Upcycling DIY home decor, woodworking and Crafts
It amazes me that I have yet to curate my favorite Sharpie projects! With all of the 50+ round-ups I have brought to you, seems like I would have covered this by now. You will be blown away at the beautiful DIY home decor projects you can make with these popular markers, and there are loads of handmade gift ideas just in time for the holidays.
The jigsaw is a super versatile tool, and a great place to start the power tool journey. It is handheld, can be fairly inexpensive (like this Corded : Skil Saw. Variable Speed 4290-02), and cuts shapes in a variety of materials, with the appropriate blade. I did a number of projects with a the above linked Skil Saw I scored at a garage sale for, and only recently splurged on a new one because of a gift card I received. The new one is fancy pants and cordless, but it doesn’t do anything the bare bones version can’t. You can build the same projects with a basic jigsaw and a little practice. That is great news, since as you will see below, you can make some seriously stylish and functional pieces for your home with this tool. Enjoy!
Magnify and reflect candlelight in these gorgeous green wine bottle tiered holders. This project involves cutting bottles and gluing bottoms to tops, giving you luxury style on a dime in no time. Tiered candle holders make great mantle décor and centerpieces for all occasions.
I was given these beautiful Protea Wine Bottles to use. They have the coolest designs, don’t they? Sadly, I shattered one of them, but the other survived! Here is how I did it…
-Bottle cutting supplies (I use Creator’s Bottle Cutter)
–E6000 Industrial Glue
-green wine bottles
-Rubbing alcohol or glass cleaner
-Paper Towels
1. Remove labels
2. Clean glass bottles with rubbing alcohol or glass cleaner before cutting.
3. For detailed bottle cutting instructions, see How to Cut Wine Bottles. Cut wine bottles in three heights from the bottom of the bottle to the cut line. You can eyeball it, or measure with a rule and mark with a sharpie. The smallest bottle could be four inches, the middle five inches, then six to get an equal gradient in height for your final candle holders. Use the top of the wine bottle for your candle holder base, or cut beer bottle necks for the base. That is what I did for this project.
5. Gather the tops of the beer bottles and the bottoms of the wine bottles, and make sure they are clean.
6. Apply E6000 to the mouth of the beer bottle and place on flat surface.
7. Place and center cut wine bottle on top of the glue.
8. Let dry overnight.
9. Add filler and candles. Flameless LED tea lights are shown here, on top of filler sand.
It doesn’t get much cheaper or easier than this reclaimed wood to bottle/glass holder and display! Power tools are involved, but fear not; even the novice can pull this off beautifully. Impress your date on your next romantic evening with wine for two!
-Scrap wood
-¼ inch Drill bit
-1.5 inch hole saw
-Jig saw
-Medium grit sand paper
1. Sand the edges of your wood down so it looks a little worn and smooth.
2. Using the 1.5 inch hole saw drill a hole precisely in the center of the board.
3. Then using the ¼ inch bit drill a hole in the middle of the board approximately ½ inch back from each end.
4. Use a jig saw or saber saw to then slot these holes to the end of the board.
5. Plop it onto your favorite bottle of vino and let your stem ware hang freely.
EXTRA TIPS
￮ Paint your board to match your home or party décor. Etch monograms or other custom text like I showed you in the glass tumblers and doily bottle projects. Give these away as neighbor gifts for picnic season, or as easy, inexpensive holiday gifts!
Salvage Wood Wine Bottle Wall Vase Trio
Reclaimed wood and recycled bottles combine with inexpensive copper hardware for this rustic, ecofriendly wall vase set. Make it in under an hour with just a few dollars for hardware! This is perfect inexpensive wall decor, and makes a great, unique handmade gift for the holidays.
-Scrap wood cut to desired width (The board I had was 25 inches, so I went with that. Use any number of wine bottles, and cut your wood the appropriate length for that number.)
-Drill
-1 inch copper bell hanger kit (available in plumbing section of most hardware stores for less than $2 each)
-Picture hanging hardware
-Wine bottles (clean and remove labels if desired as described in Techniques)
1. Paint, stain or decoupage your wood any way you like. I left mine as I found it since it had the weathered look I love. Same goes for the bottles. Paint or decorate them to fit your decor or occasion.
2. Measure and mark placement of your bottles, leaving even spacing between each and centering them on the board. Yay math!
3. Drill a pilot hole with a drill bit just smaller in diameter than your screw. If you aren’t using a drill, use a hammer and nail to make a pilot hole.
4. Attach bell hanger using the screw that came in your kit and a drill or screwdriver.
5. Attach a loop for hanging on each side.
6. Place on wall and add wine bottles. Time to head to the farmer’s market for some fresh flowers!
Scented with your favorite fragrance, these beeswax and soy candles are easy to make and great for all occasions! We will be cutting wine bottles and using the bottom section as a container for pouring our candles. Get started now and give these inexpensive, eco-friendly, handmade treasures as Christmas gifts that are sure to impress!
Beeswax or Soy Wax
Scented Oil
Soy wicks on metal tabs
Double sided adhesive
Melting Pot and large sauce pan for boiling water
Cut wine bottles for candle containers (See How I Cut Wine Bottles)
Bamboo Skewer or pencil
Craft wire or rubberbands
Scissors
Lint free cloth
Soap and water or glass cleaner
1. Melt wax per instructions. I used an aluminum melting pot placed in a large sauce pan of boiling water. Add scent if you are going to do that.
2. While that is melting, prepare container and wick. Clean container well and dry with a lint free cloth. Adhere wick tab to double sided adhesive, and stick other side into container.
4. Pour in wax until container is as full as you would like. Let sit overnight, trim wicks and enjoy!
EXTRA TIPS
￮ Use printable labels to customize your candles for gifts and holidays. Etch monograms and patterns like I showed you in the Monogram Tumblers project!
Your friends will be amazed when you tell them these bracelets use to be wine bottles! This project involves cutting glass and firing in a kiln, but you could do a version without the kiln too. Use rub on transfers and alcohol inks to create a piece of wearable art!
-glass bottle label removing and cleaning supplies (see techniques)
-glass bottle cutting supplies (see techniques)
-stainless steel measuring cup
-kiln
-kiln wash
-glass drilling supplies
-jewelry chain
-jump rings
-toggle clasp
-two pairs of jewelry pliers; flat and or needle nosed
-alcohol inks and felt pad applicator
-non stick craft sheet
-rub on transfers
-beads and charms for embellishing as desired
-permanent marker
1. Cut a ring from your chosen bottle (See How to Cut Wine Bottles)
2. Carefully score ring with glass cutter and tap to break score, leaving you with a half circle. Score this to the size you would like your bracelet to be, about 2.5 inches.
3. Place bracelet piece on kiln washed stainless steel mold or measuring cup as shown and fire to full fuse (see techniques).
4. Once the bracelet is cool, remove it from the kiln. Mark for placement of holes where chain will be attached with a jump ring.
5. Drill the holes using small diamond bits (see How to Drill Holes in Glass). I use this diamond tipped micro engraving drill bit kit for my small holes.
6. Begin drilling at the mark, coming in at an angle to start your hole, then moving to 90 degrees as described in the techiques. Make sure to cool the drill bit in water every 30 seconds or so to prevent glass from shattering due to heat.
7. Apply rub on transfer per instructions to the front surface of the bracelet.
8. Use felt applicator or brush to apply alcohol inks to back surface of bracelet.
9. Open jump ring using two sets of pliers to twist each end in opposite directions. Do not pull ends apart to open, rather twist open as shown.
10. Attach the appropriate length of chain to get desired bracelet length and close jump ring by twisting ends back together. Keep in mind the closure will add about ½ inch to the length of the bracelet.
11. To finish, attach toggle clasp ring to one end and bar to the other, using a jump ring for each.
EXTRA TIPS
￮ Create custom bracelets, earrings and pendants using this technique. Use blank rub on transfer paper made for inkjets to transfer your own designs to your recycled glass jewelry!
Stay organized, eco-chic style with this cork board made from… corks! This project is simple, functional, stylish and can be super inexpensive with a thrifted frame. Start saving those wine corks, ask your friends to save them, and hit your local recycle center to see if they can hook you up with some. You are going to need quite a few, especially if you have a large frame.
-Wine Corks
-Utility Knife
-Hot glue gun and sticks
-Frame without glass
1. Remove glass from frame, leaving just the backing.
2. Decide on a pattern for your corks. Simple and repeating looks best.
3. Starting in the center, begin gluing corks in your chosen pattern directly onto the frame backing.
4. When you come to the edges where full corks no longer fit, cut the corks where necessary to create the appropriate shape to fit the space. Continue until the entire frame is full.
Seal corks after they are all placed for a glossy finish if desired! These would be great for displaying bride and groom photos for your wine themed wedding reception.
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How have we gone this long without sharing a collection of clothespin crafts? It is a mystery. Whether you have the one piece wooden peg, or the two piece wood or plastic version held together with a spring, you can use these simple laundry inventions to make some cool stuff. From home decor, to jewelry, to toys and games for kids, we are all sure to find something we can enjoy in this gallery of things to make from clothespins.
My personal favorite? This headphone cord organizer found at Buzzfeed.
Are you with me on this?
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Bring a touch of vintage chic into your décor with this chalk finish image transfer technique. This project works particularly well on bottles with texture, as you can sand after painting to remove the paint from raised areas for a chippy, old world feel. Head to The Graphics Fairy for thousands of free images to transfer to your bottles with this simple tissue paper transfer technique I am sharing today!
-Textured glass liquor bottles
-Chalk paint in several colors
-Printer (inkjet or laserjet is fine)
-White Tissue Paper
-Decopauge medium
-Medium Grit Sandpaper
-Flat paint brush
-Wax brush or lint free cloth
-Rubbing alcohol or glass cleaner and towel
-Clear wax or other sealer
-Images for transfer (I got all the images used in this post from www.graphicsfairy.com)
-masking tape
-cardstock or photo paper
1. Remove any labels from the bottles and clean the glass with hot soapy water or use Krylon Spray Adhesive Remover. This stuff works great!
2. Paint on chalk paint layer. This can be cross hatched and messy since we are going for a distressed look. Do several layers in different colors if you want different the sanding in a later step to reveal base colors. It is also fine to just do one layer.
3. Prepare image transfer by using masking tape to adhere tissue paper to a piece of cardstock or photo paper sized for your printer and image.
4. Print images, making sure you have sized them to fit your bottles.
5. Cut out image and apply a thin layer of decoupage medium to the back of it with your flat brush or sponge brush. Be careful not to rip the tissue. If the medium is too thick, you may need to thin it with a small amount of water.
6. Apply a thin layer of decoupage medium to the painted bottle and carefully place your image, ink side up. Smooth out any wrinkles with your fingers and apply a thin layer of the medium over the top of the image.
7. Once the decoupage medium is dry, lightly sand distress the texture areas of the bottle until you are happy with the degree of distressing.
8. Wipe away the sanding debris with a lint free cloth and seal entire bottle with clear wax using your wax brush. Another option is to seal the piece with the decoupage medium. I prefer clear wax with chalk paint. I love the unique shine it brings, and the fact that you can buff it to a shine when it dulls.
EXTRA TIPS
￮ Use antiquing wax after clear wax to create more of an aged look. This project would be great with photos of family made to look aged in photo editing software, like I showed you in the “Photo in a Bottle” project.
