LIGHTED RE-CYCLYED BOTTLE MOBILE SUN-CATCHER

Hi everyone, as you can tell, I am still making flowers out of plastic bottles and am always looking for ways to present them.  I was browsing across the street at Bed Bath when I saw this simple table place mat.  Immediately, I imagined my plastic flowers around them with lights.  Say no more, that's exactly what I did.

This placemat was sturdy enough to stand on it own.  I mean it's pretty stiff.  I picked the flowers I  wanted for the outer edge.  I had previously cut, molded, and painted the flowers out of small plastic water bottles. Again, I used my favorite Adirondack Alcohol Inks.  Just love the way it stains these flowers.  You can find a link below if you have a problem looking for alcohol inks.

Look at the fantastic colors these Adirondack Alcohol Inks give to the simplest flower.  It looks like stained glass.  It is
permanently stained, just on plastic.  I cut strips of a green bottle and weaved it around the place mat.  Before I weaved it in I heated it so it would twist into a spiral and tried to make the ends look like leaves.

There is a mini light bulb in the middle of each small flower.

 I drilled holes in the middle of the flowers making sure the holes were large enough to fit a small mini string light bulb.  I weaved the lights in place and attached a flower to each bulb using a glue gun.  Careful not to glue the bulb.  I glue the flower to the mat.  That alone does the trick.

Small water bottle flower with a mini tree light

This plastic flower looks like glass.

The flower below I used for the middle is a three layer flower.  It consists of two, two liter soda bottles, and one small water bottle.  The bottom layer represents the bottom leaves.  It is a green bottle, and a small water bottle for the center.  I finished it with a glittered bottle top I made earlier.  I didn't try to capture the glitter look in this shot.  Sorry, but I wanted to show the way the alcohol works here.  Nice, right?

This is the three layered flower as described above.

I have very large panoramic window.  I hung it up with a strong but light hemp cord.

Lights on at dusk!

A bigger view with the lights on.  I could hardly wait till dusk to turn on my lights.

Well, I am a really happy camper with the way my up-cycled bottle mobile sun catcher with lights.  I just had to share.  See, I can work with Essential Tremors (ET).  Well, Lol, I can now since my brain surgery. I hope you like how I recycle and up-cycle bottles in the area.  See, if I alone can be creative so can you.  Really with these inks, they make my flowers look beautiful and I am no artist. Thanks for dropping by and allowing me to be of service.   I am happy to answer any question, and would love to hear from you.  Feel free to share by clicking on one of the links below.  Till the next idea.  Stay safe, and many blessings.

Sincerely,

Mary Helen

JACK IN THE BOX PLASTIC CUP FLOWER

Here's a quick and easy flower Sofia my favorite 5 1/2 year old made with my help.  I love her like a granddaughter, and she loves me like a Nana.  I never get to see my own grandchildren, so the Lord sends me little angels like Sofie and her mom.  Anyway, I am always looking for projects we can do together when she comes to visit me.

I will keep this short, as I think the pictures suffice as a tutorial.

Here is a large JACK IN THE BOX  plastic soda cup. that I washed and cut as shown.

I clipped each end to give it a pointy tip.  Actually I don't think it was necessary.
Using a  hot glue gun I glued the first petal in the middle of the bottom of the cup
I continued to glue each petal behind the other one until each petal was glued.

This is what the backside should look like when you are done.

And this is the front side.  All white.  See Jack peeking out.

I quickly stained it with semi home-made alcohol inks.  Tumeric soaked in
alcohol does adhere to plastic with it's staining properties.  I then added 1/2
bottle of Adirondack Alcohol Inks in yellow.

Now it's Little Ms. Sofie's turn.  I did the cutting and gluing.  Sofie got to paint it.  She really got into it watching the alcohol inks bleed.  She was amazed, and felt like a true artist with her gloves and mask on.

Sofie is a busy little bee having so much fun.  And I had fun watching her.

She's so proud if her flower.  I glued this on a stick for her, and she took it home to mommy.  Oh, btw, her mommy is a professional make up artist/model, so Sofie "modeled" the flower automatically as soon as the camera came out.  So cute.
Well, it's late, or early morning, and I have to get some sleep.  Just thought I'd share this cute project we made together. I hope you like this short tutorial.  Please, feel free to share by clicking on a share link at the bottom of the page.Thanks for stopping by, and know YES WE CAN make our world just a little bit brighter.  Especially with all that is going on around.  Anyway, Many Blessings, and goodnight.

Sincerely,

Mary Helen

3 Foot Plastic Bottle Flower Arrangements

This is my 3 foot plastic bottle flower arrangements that I have put together using twigs
and a cute glitter butterfly  that I picked up at the dollar store.  So far everyone who
see's it falls in awe.  I am getting ready for Mother's day by making bouquet/arrangements.
Folks, they make great gifts as they are forever flowers.  They will never die and needs no watering.
Furthermore, a very easy way to make some money!

Hi Everyone,

 Just wanted to share what I did with some of the plastic bottles I up-cycled into flowers.  The flowers alone are absolutely stunning.  However, I felt they needed something extra to complete this bouquet.  Baby's breath was too delicate and would be messy.  They would not withstand time like the flower.  Instead, I bought these sturdy twigs at my local craft store.  They were $8.00 for a small bunch.  I was able to use this one bunch of twigs to make three arrangements.  I sure wish I had my old back yard where I had access to all the free twigs I needed.  Oh well, If you are lucky and have access to free twigs, drying and  painting them would make a great addition for your flower arrangements.

Same flower arrangement, just another view reflecting a nice
artistic statement by a large scenic window.

Same arrangement, just showing the clear
glass vase.  I partially filled it withgreen flat glass
marbles.  The marbles hold the flowers
upright and look nice too.

If you are interested in learning how I make these flowers using plastic water, soda, vinegar, peanut butter, and even ketchup bottles, check my first post on this blog  There you will find out how I cut the bottles with scissors, shape the plastic by hand using heat gently from a candle.  I use my favorite permanent Adirondack Alcohol Inks to paint them.  Why Alcohol Inks?  Because I love the way they bleed with other colors just enough to give it that "stained glass/blown glass effect".

 I have essential tremors so when my tremors allow me to work, I paint.  Because I tremor, and it progresses with age, using alcohol inks allows for errors.  When I get ink in the wrong spot, it bleeds and just gives it character.  Lol.  I love it!

 I also use bottle caps that I painted, or stuffed with polymer. I even add glue and glitter to some of the bottle caps.  I finish that by adding a resin cap.  This is really awesome and just adds to the stained glass effect. That's another post coming up soon.

Once you make the bouquet, a nice ribbon wrapped around the stems would also make a great gift.  Don't you think? I think I ran out of ribbon, but those were my attentions.

Note to self:  Add ribbon to supply list.  Check.

Another simple but pretty arrangement.   I noticed they look similar to the flowers above.
I added a few dried filler leaves and curly sticks to this flower arrangement..
  I just want to give you an example of what you can do with these flowers.
See we can beautify this world one bottle at a time.

What makes these flowers stunning besides me shaping each leaf, is the Adirondack Alcohol Inks. They are permanent, and have a shiny transparent color that makes the plastic look like stained glass.  These pictures do not do justice for these flowers.  Trust me.  They are stunning!  I recently traded flowers to my local pharmacy for a good trade.  They were in awe.  So was I.  Not only for the trade.  But the fact that knowing my work is going on display here on Hollywood Boulevard near Vine, in Hollywood, California.  Lots of traffic there so lots of folks get to see it.  The fact that they were pretty enough for the owners to want them to display in their shop is a blessing. This makes me very happy camper.

Below is a link for the Adirondack Alcohol inks. www.samsclub.com.  Like I said before, they are the cheapest anywhere. I use a lot of ink, so I usually shop around looking for the best deal.  If you find a cheaper spot, let me know please.

This is the great link I was telling you about.

Well that's about it, I need to finish up another post about a McDonalds cup.  Yes, I made a flower out of it.  I will post that soon.  It was such a fun project for my favorite 5 1/2 year old friend Sofie. Actually, she's my friends daughter whom I love like my own granddaughter.  Anyway, thank you for visiting and feel free to share, by clicking one of the links below.

Imagine how pretty the world would be if we could see some more pretty tinted flowers, instead of landfills.  If you have any questions, ask away.  Any comments are appreciated too.  And if you do something creative...do tell.  Let me know how and what you did.  After all, sharing is caring right. Till the next...STAY SAFE and Many Blessings.

Sincerely,

Mary Helen

5 FOOT FLOWER MOBILE FROM PLASTIC BOTTLES

Hi again everyone.  I told you I would be back soon.  Well, I made this 5 foot hanging mobile early February.  I am just now getting ready to post it.  I've been either busy or unable.  Thank God, today I am able.

Today I am sharing with you this mobile I made. I used one top of a two liter soda bottle and nine bottoms of small water bottles.  You can use as many as you like but 5 feet is tall enough for me.  Besides, my cat Cisco would get tangled up.  Funny because he loves to play with it, especially since it is right over an air vent.  It twinkles for him, and taunts him.  But he is kind with it...it's still hanging.

I also used small silver fired glass beads that really sparkle when the light hits it. I bought them online from Fire Mountain Gems.com I strung them on hemp cord.  Trust me that was not an easy task.  (Note to self, try fishing line).  I cut nine pieces of hemp cord, each one approximately 6 inches longer than the previous one to get this spiral effect.  I hung a flower at the end of each cord.

To see how I make these flowers please go to my home page and see my first post here.  Anyway after I molded each flower over a candle, I painted them by hand using my favorite Adirondack Alcohol Inks.   I carefully glued a small but bright LED light at the base, making sure not to glue it closed.  It's a screw on, screw off switch which makes it real easy to turn on or off...if your 6 feet tall.  So far I haven't figured that one out yet.  I need to make one that has a reachable switch.  Especially since I am a whopping 5'2 stretching it.  LOL

Well that's it, I'm done for the evening.  I just had to share.  If you have any  questions or comments. PLEASE feel free to ask away.  I am here to share, and see we can make pretty things out of junk that might have never made a recycle bin.  Don't forget to like or share this whichever way you can.  Together we can help recycle those plastic bottles, and beautify your neighborhood.
Thanks so much for stopping by, and to you I say...many blessings.

Sincerely,

Mary Helen

Here is a close up of the top base.  Perhaps I should call it the bottom of a soda bottle.

A close up of the small water bottle bottoms.

Cisco the cat::)

PLASTIC BOTTLE FLOWERS, BAMBOO AND MINI LIGHTS UPCYCLED

I an referring to the large one on the right.  I know this picture does not do this justice
at all.  I could not capture the whole bamboo because it was too tall for the distance I
was standing.  I captured a little over 1/2 of the pole.

Hi everyone.  Yes I am still making pretty flowers out of plastic bottles.  It seems like the more I make, the more creative I become, and the flowers get prettier and prettier.  I bought these 72" bamboo sticks/poles for the garden at the dollar store.  They were to thick to cut them down as stems like I normally do.  Ha ha, I would need a saw for that one.  Anyway, I imagined mini tree lights wrapped around this stick with flowers.

Well, that's exactly what I did.  I guess there is no need to explain how.  However, for those of you who are new here and to my work, I have a tutorial in the first post in this blog showing how I make these flowers out of various bottles.


I generally use water bottles, soda bottles, big and small.  Ketchup bottles make beautiful flowers, as do vinegar and peanut butter bottles. As long as it is plastic and can soften into shape, it's possible. It's a challenge for me.  With the exception of water and soda bottles,  I do not cut the plastic bottle until I usually know what kind of flower I am going to make.  I see it or imagine it  in my mind first, then I can move forward.

I used my favorite Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks.  You can find them in sets of three different colors, cheapest online. Nice huh.  Trust me with all the alcohol inks I use, I do look for the cheapest deal.  This week, it's the link below:)



Okay, since I couldn't give you a clear picture, or the whole project with this large 72 inch pole, I thought I could show you what the flowers look like.  They're really pretty.  I just need to find a good home for this Flower Bamboo Light Pole.

I used larger glitter bits  for this one.  Gold.

Alcohol Inks really make it happen

Adirondack Alcohol Inks work great on glass, metals, and
plastic.  They are transparent, non toxic when dry.
And it's permanent inks.

I love those Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks.

Another addition to my flowers is that I added more that one layer.  Some flowers even have three layers.  It just adds to it's beauty.  Also I found that bottle-caps fit very well in the center.  However, I add glue first then glitter, let it dry before I add a one inch circle resin cap that fits in the bottle cap.  It's not necessary but does make it prettier. I then glue the bottle cap to the flower.  And that's about it.

I am closing for now, but I will be right back with another post I am excited to share with you.  Meanwhile feel free to share this, like this or pin this please. So till then, stay safe, have fun crafting, and many blessings.

Sincerely,

Mary Helen

AIRBRUSHING PLASTIC FLOWER SODA BOTTLES

This recycled plastic bottle that is now a pretty flower has three layers of Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks.  The first layer
towards the rim I painted it with magenta colors.  Right above that color I sprayed the orange ink.  The top of the flowers
has a layer of red inks.  The difference with this flower and the one below, is I used less colors and kept the airbrush
moving.

Just another view.

Well I'm sure you have seen my post about airbrushing my flowers giving them a stained glass look simply my holding the airbrush in one spot an additional second or too. However, I wanted to show you this flower where it does not have that stained glass effect like the picture below.

See the difference.  This flower has a stained glass effect.  I used a smashed bottle cap and polymer clay for the middle.

Both flowers come out very pretty using my favorite Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks.  These inks are permanent and look great on glass, metal, and of course plastic.  I use lot's of these inks, as I stain everything.  Lol,  So far I have not found it any cheaper than the link below.  If you know of a cheaper place, by all means please let me know

Well that's it for now.  Thank you so much for stopping by.  Help me make this world a prettier place by recycling and upcycling.  Please feel free to share, like, or pin.  Till the next time...Many blessings.

Sincerely,

Mary Helen

7UP PLASTIC BOTTLE CORSAGE

Isn't this a cute corsage for a baby shower?  Just add a name tag like "PROUD MOM", etc.  

This is going to be a quick share.  Hopefully, you know how I make my plastic flowers out of recyclable plastic bottles by now.  This time I used plain acrylic paint.  I painted the pink first.  Let it dry, then continued to paint the white.  I added a flattened bottle cap in the center. I found this baby face on a program I have. I shaped the picture into a one inch circle then added a resin cap. By the way this would be cute if you add the baby's face in the circle.  Anyway,  I then folded a wire in half for the stem. I wrapped the stem with plastic green tape I found at the dollar store. At this point you can wear this corsage if you have a long stick pin.  If not continue as I did in the next picture.

You can see how I wrapped it with the green plastic tape.  I also added another flattened bottle cap for the back so I could glue the pin finding.  

It's almost finished.  Some pink ribbon, a name tag, then it's done.

Oh by the way, I bought my resin tops, and bottle caps online.  Check out the link below:)  It's so much cheaper than Michael's.


Well I just had to share.  I hope you like this easy recycling project by upcycling your plastic bottles.  It's fun, and creative.  They make cute gifts too. You can help make this world a cleaner prettier place to live.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by.  Feel free to share and visit my other blogs here.  Thanks for allowing me to be of service.  Many blessings:)

Sincerely,

Mary Helen

AIRBRUSHED FLOWERS MADE FROM PLASTIC BOTTLES

The green leaves are made from a plastic peanut butter jar.  The flower is made from a water bottle, top and bottom.
I airbrushed all these flowers with my favorite alcohol inks.

Same flower just a close up view so you can see where I placed the flower.
By the way this one flower is about 7-8 inches in diameter.  It makes a
statement for sure.

Here is another beautiful flower I recently put together. There is a big difference from my first flowers as opposed to these. For one, I am making flowers with multiple layers of two or more. It gives the flower so much more depth. My first flowers had only one layer of plastic. Although they were pretty because of the way I heated them lightly with a candle to give it it's shape. Haha, I am the Captain of this ship.

Back view.  The flowers are so light-weight, they do stay on
the sticks with the hot glue gun.

I say that because I have seen other folks making flowers with just scissors. They are OK, but have no character. Just blah. I have a  hot air gun, and I have seen folks do that too. However, I want the flower to take the shape I have in mind. I have no control with the heat gun. With the candle it is so easy to work with. It takes two hands and a little practice, but it's easy to see which way it's going and you work with it.

Remember, we are not burning the plastic. If you see smoke, it probably touched the fire. There is no need to touch the fire. Carefully a few inches from the fire, put your hand over the candle to find the hot spot. Don't burn yourself. With two hands you hold the flower over that hot spot. Heat and mold each petal forward or backwards, or just curled. Whichever way suits your fancy. Personally, I like to mold them in all directions. But they go in the direction I want.

Another airbrushed flower consisting
of the top of two water bottles.

I ground the rim of the flower so it would sit nicely and not
protrude out too much.  Again, I hot glued this together.
The grinder is my new toy.  Prior to the grinder, I would cut the rim
with tin cutters.  A little hard on the hands, thus the grinder.

The green leaf here is a soda bottle, with the flower being a water bottle.  To get this effect on the flower.  I just stayed a few seconds on each spot.  For the Leaf, I used continuous motion to avoid too many spots.

Airbrushing with alcohol inks is so much easier and less messy. I mean it's more drip less. As with anything, it takes a bit of practice, but I am quickly getting the hang of it. I bartered with a makeup artist here in Hollywood. She needed some gifts, and I had plenty. I also make jewelry:). In return I got a small Dinair Makeup Artists Airbrush set. It is not strong enough for acrylic paints, but works perfectly with my alcohol inks. For one, is has a very low PSI. This makes it so easy and so much safer. I hardly smell those toxic fumes ...no more headaches after a day of painting. Yay!  I do make sure all the windows, fans, and door is open.  I also make sure to wear safety eye wear, and face mask ventilator, specifically for paint, fumes, etc.  It's better to be safe right?

I hope you like this tutorial and try doing this yourself.  Really, it is not hard at all.  And you would literally help make the world a "pretty clean" place one bottle at a time. I will be posting more airbrushed flowers that have a more sutle effect.  Please feel free to share or pin this post.  Visit my other posts to see more beautiful recycled and upcycled items stained with my  favorite Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks.  The outcome of my flowers alone inspire me to continue to use these inks.



Well that's it for now with these airbrushed flowers that I upcycled from plastic bottles.  I thank you for stopping by and encourage to visit my other pages regarding upcycling.  Share, or pin it, on Pinterest. Visit my other blogs for that matter.  I also want to thank you for allowing me to be of service.  Sharing is a good thing:) Till then,  many blessings.

Sincerely,

Mary Helen

3 FOOT TALL PLASTIC AND LIQUOR BOTTLE TABLE LAMP

Here I upcycled plastic soda bottles, and a large 1.75 liquor bottle.  With the flowers and
the twigs, and flowers, this table lamp stands about 3 feet tall.  It definitely makes a statement.

My neighbor Mike upstairs came to my rescue when I sent out a bulletin for bottles so I can have something to upcycle into something pretty.  He has given me some really nice bottles in the past.  I thought it would be appropriate to give him one of his own bottles that I upcycled just for him, with a bouquet of my plastic upcycled soda flowers. Besides he has no idea what I do with them.

Again I used my plastic flowers that I cleaned, cut, stained with my alcohol inks, then melted into a variety of shapes with a candle. I attached them to some tall bamboo sticks which I picked up from Home Depot. I glued them with the hot glue gun. I added a twig which I purchased from Michaels.  Now my bouquet is done.

Now to install my mini tree lights I bought online as they are not in season.

A close up view of my plastic soda bottle flowers.  However, this picture does not do the flowers any
justice.  You can't really see the brilliant colors.  Too bad. The alcohol inks are amazing aren't they?  See
the light at the top? I wrapped the mini tree lights around the bamboo stems so the lights go all the way up.
They no longer "sag" at the bottom of the bottle.

Using my drill and a glass/tile drill bit. I slowly drilled a hole big enough to insert my mini tree lights. I decided to keep the original label on the bottle for this project since it was going to a home where a guy  can appreciate the bottle. Only thing is, I forgot to add the rubber grommets where I drilled the hole to protect the cord.  Now I know. Next time.
You should have seen his face when I gave it to him.  He lit up:)

Anyway, that's about it. I think this upcycled plastic flowers in a lamp liquor bottle came out great. I just had to share. Remember to see the first post for instructions on how I make my flowers. If you are interested. Pin it, share it and come on back. Till the next time...many blessings.

Sincerely,

Mary Helen