Sunday, August 22, 2010

Put a lid on it: shiny, pretty upcycled vessels.

Look what I made!  Little clear storage vessels, with ornamental lids.



(You can click on the photo to see more detail.)

Their origin is probably pretty obvious, eh?




The fun thing about these (besides the awesome upcycling factor) is mixing and matching.  The bottom end of one bottle can become a lid that will fit many others, all different sizes and shapes, to create tons of variations.

Cut the bottom ends off some bottles.  And cut the tops off some other bottles.



It works best to cut the top off fairly close to the mouth of the bottle, as pictured above, so the top of the vessel is narrower than the body.  Those four pieces are from four different bottles.  See, mix and match! Test various combinations until you find a bottom that fits nicely as a lid to one of the vessels.


Drill a hole in the bottle end.




Put a headpin through a silver spacer and a big bead.




Fold the wire down flat against the plastic underside.  Snip off any excess wire, leaving about 1/2 inch, as in the pic below:




Then make a teeny loop, like so:




The trick is to really tighten that loop well, to secure the bead.  And you're done!  Just pop your ornamental lid onto the topless bottle of your choice.




Doesn't that coke-bottle one above look kinda rocket-ship-retro?  Use this easy method and have fun with different beads and bottle shapes.




Cute, yes?  And thrifty to the max!


If the lid is too large for the vessel, or is flat on the bottom, add a small plastic screw-top to the underside, then secure with a loop, as before.




The screw top will nestle into the mouth of the vessel and act as a lip to hold your lid in place.


I kinda like the mushroom-y look of the oversize lid.  On this one I added a silver filigree, for some extra gussy:





And these feature that oddball flower from my previous post.







By the way, these lids are great on glass bottles, too.  It's all about finding the right pairing.  This one was the perfect fit to this mini coffee jar.




So go see what you can find in your recycling bin...






...then put a lid on it.


15 comments:

  1. Ah, I love when it all comes together!!

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  2. I really like some of them and they look like a container too. I love the idea of putting them on glass jars...thats perfect if you misplace the jars orginal lid.

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  3. LOVE THIS! What a great idea, and I love all the different profiles and shapes you have going. Do you have any tips for drilling the dead-center of the plastic bottle bottoms? I have tried many times and it is like pulling teeth to get it through...I'm always afraid I'll jam the drill or I'll go too far. Maybe my bit was too large? Either way, I'll experiment and try these out because they are TOO DARN COOL!

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  4. Hi, Aunt Peaches! I know, isn't it a pain? I used a very small drill bit and patience. (If you use a drill press it really goes fast.) Alternatively, you could find embellishments to hot glue to the lids, like flowers or plastic toys. Ooh, plastic toys! Why didn't I think of that before I posted? I might need to update...

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  5. WOW those are too cool! See I would of never thought of that!! Thanks for commenting on my Moth Necklace. It was so sweet and really made my day!! :)

    p.s. When I reach 100 followers I am doing a giveaway from my etsy shop!! :)

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  6. How cute is that!?! What a great idea, Michelle! And they look just adorable! :)

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  7. I can not believe those were just pop bottles. Great upcycling! Thank you so much for linking up.

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  8. You are so clever and inventive! These look really cool.

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  9. We are so glad you joined us for Anything Related! Come back tomorrow for another great party!

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  10. your work is awesome always.....great

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  11. You are too much! I just saw these on OPT and they are awesome as usual.

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  12. Mich, I love this idea!! Somehow I missed it altogether when you first posted it, but it's a marvelous, wonderful idea! Must try, I have a glass container that's missing a shapely lid. See you!

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  13. I have cut few bottle for different project, but this is so easy and so beautiful......I will definitely try this. thanks for share with us

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