Go Make Something » Glass

Painted Potion Bottles

Lisa Vollrath — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 15:30:40 +0000

I was playing with silly label designs earlier in the week, and ended up doing a collage sheet of them for Ten Two Studios. (Check the Halloween theme page if you’re interested.)

I have a ridiculous collection of glass bottles, rescued from the kitchen trash. Most of the salad dressings, marinades and salsas I use come packaged in glass—and honestly, sometimes I snub those products if they’re not packaged that way. I want the flavors, but I also want the surface to alter when I’m finished. I don’t ask for much…

Anyway, I put the two together, and came up with these bottles, which I think I’ll fill with candy and give to some friends who have the same dark sense of humor I do. Here’s how I put them together:

I started with clean bottles. I just toss all the bottles I’ve emptied each week into a sink of soapy water, and let them soak overnight. In the morning, I can usually peel the labels right off. Those that are stubborn get the scrub brush, and any glue that remains comes right off with a little Goo Gone.

A few of the bottles I chose for this project came with plastic caps. I’m not big on working with plastic, so my solution is to toss those caps, and replace them with corks from my local craft store. Another option is to replace them with lightbulbs, sort of like I did in the Decoupaged Glass Bottles article. Some of the bottles had metal lids, which are easy to alter—just sand away any paint, and color with alcohol inks, or cover with UTEE or embossing powder.

I wanted a slightly grungy look on the finished bottles, so I started by basecoating with cheap acrylics. I used a coarse bristle brush, and just randomly poked at each bottle with paint. This eliminates brush stroke streaks, in favor of a sort of textured effect, and also leaves behind more paint in some areas than others, creating a nicely uneven look rather than a flat basecoat.

When the basecoats were dry, I applied more texture using a sea sponge. I’ve done a quick video on sponge painting to describe this technique for those who haven’t seen it before.

What’s a potion bottle witout a little glitter? On some bottles, I applied glitter glue here and there, wiping in on with my finger.

While all the paint and glitter was drying, I cut out the labels from my collage sheet.

In keeping with the grungy theme, I aged the labels a bit by rounding their corners, and giving them a quick sanding with a sanding block. The goal here is to make the image a bit less perfect and even, so I sand in places that won’t effect the readability—edges and unprinted areas get more sanding. The labels can also be toned with chalk inks if you wish.

To apply the labels, I did a quick coat of matte medium on the whole bottle, and on the back side of each label, then stuck the two together. I light coat of medium over the top of the label while it’s still wet will keep it from rippling or curling, and seals the edges to the bottle. Let the whole thing dry completely before handling.

Here are a few more bottles, ready to be filled with goodies.

I’ve left my bottles rather plain, because I’m in a less is more frame of mind at the moment. Perhaps they’ll be further decorated with fibers and charms later. I also have my eye out for the fake spider webbing sold as Halloween decorations—I may apply just a little bit with matte medium later.

Now, go recycle some bottles!

Decoupaged Glass Bottles

Lisa Vollrath — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 15:26:59 +0000

I have a thing for clear glass bottles—such a serious thing for them that they tend to take over my workroom. When I was offered the opportunity to do an altered bottle swap, I jumped on it, hoping I could clear out some of the bottle overpopulation.

I started with plain old glass bottles that had been cleaned inside and out. The group of bottles shown here came from salad dressing, hot sauce and marinades. Given a choice between food products in glass and those in plastic, I generally choose the glass—I know I’ll put the container to good use later.

After the labels were removed with a little Goo-Gone, the one thing I disliked about the bottles was their plastic lids. I replaced them with small lightbulbs in fun shapes. I look for these on clearance after Christmas, and also pick them up at the local dollar stores.

Decoupage With Napkins

I decided to decoupage the first bottle with decorative napkins. I had some sunflower napkins from Target’s clearance aisle that I thought would make a nice background. I began by unfolding a napkin, laying it printed side down, and peeling away all the white layers behind it. This leaves just the single printed layer, which is a little fragile, and requires some gentle handling.

To apply the napkin to the bottle, I coated the exterior of the bottle with some matte medium, then placed the bottle onto the napkin.

Working quickly, I rolled one side of the napkin over the wet bottle, pressing it gently into the medium. Then I rolled the other side over the bottle, tearing away the excess. The napkin becomes very fragile when wet, and tears easily, so try not to handle it too much.

I applied some extra medium to the bottle where the napkin overlapped. I also applied a bit to the bottom of the bottle, and the inside of the neck, and folded the top and bottom of the napkin into it. The whole thing was set aside to dry, and then coated on the outside with medium.

Decoupage With Tissue Paper

I decoupaged the second bottle with wrapping tissue. I found a pack at the dollar store that contatined magenta rose print and solid papers, and decided to work with both of them on this bottle. I started the same way I did with the napkin, by coating the bottle with medium, then rolling the paper around the wet bottle.

I let the bottle dry for just a few minutes, then gave it another coat of medium, and applied torn pieces of the solid paper here and there. The tissue is a little sturdier than the napkin was, so I was able to work on it while still wet.

Applying Labels

I printed some labels using my computer and laser printer, and applied them to the fronts of the bottles with medium. A coat on the back, and then one on the front held them in place without rippling.

Finishing Stoppers

I finished the stopper for the pink bottle by coating a lightbulb with medium, and layering small pieces of pink tissue over it.

When the stopper was dry, I glued it in place with E6000.

Sealing

I sealed both bottles with two coats of Diamond Glaze. The glaze dries pretty hard, so it will protect the papers from being damaged over time.

Fibers and Charms

To finish the bottles, I tied fibers around the necks, and tied charms, keys, and beads into them.

Decorated Glass Jars

Lisa Vollrath — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 15:28:24 +0000

I chose small glass jars simply because liquid walnut ink will eat through plastic or metal in short order—and nothing is quite as horrifying as seeing something that stains so quickly oozing out of its container!

I purchased some three for a dollar jars of baby food at my local grocery store, emptied them, removed their labels, and cleaned them up. That left me with bare glass, but green metal tops with printing on them. The first thing I did was paint the tops bright red with spray paint. I opted for this rather than my usual burning off the paint with a torch because these lids have a rubber gasket in them to create a really tight seal—and that seal would have been damaged by the heat of the torch. My desire was to have jars that sealed securely, but were also sort of fun.

Since walnut ink stains everything that comes close to it, I decided to fill the jars before decorating them. I figured that way, I wouldn’t dribble ink all over my paper labels. Yes, I’m a messy worker! Knowing that often dictates how I proceed with a project.

Once the jars were filled, and the painted lids were completely dry, I sealed each bottle firmly.

To create labels, I tore paper in one inch strips. These were slightly narrower than the flat section of the jars. I chose tearing rather than cutting because I wanted to do a little inking along the edges, and tearing creates a more absorbant area for the ink.

I used my current favorite letter stamp set to print the labels. I contemplated doing this on the computer, and putting storage and use instructions on the labels as well, but decided I liked the handmade approach better. I had to remind myself that these were gifts, and not products being offered for sale! Since I delivered these in person at our group’s monthly meeting, I could just tell the girls to store the ink in their refrigerators.

I edged the stamped labels with some chalk inks.

I applied a swipe of glue stick to the entire label, and wrapped it around the jar. I trimmed the ends with scissors, leaving a small overlap, and glued the heck out of the ends to hold them in place.

Each jar got a little bow made from twine around its neck, and a small tag stamped with a heart. I’m in a plain and simple phase, so I stopped there. Perhaps next time around, I’ll start with a printed paper, emboss the stamped message, and glue on some buttons or tiny rosebuds. These can be as plain or as embellished as you wish.

The jars took about an hour to put together once the spray painted lids were dry. I kept thinking they’d look cute filled with red jelly beans or red hots!

Edited to add: For those who are asking for the recipe for walnut ink, it’s available in the November 2005 issue of The Monthly Muse, available for purchase on CD here. Please DO NOT post any more comments asking for the recipe here. If you want the recipe, purchase the CD.