Creative micro bottles with handmade stoppers

    Miniature craft bottles can be had from an array of sources. E_Bay, and Amazon just to name a few, but I avidly recycle and believe nothing should go to waste. To that end I found that red ginseng comes in these little glass amber bottles. Ginseng can be found in your local health food store or Asian market. They come in delightful cardboard boxes, 10 or more to a box, that I also use in my craft projects, but that's another story.

                                                                           

    As for the cost of the miniature glass bottles, it may be cheaper to simply buy them on eBay, unless you're like me and you're already using ginseng. After you have consumed the contents of the bottle, it is a simple  matter of using a pair of pliers to carefully remove the metal cap. Once you have removed the metal cap, thoroughly rinse the inside of the bottle. Note: The ginseng once dry, is harder to remove, so it is easier to clean if you rinse the bottle right after consuming the contents. 

     

    When you have accumulated several bottles, soak the bottles overnight in a bowl of water. This will loosen the label and make it easy to remove by simply rubbing the label off with your fingernails or popsicle stick.

    Once you have your clean bottles obtain a wood dowel that is slightly larger than the diameter of the mouth of the bottle. Cut the dowels in 1 inch lengths and sand one end to snugly fit the mouth of the bottle to make your bottle stopper. A pencil sharpener may work also, but you may want to sand afterward with fine sandpaper to smooth any rough edges. Then using a rotary tool, or sanding disk you can shape the top of the bottle stopper to a half round or a smaller dowel shaft on which you can affix your pony beads. Remember that the upper shaft needs to be just small enough for the beads to slip on with some glue. Don't make your shafts too small or you might break the stopper when you try to remove it from the bottle. I have found that the half-moon design( bottom left ) is a more sturdy design and saves the expense of using beads and is easier to grip when removing the stopper. That said, the bottles with the beads are more appealing, and are a better seller.

Once you have your stoppers complete you can paint them or add beads depending on the style stopper created. 

    When your bottle is finished it is ready for whatever you may want to put in them, dry spices, trinkets, talisman,etc. keep in mind I have not tested these bottles with liquids such as oils or perfumes and if your stopper is not a perfect fit they may leak. 

    So there you have your crafty little bottles that are perfect for decoration, little love notes, wishes and more. They make a great conversation piece or decoration with ribbons and bows on packages.

So happy crafting, and have a great day from the Nevada Crafter at nevadacrafter.com.

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DIY crafts micro clamp from clothes pins

Do you need a micro clamp but don't want to spend the money? Here's a quick DIY micro clamp made from clothes pins.

Micro clamps can be made cheaply from a package of close pins purchased from the dollar store. As you can see they can be made in an assorted shapes and sizes to meet your custom needs.

 You can use a belt sander, disk sander, Dremel or whatever you happen to have. I have even used a scroll saw to cut various shapes and sizes. My preferred method is still to use a belt sander with a course grit but that is only because it is quick and easy.

These clamps can be made in a minute or less and not only do they come in handy for various projects, I have also found them to be in demand at craft and trade shows. I usually sell them as an assorted package of 4 for a dollar.

They can be used for various projects such as holding projects while I'm painting them, or holding parts together as they are being glued. Uses are many, and if you know a crafter in need of clamps, they make a great gift.

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Vintage Suitcase into craft or activity box

   Setting up at a craft show can be a pain, carrying boxes and totes can be cumbersome and sometimes hard to manage. And then there are times we just simply want a convenient place to carry our crafts when we are on the go. Or maybe we want a special place to put children's activities when they come to visit.
    One of my favorite haunts are yard sales and flea markets. I am constantly finding items to be upcycled, or restored into something new and wondrous. On one such trip I came across a couple of vintage suitcases that were in very poor condition. Although I may have restored them to their original condition I had something less expensive and much better in mind. Going to a craft show with a couple of suitcases seemed much easier than carrying several totes.

I started by painting the outside of the suitcase with a quality exterior house paint. This would help hide any blemishes and give a good protective coating to the outside of the suitcase. Once I had a good protective coating on the outside, I began decorating. First by using one of my favorite stencils to stencil a favorite slogan on the top of the suitcase. This personalize the suitcase and gave it more character. Later I would paint the brass fittings with a nice nail polish to protect them and to make them stand out.

    The inside of the suitcase was in pretty bad shape, with the original felt extremely well-worn and in some places holes. The only option here was to replace it with new felt, which I got at the local fabric store. Using a spray adhesive I cut and placed new felt over the top of the old felt. Once the new felt was in place I tack down the edges with hot glue. I hid this seems by brushing the edges of the seams with a stiff toothbrush.

     I continue to add embellishments from time to time, such as these butterfly stickers. Decorating the suitcases is a matter of using your imagination. One could use a theme such as Alice in Wonderland or use a vintage theme such as travel stickers or decoupage old newsprint or even sheet music. The uses for these suitcases are many, such as costumes and activities for kids or just plain storage for your arts and crafts projects and tools. The possibilities are limitless and should you ever become bored with what you have created it is simply a matter of putting on a new coat of paint and changing the style.

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