Of failed projects - SOS ! I need your help

Blog bottle art Bottle craft Wine bottle art

• A laid back evening. There is a bottle of whisky. It’s just the right evening. I sat on the balcony and had it on the rocks. Bliss.
• An occasion. Dinner with red wine at home. Could I ask for anything more. Indulged.
• A friend was staying over. Hot summer in Chennai. What better way to entertain and host my guest than with a chilled bottle of beer. It was perfect.

The truth is, am being only 33.33% honest because the other 66.66% is purely my imagination. But that is besides the point. Now, what do I do with all these empty bottles. Earlier we did a madubani decoupage on a wine bottle which still is on our bedroom side table. This time, I wanted to be a little bold and venture into something I have not tried. And so started the bottle cutting experiment.

Collection of bottles

I was not sure what I wanted to make. Maybe a candle holder. Maybe a lampshade. I wanted to worry about what I wanted to make after I master the art of cutting bottles. After watching loads and loads of Youtube videos, I narrowed down three ways to cut bottles at home (You can just do a Google / Youtube search to find the many ways of cutting bottles at home).

Candle holders made with beer bottle

1. Tie a nail polish soaked thread around the bottle, light it and dunk it in cold water. Didn’t work at all.
2. Score a line around the point where the bottle needs to be cut. Heat with a candle at the scored line. Chill it with a piece of ice cube. Repeat the procedure until bottle cracks at the scoring point. Worked. But, in an absolutely haphazard way. 
3. Pour boiling water along the score. Chill with a piece of ice cube. Repeat until bottle cracks. Worked. But then, definitely not uniform and along the line.

The below picture is self explanatory. All of them have gone into the bin after this photo was taken. Two of them in fact broke.

Badly cut bottles. Guess I need some expert advise here.

Am almost at a point of giving up. I have tried cutting about 8 bottles so far. All miserable attempts. And I stopped midway cutting my last bottle because it was taking too much time. Now am wondering if there is someone who is reading this who can help me out. Have you cut bottles before ? Do you have any tips for me ? I promise I will do something amazing with the cut bottles. But for that, you have to teach me how I can cut them. Anyone ? This is my SOS call before I drown in the sea of giving up my bottle experiment.

Thanks.

A decoupage idea from the pre-internet era

bharani Blog Bottle craft Decoupage Mod podge showcase

We have the internet, we have mod podge, we have millions of tutorials on decoupage, we know how to make our own glue, we have fellow crafters to turn to, and we are probably only reinventing the wheels. But imagine a time when all this was absolutely not available to us. Am talking about the 80s when all we  probably had was the desire to resourcefully spend our times, but no assistance in terms of tips and tutorials.

 Decoupage using Fevicol

This decoupaged Bharani is vintage, comes from the 80s and is the handiwork of Suja Mohan. What really drew me to this project was the idea of decoupage (Passport size photographs) during a time when decoupage was not a known / popular concept at all, at least around here. With just an idea in mind, hear out how Suja Mohan came out with this brilliant finish (with little aid from Doordharshan - Remember that ?)  for her bharani using just Fevicol.

• I used only fevicol. Can u believe it !
• I soaked the picture in water for a while and removed the thick paper behind and separated it carefully.
• Then I let it dry and stuck it onto the jar which was painted with enamel paint (maroon).
• I then painted the rest of the jar with golden paint. I used black marker to draw some designs all round.
• I also used a silver pen,which used to be availabe in those days. Now the paint has started peeling off, so i may change the background sometime in the future.
• After the whole thing was done , I let it dry for a day and then applied clear varnish.
• As simple as that and I had not even heard of Mod Podge in those days.

I so love this work for the sheer reason that the idea to decoupage completely stemmed from the need to use the photographs on a decorated Bharani. That, I believe, is really a high form of creativity. Agree / Not agree ? Either way leave your comment. This work deserves all your accolades.

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About the crafter
Suja Mohan is a Dental Surgeon by qualification, though is more passionate about music and handicrafts of any kind. She is a crafter by heart  and loves working on needlework, glass painting and more. She loves to spend time productively when she is not catering to patients.

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- Somu

Linking in : Colours Dekor

Art idea to upcycle wine bottles

Blog bottle art Bottle craft Painting recycle idea showcase Subbu Padmanabhan upcycling idea Wine bottle art

So far, Woodooz has always been about our works. We thought it is about time that we also use this platform to showcase arts and crafts by others, particularly those that do not have a blog to write about their work. In the recent days, we have been reaching out to talented friends and family and the first in this series of Woodooz Showcase is a DIY bottle art by my sister Subbu Padmanabhan.

Preethi and I have always been fascinated by wine bottle art, and so when we laid our eyes on these bottles during our last visit to Bangalore, we wanted to know how it was done.

DIY Wine Bottle Art

               Art by Subbu Padmanabhan

So here it is, in her own words : 

"I wanted to keep it simple and so went for a minimalist design. The green wraps that you see in the bottom is handmade paper, bordered with glitters. I stuck the paper on to the bottle using cellotape."

Yeah, Cellotape. No fancy decoupage glue used. 

Wine Bottles - Recycled

"For the top, I again chose a simple design, and had it drawn lightly using a pencil. I filled up the line drawing with Fevicryl 3D glitters. I then completed the design by gluing sequins around the top of the bottle"

Craft idea for your Wine bottles

"I left most of the surface area of the bottle blank, because the green backdrop was by itself enhancing the look.  And now this pair of bottles lay right where everyone can see them - In the living room."

So how did you like it ? Sometimes overcrowding can be an overkill, and we thought it is the simplicity of the design that makes it stand out. Leave your comments and let the artist know what you think of her work.

Another wine bottle idea that we loved :  "Chalkboard paint + empty bottle = Endless fun"  by Sarmistha Roy

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About the Artist

Subbu Padmanabhan is a mom to a 3 something year old boy, and works as faculty in a premier play school. She likes to indulge in mini crafts projects, for the school and her home, during her spare time. The wall art that you see in the backdrop of this bedside lamp is her handiwork too. She lives in Bangalore.

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• Tribal face mask using paper mache
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Linking in : Made with Love Party, Colours Dekor
- Somu