More on bottle cutting

I realized I should have included the link when I talked about bottle cutting before. this technique works the best for me so far. I do not have the bottle cutter, but a small cheap tool from the hardware store. I fasten that in a vise, then with a solid grip I turn the bottle around in a circle, letting the cutter cut all around the bottle once or more if needed.

 The piece on the left is a cut cod liver oil bottle, and the glass on the right is from a sprite bottle. (In Belize most sodas still come in glass bottles)

 This can be tricky, and too often I end up with broken bottles.They don't break while cutting, but while pouring the hot or cold water to separate the two pieces.

 Do you see that this bottle is thick in some ares and thin in others? If you have a bottle like this, you just happen to be unfortunate, because they don't want to behave when splitting. I threw away two of these big rum bottles and am thinking they might never work for me.

 I am most successful with the regular wine bottles that I cut at the bottom. These I can turn into wine glasses or candle lanterns, either one.

 If these glasses tip over, they will most likely break. Trust me, I speak from experience! 

And here's what you don't want -- an explosion. Too bad for me, I had to find this one out personally too! Before pouring hot water for the first time, make sure the cap is off! I had a frosted bottle that was supposed to work out well, but since I had forgotten to take the cap off, it exploded into two when pouring the hot water. DON"T do that! No one got hurt, but it still gave me a good scare.

They do make lovely flower vases.

Glass bottle cutting projects

Lately I have been into crafting quite a bit. Seems like I have my times where I enjoy doing a certain thing and then I do a lot of it... Here are some projects I have done after baby this past year, but most of them are from the past months. I plan to do a series of posts on DIY projects I have done lately, so be sure to check back.

 This is my new hobby, to make things out of cut glass bottles. This is a juice bottle I have cut and glued back together this way. I can't wait to do more of this kind of fun. The possibilities are endless! No more nice bottles going to waste here, except the ones that break when I try to cut them.

 A close-up of the glued part.

 

 Cut bottles that we glued neat pictures on, then spray-painted with a clear coat to keep them looking good. These make lovely gifts. (we gave some to the children's school-teacher.) These could be made into drinking jars, but require a lot more sanding than I have time for.

 

 And one of my favorites. A wine bottle lantern. I placed a baby food jar inside this one with a candle in it.

 Come back soon to see what else is new!

Decorating with Jars

Jars. I like jars. In all shapes and sizes. I find using jars a very economic yet perfect way to decorate a house. Lately I have been looking for different ways to display jars, and today I want to share them with you. 

 Tea light candles in baby food jars! Last saturday my daughter and I went yard saling again, and as I have said before, I always peer into those boxes marked 'free' cause I just never know what I will find. This time it was a bunch of baby food jars. O yes!

 We also tried this one: flowers in a baby food jar. I painted the lid gold, stuck some flowers into a small piece of sponge foam that I painted green and glued to the inside of lid, and voila. A very pretty little gift for any pretty little lady, and so inexpensive. And, your flowers are going to stay pretty and clean, protected inside the jar from dust and humidity, which can be a problem here in Belize.

 When I saw a similar soap dispenser, I got busy with my own, as I had a few of those empty blue jars on hand. I have been on the lookout for ways to use them, and this fit perfectly in my bathroom, where I already have a blue quart jar with shells. It is a much better dispenser than the cheap plastic ones you buy with soap. I did use the cheap plastic bottle to fashion this one though. I melted a hole in the center of the white lid that goes on the jar, and used the top of the plastic bottle to insert into the hole from the inside, and then screwed the dispenser on. Easy enough! I am thinking this would also make a great gift. One could just use a clear jar, and use colored soap.

 Here are two jars I was very excited to find during last yard sale hunt...they turned out pretty neat after a good washing and painting the two lids a lovely golden color.

 Perhaps having Dilmah tea in them makes them appear even more attractive?...

 Jars for photo frames. That is a new one for me, but I LOVE the idea! I had to try that one instantly, and it was a hit I thought.

 How about a bunch of buttons in a vintage jar? I have it sitting on my vintage (and only) sewing machine; it looks right at home there. I like this jar because it has my year number on it: 1976. If I was American I would like it because it has the liberty bell on it. It actually says 1776 on top and 1976 on bottom. 

 Assorted marbles in an emptied candle jar.

I am sure there are many more ways to decorate in jars. I will keep my eyes open and add them as I keep prettying up my house!

Linked to:

Funky Junk Interiors
The Shabby Nest

It's hot in Belize

Right around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. That is when my sweet iced black tea tastes real good...

I am on the lookout for these quart jars with handles, so if you come across any, let me know! This one I purchased in Tennessee, where people drink lots of sweet tea, and a jar like this comes in handy. Like it does in Belize. (Photo is taken in the Smoky Mountains)

Yard Sale Find

Yesterday I took Jessica along to a yard sale. In case you haven't noticed, I am a bit of an antique freak, so I have to go check out all antiques. I don't think many people around here care that much for old things, so I sometimes get lucky.

(1 BZE $ = .50 US)

  A complete old-fashioned marble checkers game. The children love to play it. I thought it was a good buy

(especially since I checked ebay and saw people are asking $60 US for these!!!...)

Two more teacups with saucers to add to our collection.

 An old wooden handmade box.

Some great books for our little bookworms. I can buy the workbooks here and I think I will just do that for our little bookworm students.

A gallon canning jar: $5.00. I love jars, especially these old ones that are becoming rare!

'Some of the best things in life are free', right? Or, 'one woman's junk is another woman's treasure'. I usually look in the FREE box for stuff, in case this can happen. I was very much pleased to find all these vintage hankies tucked away in it. A steal, isn't it! Especially since Jessica has started her own collection...

It was definitely worth going, and I can't wait for the next one...

Something's always brewing...

...in my pantry. Ever since I got my book, Nourishing Traditions, (which no mom should be without), I have been eager to try some of the lacto fermented drink recipes.

 

Crabboo wine, blackberry wine, noni wine (we have a noni tree on our yard) and kombucha. I like to use coffee filters for the covers. In this country there are too many little critters that try to find their way into everywhere.

 This is ginger ale.

 Kombucha. It's THE drink for this hot country. So far I have a few customers who buy this drink from me. It's the perfect substitute for sweet tea. I ferment it for a few days, then bottle it with a little dash of sugar, cap it tightly and let sit for a day or two more. This way it is as fizzy as pop. Yummy! 

 

 Belizean blackberries from a tree. They give the absolute best wine I have ever tasted. I made over a gallon.

Sauerkraut. I am getting hooked on this! We are going back to our real German roots with this stuff. In Iowa in every German restaurant you could get some. Then I wasn't impressed with it, but now that I make it myself, I love it. 

I also make yogurt about once a week which we eat with raw honey, and have a little drink of kefir (milk champagne :) now and then. Daniel and me both love the beet kvass, but it takes the children a little longer to learn to drink that one. A little sip of wine before bed, (if I'm not pregnant...) and I feel very healthy and happy.

So, why all this fermented stuff? because I want us all to have a healthy intestinal system. Parasites and yeast infections don't appreciate soured fermented foods like these, so why not eat more! Lacto fermented foods are full of enzymes, and you can't get too many of those. Enzymes help us digest food better, so it is recommended to have foods like this for every meal. I've got no problem eating a little sauerkraut every day. Or drinking some great tasting kombucha with my meal. I can't wait to try out more of Sally Fallon's recipes! Healthy eating has never been more fun.

My Day

This is great! I now have internet at my in-laws. No more needing to go all the way to Belmopan just to update a post!

Here's what's new. Our children started their first Bible Camp ever today! They thoroughly enjoyed it. The subject is on Daniel and his companions. Jessica was saying she wishes they could have Bible Camp every day. I dearly wish I had that enthusiasm when it comes to having Bible study or training. I do need to grow a larger appetite for the Word, just like these precious innocent vessels have. May God use them for His purpose!

Here's what went wrong today; Timothy, little sweetheart, broke my 3 quart canning jar! See, I have this 'thing' about jars, and this was a special jar that I had taken with me all the way from Iowa. I had never seen one just like it before, ever! And I probably will never again.. :(. I was using it to make kombucha, but I have some gallon canning jars that work just as well, so it's not like I'm out of jars. I just like to have a collection of all the different sizes of canning jars I can find. I know the Lord had to remind that I am too attached to some little things in this world that really aren't that important. Thank you Lord.

My cucumbers! They don't want to make it! I wonder if there is any place in the world one can still raise healthy cucumber plants without dousing them with some sort of concoction?... I was hoping to can lots of pickles, and just eat lots of fresh ones. But alas, I must learn that gardening here is not so easy, like I already knew, just didn't want to believe. I tried rescuing the poor plants again today, but if it doesn't work, I will have to try again come winter, or next summer.


But hey, we ate some sweet corn today. It looked a little scrawny to start off with, but it tasted just like sweet corn. It sure was a treat. The corn plants don't get nearly as tall as in Iowa, and the ears are not much more than half the size. Anyway, Jessica took a few bites and said, "I'm back in Iowa." Iowa and corn, that is one thing we will never forget. Two things, I guess.

Bathroom decor

For a while I have wondered how best to display my blue canning jars. I have a bunch of them, and today I finally had a great idea. Put some sand in bottom of one, and shells on top, and there you go! Very easy yet very lovely. It reminds me of the ocean...

If you have more great ideas for how to utilize these jars, pass them on! I would like to put my others to good use as well.