle EZ Cut Success

Buy A Bottle Cutter Deluxe Kit by Upcycle EZ-Cut

The Upcycle EZ-Cut also offers a bottle cutter without the heat gun. For $31.99 you will get the bottle cutter, sanding paper, and Instructional DVD.

Buy A Bottle Cutter Kit by Upcycle EZ-Cut

The end result of this bottle cutting process was very satisfying.

It didn’t take me long at all to have the bottle scored, heated and separated.  From right out of the box, this bottle cutting kit will allow you to be able to score and separate bottles in little to no time at all. As with anything else in life, you get better with practice. Use a couple throw away bottles before you delve into the ones that you will use in your project.

We would like to thank Eric for allowing us to review his bottle cutting tool. Be sure to check out Eric’s Glass Etching website as well. I have tried his etching stencils and cream myself. The bottle etching looks very sharp, elegant and in detail, best of all, the bottle etching was really easy.

Please feel free to leave us a comment below and let us know what you think!

Upcycling Bottle Lamps DIY Show Off

Botolouso Fall Bottle Lamp featured

A fun Facebook page filled with bottle lamps

Transforming empty glass bottles into decorative decor has made Anita’s craft projects a passion. We received this e-mail from Anita:

I made a fall bottle lamp, and made my own lampshade cover using old lampshade frame. Also painted bottles I got the idea from Pinterest. I discovered a drill press is definitely the way to go when drilling holes for bottle lamps. Found plug-ins with switches so that I didn’t have to do as much splicing with the lamps. Also my candy corn bottle I turned into a tiki torch.  I post pics of my bottle projects so far on FB on my bottle art just for fun/not selling anything page Botololuso page on Facebook. I’m really just getting started and learning a lot as I go.

Happy Fall,

Anita / Michigan where fall is always colorful.

Botolouso Fall Bottle Lamp

From the Botololuso Facebook Page – “Upcycling the remnants of my wine habit and other fun art projects created from recycled glass, metal, whatever else catches my eye.”

Botolouso Bottle Tiki Torch

This Tiki torch will brighten up the backyard party and provide mosquito repellency!

Botolouso First Bottle Lamp

This cobalt blue bottle has a handmade lamp shade that helps compliment it’s color!

These are all my first attempts at bottle lamps, torches, painted bottles. I’m hard on myself and notice every flaw – especially in my lampshades, but I guess for my first tries, they’re not too bad. My retirement dream fantasy would be to live in a tiny traveling gypsy house making/selling bottle lamps, wind chimes and tea light holders. Of course, I have yet to purchase the bottle cutter. That will be my next thing. 

We would like to thank Anita for sending us her DIY Show Off projects.

Be sure to leave her a comment below.


Do you have a DIY project you would like to show off?

Submit your entry – include your picture(s), your name and a description and or any tips you would like to share with us and our readers. If you have a blog you can also include the web address and we will link back to you.

Five Fun Glass Project Ideas

Bottle cutting project ideas

Using the Kinkajou Glass Bottle Cutter will allow you to create many craft projects.

The glass bottle cutter opens up a whole new world of glass bottle crafting. We thought it would be fun to showcase some of the many different craft ideas that you will have with your bottle cutter. If you already have or you plan on purchasing the Kinkajou Bottle Cutter, then here are some bottle craft ideas to help you get inspired.

5 Kinkajou Bottle Cutter Projects

The Glass Bottle Vase
Kinkajou Bottle Cutter Project

It’s not too hard to imagine up-cycling the many different beer bottles that have become quite eye catching with their logos and labels. Finding the right place to separate the neck from the design will let your glass bottle’s design become really show cased.

Beer Bottle Party Light String

Rolling Rock Beer Bottle Party Lights

Now that you’ve re-purposed and cut the bottom part of the bottle with your Kinkajou bottle cutter, don’t throw away that glass bottle neck so fast. By incorporating a simple light string you will also give these tops a new mission. Your summer back yard patio area will have a new swag that the neighbors will be talking about well into the fall!

Bottle Top Stems

Bottle cutting tool and craft ideas

The Bottle Cutting Inc. brought you the Kinkajou bottle cutter also made these really cool Jabiru Bottle Top Stems The Friday Night Fun Edition. These fun little add-ons will give you another reason to hold on to your cut bottle necks. Fun sized shot glasses are perfect for any party!

Pendant Light

Bottle Pendant Light

Picking up a pendant light kit and merging your favorite glass bottle has never been easier. Once you’ve removed the bottom of your bottle with your bottle cutter you will be able to try different sized light bulbs to give you the right amount of lighting for your room.

Votive Candle Holder

Cut Beer Bottle Candle

With a bottle cutter you can turn any glass bottle into a candle. Purchasing bulk bags of candle wax and wicks will allow you give your glass bottles new illumination. Having the candle wax kit makes this fun project even easier. The candle wax can have different scents and colors. There are many different options for freshening up a room or add a dash of citronella to help keep the bugs away in the back yard.

Have you tried the Saber Tooth Diamond Sanding Pads yet? This is a very useful tool to help sand the edges of your newly cut glass bottles. It will definitely help keep your bottle edges smooth and your finished craft project looking perfect.

Nick reviews the Saber Tooth Sanding Pads

Cutting your glass bottles takes practice, persistence and a finishing touch.

Sanding glass can be relatively easy as long as you have the right tools to do it. Conventional wet sandpaper will work in a pinch but really is not built to last. With minimal effort you will find that the pads will take off the rough edges and give your cut glass bottles the smooth finish you want for all of your bottle crafting projects.

Bottle cutting project ideas

Get Your Own Bottle Cutter

With so many different project ideas to do, you will always have a way to re-purpose your old recycled glass bottles. If you enjoy doing different bottle crafts and you would like to share your projects or ideas with us visit the link below. We would love to hear from you!

Do you have a favorite bottle cutter? Leave us a comment below.


Do you have a DIY project you would like to show off?

Submit your entry – include your picture(s), your name and a description and/or any tips you would like to share with us and our readers. If you have a blog you can also include the web address and we will link back to you.