Plastic Bottle Crafts for Earth Day

According to the Container Recycling Institute, Americans buy more than 29 BILLION plastic beverage bottles every year while only about 20% are recycled. Traditional plastic bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a non-renewable, petroleum-based product. The Pacific Institute reports that the production of plastic bottles for U.S. beverage consumption in 2006 required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil. Coming up with alternative solutions to reduce the number of plastic bottles created and consumed is imperative.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22nd, the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) is pleased to introduce an eco-friendly, plastic bottle craft as a way for people to get crafty while saving the planet, one plastic bottle at a time. CHA has partnered with Maddylane, a Canadian designer and photographer to provide the tutorial on how to transform plastic beverage bottles into handcrafted lanterns.

Photography courtesy of Maddylane ~ miycreations.com

Total time: About 2 hours (up to 24 hours for the paint to dry and cure.)

Materials & tools:

• Plastic water bottles
• Vinegar
• Lint free cloth & paper towels
• Painter’s tape in assorted widths
• Scissors or craft knife
• Marker and pencil
• Assorted self-adhesive stickers
• Vitrea 160 glass or acrylic paint paints
• Sponge
• Paintbrush
• Paint tray (recycle an old plastic container)
• Cup and water to clean the paintbrushes
• Color wire
• Clippers or pliers
• Hhole punch
• Beads - various sizes and colors
• Cotton swabs
• Electric tea candles or glow stick
• Sand

Directions:

• Clean the plastic bottles thoroughly to remove labels and wipe dry.
• Cover work surface with newspaper and prepare materials and bottles to be painted.
• Make a line using a marker about 2 inches below the cap of the bottle, all around the bottle neck. Use a craft knife or scissor to cut the top off.
• Use a variety of assorted self-adhesive stickers to create patterns by applying them to the surface of the bottles.
• Use painter’s tape in various widths and lengths to place vertically or horizontally around the bottles to create stripes.
• Place some paint in a paint tray. Dip the paintbrush or sponge, dab it to remove excess paint and apply the paint all around the jars over the sticker and tape.
• Place the painted bottles upside-down onto a newspaper to let them dry for approximately one hour.

Photography courtesy of Maddylane ~ miycreations.com

• Before the jars are completely dry, use the tip of a craft knife to help peel off the stickers and painter’s tape. If some bleeding occurred along the edges of some of the designs, it can be simply wiped off gently with a damp cloth or a cotton swab. Remove any adhesive left by the stickers with a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol.
• Clean the paint tray and sponges.
• Use a hole punch to make holes about half an inch from the top rim.
• Cut a piece of decorative wire to desired lengths. Insert the wire at one end of the rim handle into one of the holes and use pliers to loop and twist the wire to secure it into place. Insert decorative beads as per desired. Making a loop at the end of the wire, insert it into the second handle hole and twist to securely close and fasten the handle.
• After the paint has dried insert sand into the bottom of the bottle and insert votive candle, tea candles, or glow stick.

Photography courtesy of Maddylane ~ miycreations.com

For more information about the harmful impacts plastic bottles can have on the environment and Earth Day please go to www.earthday.net. For more Recycled Craft projects and tips, log onto www.craftplace.org. View more eco-friendly make it yourself creations and inspirations by Maddylane, visit www.miycreations.com ~ inspired by Nature. (More photos on this project can be found HERE at miycreations.com.

About the Craft & Hobby Association

The Craft & Hobby Association is an international not-for-profit trade association consisting of thousands of member companies engaged in the design, manufacture, distribution and retail sales of products in the $27 billion U.S. craft and hobby industry. For more information about CHA visit www.craftandhobby.org. To find out more about its award-winning Conventions and Trade Shows visit: www.chashow.org.