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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Put a chalkboard on your clay pots.

This is a simple crafters garden project. 

 There has been many a time when I found myself trying to figure out what was growing in the pot that I planted. Tags and plant labels get lost, popsicle sticks get moldy and can't be read and buying plant labels can be quite expensive.
  So I bought a chalk paint that I found in a dollar store. Chalk paint can be found at most hardware stores or try ordering it online. I painted the upper lip of the clay pot on the outside only with the chalk paint and let it thoroughly dry. As I did not want to interfere with how the clay pot works I only painted what I needed to. Then using a chalk marker or a piece of chalk I labeled and decorated the outside of the clay pot rim. You can also use a stencil to paint leaf shaped label areas or other designs, just use your imagination. But remember not to paint the inside of the pot and leave the majority of the outside unpainted as well. One of the advantages to using the clay pot is that the clay helps distribute and wick away excess moisture.

What you will need for this project:

1. clay pots
2. chalkboard paint
3. a good paintbrush
4. a chalk marker or piece of chalk
5. optional: stencils of favorite shapes or designs. This is used instead of just painting the rim. Note: be sure and use a design that is large enough to write on.

So there you have a simple craft idea that would make a great gift or a great item to sell at a crafters market.

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Paintbrush cleaning and storage jar

    Often we are throwing out and replacing paintbrushes that were left to sit in the bottom of a jar. This flares and ruins the brush and if left long enough dried out, brittle and useless. This can be expensive, time-consuming and just a plain waste.  But here is a jar that will keep your paintbrushes like new. It is a simple and easy DIY to make with found materials. And can be sold at arts and craft shows for several dollars.

 The jar stays sealed and suspends paintbrushes off the bottom of the jar. Liquids can be added to the jar for cleaning the brushes. The jar is airtight and thus maintains a plasticity of the bristles.

The lid consists of a mason jar ring, a mason jar lid with a hole cut in it and a piece of rubber cut from a tire innertube. Cut the innertube to the same size as the mason jar lid and place it on top of the mason jar lid when assembling. Punch several small holes in the rubber innertube, preferably with a leather punch. Make the diameter of the holes slightly smaller than the handle of the brushes being used. (This is to keep an airtight fit around the handle of the paintbrush and to help hold the brush in place when it is being suspended off the bottom of the jar. )It is important that you use some type of hole punch to keep the holes from splitting and allowing air in the jar.

I use a glass jar and metal lids because the paints and solvents I use would dissolve any other type of container. But if you're only using water-based paints then a plastic jar or cup could be used.

To add paintbrushes to the jar simply push the handle of the paint brush up through the bottom of the lid and through the holes in the rubber seal that you have made. Adjust the brush so that the brush is not sitting on the bottom of the jar and there you have it. The perfect paint brush cleaning and storage jar.

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