Glass Bottles

Fact 1: I like pretty things.

Fact 2: I like making pretty things.

It's true, one of the things I like most about going to antique shops & second hand stores is looking at all of the unique figurines and "look sees", as one of the ladies at work calls them. I think the smallest of details in decorating can make one of the biggest impacts when you have guests. Fact is, everybody likes looking at "look sees"! And these "look sees" are cheap to make and you can customize them to your liking.

What you need: Acrylic Paint & Old Medicine Bottles

Acrylic Paint-I bought the small bottles of "Apple Barrel" paint from Wal-Mart. They are usually $1, but I got lucky and got some for 50¢ a piece! Now, you want the gooey, runny kind of acrylic paint because it will make it easier to coat the inside of the bottles. You're not painting a masterpiece so cheap is better in this case. Also, if you are ambitious and want to do big bottles I would suggest buying a larger size bottle of paint. For the green bottle, I used a good bit and the bottle is only about four inches tall.

First, where to find small bottles. I found the smallest one ones pictured above at Wal-Mart for $1 each. You can also look at your local Goodwill, yard sales, second hand stores, and craft stores. I don't have a craft store near by, so I actually found some at Goodwill and a local second hand store. Most of the bottles that I bought from the second hand store ranged from $2-$4 each depending on size.

Second, preparing your bottles. If you buy your bottles from a craft store, a good rinsing with dish soap to get the dust out will be fine. However, if you got them from a second had store with lots of dirt in them, soak them overnight in bleach water. The next morning, rinse them with dish soap and let dry completely.

Applying the Paint-You want to pour a nice glob of paint into the bottom of the bottle. Try your best NOT to get it on the inside of the neck of the bottle. The paint will collect there, and it is a beast to try to get the paint in it.

Once you get about 1/4" of paint in the bottom, just turn the bottle on it's side start moving it around to coat the inside. Keep adding paint as it gets harder to coat. It took me about 45 minutes to do the cream, brown, and green bottles pictured above. The hardest part will be coating the last spot inside, but the paint is cheap enough so just add more!

Also, after they dry, I DO NOT recommend putting water in them to use as mini vases unless you find some kind of shellac to coat the inside of them.

*helpful hints*
-Did I mention not letting the paint touch the inside neck of the bottle? Yes, it's that important that I mentioned it twice.
-If your bottle is stained from the dirt, no problem! Just use a darker color on that particular bottle. No one will ever know.
-Have patience. It takes awhile to coat the entire bottle so don't try rushing. The more you try to rush it, the longer it will take, promise.
-Have a color scheme in your kitchen or bathroom that you want to match? Just use leftover paint instead of going out to buy some. I know my dad has tons of left over paint from painting projects.
-Want to save even more money? Just use left over paint from other projects as mentioned above.

Good luck & have fun!!


Stay crafty,

Sarah P.