Thursday, March 22, 2012

Prescription For An Upcycled Necklace


Prescription bottles.  I hate 'em.


They're ugly.   They are reminiscent of infirmity and redolent of medicine.  I have saved them for years because I knew I could turn them into something pretty...somehow.  This is my first project.  Turn these:


Into these!


It's crazy simple.  Read on for the DIY...


First, sand off the text.


It takes a couple of minutes, but it's so nice when that crap is gone and you have a nice white surface!

Next, doodle a five-petaled flower with Sharpies.


My ink spread a little, because of the roughed sanded surface. You could minimize that by polishing with a fine grit sandpaer, but I kind of like the watercolor feel of the running ink.


I added a crisp look to some of them, with an extra-fine black outline.



Then simply thread some cord, ribbon or chain through the existing holes...



Done and done!


To add a dangle, I poked a hole with a pushpin.


I inserted an eyepin (an eyepin is just a bit of wire with a loop on one end), and made another loop inside to hold it in place.  Then it's super simple to hang a dangle from the bottom loop.  Like so: 


Whee!  Aren't they cute?


By the by, you don't hafta make jewelry.  Use these flowery lids to prettify those boring but useful bottles.  Great for storing little craft or sewing supplies.


Hope you enjoyed this prescription bottle upcycle!  I have a couple of others, which I will show you one of these days.

15 comments:

  1. OMG, that's awesome! Being saddled with meds for the first time, I now have inspiration on what to do with all those bottles they won't just refill to recycle! YOU are a genius.

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  2. Ohhh..My dear, this is so beautiful, I love the easy peasy tutorial & you draw a neat design,,well done Mich :)
    But..I am sure I haven't seen any cap somewhere like this,,hehe
    thnx4 sharing :)

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  3. I love it! Makes me wish I had kept all the prescription bottles we've gone through. Guess it's never too late! And I really love your flower design!

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  4. I was wondering how you covered the printing, and you didn't cover it all. Sanding - good thought!

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  5. oh my goodness..I love this!!! I bet there is a market for these necklaces too!! you could be rich!
    i am your newer follower..pls follow back if you can.

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  6. I like how you used the holes in the cap to your advantage. Very clever.

    This would be a great project for kids too.

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  7. Another great idea!! I have saved a lot of bottlecaps. Now I see what I can
    do with a few of them. Thanks.

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  8. these are really cute..esp the dangler ones

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  9. Ingenious! Looking forward to seeing your other pill bottle upcycles:)

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  10. That is so funny that you've kept all those ugly bottles, just knowing one day you would make them pretty!!! Love your work as always!!


    Jill @ Creating my way to Success
    http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

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  11. Someone asked me just the other day, what i would make with old pill bottles. I think I'll be linking to this post once I get my act together and respond to that question! Awesome work Michelle!

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  12. Pretty! Ive been saving my rx bottles coz I wanted to so SOMETHING with them instead of waste them.More ideas PLEASE!!!!! You are such a genious! Regina

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  13. Brillo or S.O.S. pad worked speedy-quick on mine. It was a reversible lid without holes. May turn it into a 2-sided pendant. . .

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  14. I make bird toys with the caps and bottles. I put food with nuts then cap it. He has to open it, keeps him busy. I as drill holes and string the caps up for him.

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  15. Love this idea. You have made cuteness out of
    "What do I do with these ??" Great thinking, thanks! 😃

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