Crafts Unleashed

I have a guilty pleasure. I enjoy drinking an iced cold Coffee Mochas from the refrigeration section of my local grocer on a monthly basis. At $2.69 a pop, I could never just throw the cute glass container in the trash, but having empty bottles sitting on my counter wasn’t very attractive. So I got creative and started making fun, recycled vases with them.

In honor of Earth Day, which is April 22 this year, I thought it would be fun to show you how to turn one of these glass bottles into a really cute vase for game day. Yes, it’s also one more way for me to use up the wood football helmets from frame project last month—but isn’t that what Earth Day is all about? Recycling and using materials you already have on hand?

This time, I chose to create a fun polka dot vase using the colors of our hometown’s high school football team—The Watchdogs. Now, I could have gotten really creative by tracing the team’s mascot onto the football helmet, but I was lazy and opted for the use of words, instead.

Supplies:

1 – 3″ Wood Football Helmet  (Item 9144-22)

1 – Wallboard Joint Compound (can be purchased at your local hardware store)

1 – Empty coffee drink bottle

1 – Set of Acrylic Paints by Studio 71: Titanium White, Dioxazine Purple or use the colors for your local team! (24 Piece Paint Set Item 97848)

Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Spray (Item SW1305)

Krylon Bright White Gesso Spray (Item7015)

E-6000 Industrial Strength Cement (Item EPE-6000-12C)

Tools:

1 – Square-tipped paint brush& fine-tipped paint brush (Multi-purpose Value Pack Item SB9562)

1 – Palette Knife (Item 97326)

Instructions:

1. Rinse, wash, and dry an empty  bottle.
2. Paint the bottle using the white Krylon Spray Gesso.  Painting the glass gives the joint compound something to hold onto. (Ed. Note: Gesso has added particulates that provide a “tooth” which gives it an advantage as a primer or base coat.),
   

   Clean and paint your bottle.

3. Use a palette knife to spread joint compound on around the bottle, avoiding the bottom. Let dry overnight.
   

   Spread joint compound over surface.

4. Paint the entire surface white. Let dry.
5. Paint the entire surface purple. Let dry.
   

   Paint surface

6. Dip the back end of a paint brush into white paint, then dab onto the bottle to make white dots.

7. Paint the helmet white, on both sides. Let dry.

8. Go over the front side with purple paint. Let dry.

Paint words/images on helmet.

9. Spray the bottle and the helmet with Clear Acrylic Spray. Let dry.
10. Turn helmet over, add a dab of E-6000 glue, and adhere to the painted bottle.
11. Use the fine-tipped brush to paint on the helmet. In this case, I chose the word “Woof” as it represents our team’s  chant. Let dry.

Congratulations! You’ve just created a fun, whimsical vase for your next game day party.

Disclosure