Do you have some old plastic water bottles just sitting around the house? If so, you may want to think about transforming them into decorative containers. In my experience, all it takes to do so is a handful of craft supplies and roughly 120 minutes of your time. Here’s how to do it:
Supplies Needed
In order to complete this project, you will need a 1 pound tin of Jacquard Batik Wax, a 13 ounce jar of petroleum jelly, a disposable roasting pan (1 pound), a 6 ounce can of acrylic spray sealer and several skeins of colored yarn. The amount of yarn needed will vary based on the size of your plastic bottle and the complexity of your design. In general, two skeins of yarn will cover a 16 ounce bottle. It is also helpful to have a wooden skewer or an orange stick on hand too.
Prepare the Bottle
Begin the project by washing and drying the water bottle. Once the water bottle is completely dry, turn your attention towards creating the batik wax and petroleum jelly mixture.
Prepare the Wax
To make the wax and petroleum jelly mixture, you will need to set up a double boiler and have a disposable roasting pan handy. Once the double boiler is set up, use it to melt 4 ounces of wax and ½ ounce of petroleum jelly together. Next, pour the melted mixture into the disposable pan and let the wax mixture cool down. When the wax mixture feels cool enough to work with, scoop some of it out of the pan with a spoon. Then use your hands to knead the wax mixture until it looks and feels like butter.
Create the Yarn Design
Afterward, use your hands to spread the wax mixture onto the sides of the bottle. Just make sure that you do not cover the ridges where the cap screws onto the bottle. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get the cap back onto the bottle. Once that’s done, use a wooden skewer or an orange stick to etch your desired pattern into the wax.
Continue by positioning the yarn onto the bottle in the pattern desired. Keep in mind that in order for the yarn to stick properly to the bottle, the strands of yarn should not overlap one another. In addition, each strand should be embedded into the wax 1/8 inch deep. Feel free to add more of the wax mixture to the bottle if needed. When you are done decorating the bottle, go ahead and decorate the exterior of the cap.
Afterward, set both items aside and let the wax harden completely. This may take 12 to 36 hours depending on how warm and humid it is inside of your home.
Seal the Yarn
Once the wax has hardened, spray the entire bottle with an acrylic sealer. Doing so will help to preserve the yarn and keep your design intact. After the acrylic sealer dries, your decorative bottle will be ready for use.
Suggested Uses
At this point you may be wondering what you can do with your newly decorated bottle. I would suggest using it as a flower bud vase or as a storage container. Whatever you do, just don’t submerge the bottle into water or place it near a heat source. Otherwise, you’ll run the risk of destroying your design.
Source: Personal Experience
More from this contributor:
Decorating Ideas for a Child’s Room: How to Make Bottle Cap Door Pulls
How to Save Money on Your Monthly Water Bill
Things to Do in Waterville Valley, NH
How to Test a Home’s Water Pressure
