The Attempters DIY : Step By Step: "Bottle Me Up"

Materials Needed:

a. gather old glass bottles or jars (try to locate/keep the caps if you can and make sure none of
the bottles are broken in any place)
b. acetone (nail polish remover)
c. sink or bath tub
d. dish soap
e. hot water
f. sharp edge (i.e. SAFE box cutter with a handle—be carfeful)
g. enamel paint (89 cents at your local Michael’s or JoAnn). GET ONE PAINT BOTTLE PER
BOTTLE you plan to paint
h. disposal plates and bowls
i. drop cloth (paint is messy)
j. paper towels/old wash rags
k. medium sized plastic bin (to catch water, labels, acetone)
l. flowers, branches, utensils, chopsticks, cinnamon sticks, etc. ANYTHING decorative you’d want
to put into the bottle
m. 2 days at least (drying time) aka PATIENCE

OPTIONAL:
a. gloves if you want to keep your hands clean/nails away from acetone
b. wire cutters for some of the stubborn plastic rings
c. small electric fan (for quicker drying)
d. funnel (small- Container Store has them!)

STEP 1: The most difficult part of this craft is the first step- removing the bottles labels. Put all your bottles in a bathtub or utility sink like this one (show picture) and run the hottest water possible over them. I always add a little dish soap in to help the process. It’s best if they sit a while, so I always do this first thing in the morning or late at night so that I’m not “watching paint dry” as they say.

STEP 2: Get your sharp edge (and remember to be careful), your plastic bin, and grab a bottle. Scrape off as much of the label as you can into the plastic bin, and cut off any bottleneck rings or aluminum labels. Place the bottle back into the hot water.

STEP 3: Continue through all the bottles if you plan to paint more than one.

STEP 4: Let the bottles soak for another hour or so, or until you want to try removing the last bit of stubborn adhesive. Empty the plastic bin into the trash so that it has no remaining bits of label. Pour some acetone into the bin and grab a wash rag.

STEP 5: Dip your wash rag into the acetone (be careful of fumes) and rub the rag on the bottle to complete the label-removing process. Continue for all bottles.

STEP 6: Dump any excess liquid back into the sink from each bottle and find a place to let them dry. I found that lying them on their sides right in front of a fan helped me, but if you find different ways, go for it. REMEMBER! The bottles have to be 100% dry on the INSIDE for the paint to work properly. Don’t be hasty!

STEP 7: Take your completely dry bottles and pick out your paint. Squeeze a bottle of paint into the glass bottle (or as much as you think you need per the bottle’s size). If you kept the lids, this is when you put the cap back on. If you did not, be careful the pain doesn’t spill out. Slowly turn the bottle every which way until the paint coats the entire inside of the bottle, including the very top. You can add more paint if you need it.

STEP 8: Find a place where you can lean your bottle face (without a chance it will fall). Place a disposable plate or bowl down, and then put the bottle face down into it to get rid of the excess paint. The more paint in the bottom of the bottle, the long it takes to dry.

STEP 9: If you want to try to salvage any extra paint, use a funnel or find other ways of pouring it back into your paint’s original bottle. I have found that 1 small bottle can usually be good for 1 ½ glass
bottles. But it’s very cheap paint, so you decide if it’s worth it!

STEP 10: Find a dry, safe place to store your bottles for the next 2 days (at least).

STEP 11: AFTER AT LEAST TWO FULL DAYS of drying, try out your flowers or sticks and other decorative items.

STEP 12: Give your gift or decorate your own space with your original vases.