A Few Bottle Crafts

I have saved all of our bottles from our special occasions for what seems like forever (especially if you're my husband and have had to haul them from house to house with every move...;)) But this summer I have finally been able to put to good use all of that Pinterest research on glass bottle crafts... here are a few of the things I've done so far ~

3 Two-Tone Decorative Bottles: 

Because these bottles had labels that were etched into them, I needed a heavy spray paint that would coat well. I used several coats of Hammered Paint and Primer in one by Rust-Oleum and then sprayed on a metallic almost champagne rose color just around the neck and let it ombre down the bottle to give it a beautiful pop of color. I really love them... now just to find a place to put them!;)

Artificial Terrarium:

This sweet little terrarium turned out so much better than I had even imagined. It's a Crown Royale bottle with the label obviously removed, making a perfect little frame for whatever is inside. The butterflies are made from a punch and then embellished by adhesive back rhinestones. The flowers are pieces of a larger bouquet of fake flowers. Long tweezers would've come in very handy for this project, but since I didn't have any a kebab skewer worked great! Double stick picture tape was my go-to adhesive for this one -not too sticky and clear! 

Shabby Chic Tri-Bottle Vase:

I used 3 small bottles for this one. I'm loving the metallic spray paint! It took several coats, but the shimmering color brightens up the room.:) The rest of the design is pretty plain to see... burlap and lace wrap the bottles, and then is sewed tightly together to hold them in place, the bow is sewn on separately because I felt that tying a bow with the burlap would make it way too big and bulky. I think some pretty live white daisies would make this a beautiful centerpiece as well. 

So keep those bottles and make them into something unforgettable!;) 

Birdhouse from Driftwood

We love watching birds around here. We love feeding them, too! I was gifted this beautiful piece of driftwood that was just begging to be made into something special, so we tried our hand at making a birdhouse. The hole for the food was made by a few different drill bits. The wood itself is screwed into a piece of plywood for the base, large enough to give it balance. Before we screwed it in we applied some wood glue for good measure.;) The top is simply screwed on and has held so far. We found some cute little bricks at Menards for $.45 ea. and they dressed it up like I was hoping. It's a bit more rustic than I had thought it would be, but I love it and the birds seem to as well! 

A Few Paintings

Here are a few of the paintings I have done over the last couple of months. I am obsessed with texture and roses.:) 

This one was done with a thickening medium and painted layers, and then the flowers were marbled with paint and medium and then placed with a palette knife. Lots of fun, and popping with 3D expression - can't get much more texture than that!;) 

Acrylic roses have quickly become my favorite "go-to" item to paint. When there's a blank canvas begging to be made vibrant with color, and I feel that artistic craving to blend some paint together - roses it is!

Watercolor canvases... wow. Talk about fun! No taping the paper, no unsightly wrinkles, easy corrections... With all that you'd think my lines would be perfected, wouldn't you? Nope. When your imagination gets put on a canvas, imperfections highlight the fanciful nature of the captured dream. At least that's what I tell myself.;)

This is watercolor on watercolor paper. It's a painting inspired by the stories told from the "OUR Rescue" team - an organization created to save children who are in the clutches of sex slavery all around the world. I wanted the image to combine all ethnicities - a way of stating all races, all children all around the world are OUR children... OUR responsibility... OUR obligation... OUR HOPE. Take up the torch and light the way to freedom. For more information on OUR rescue visit http://ourrescue.org and while you're there please donate to the cause. Your donation WILL make a difference. 

The texture and color on this one are certainly not captured by this quick cellphone pic. It will hopefully be the first in a series of three paintings of similar design, but different colored shading. I'm thinking of going with an aqua green one and then a purple one as well, but maybe it should be yellow...Hmmm... We shall see. It should happen soon... I have the canvases, but need more medium... lots of medium.;) Textured paintings get pricey, let me tell ya! But they're worth it. 

:)

Thanks for stopping by and checking out the artwork!