Jessica at her most recent piano recital

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.

Girls' Rainy Day Tea Party

 

 Last week I decided it was time for another tea party. In Belize the hot dry summer days are over for now, and the rainy humid season has started. During the hot months one does not feel like drinking hot tea, only lots of sweet iced tea.

But, when it is dark and rainy outside, what's better than to light some candles, decorate a table and brew some tea. Invite some friends first, and here's what we will serve:

 

 Homemade cookies dipped in chocolate.

Some Brookside chocolate covered fruit candy. The best!

 

 Happy cow cheese.

 ...and some chips brought by one of the friends completes the perfect tea snack.

 For the centerpiece we used my cut glass bottle.

 Some of our latest teacups that we used:

 

 Dilmah teas...apple cinnamon and blueberry vanilla.

The three happy friends at the party. They loved it!

 

 It is especially rewarding for me to host a party like this and then to hear the remark, "I have never done this before." And then to see the smile on their faces and the sparkle in their eyes, knowing that one of their girlish dreams have probably just come true, is a very fulfilling and rewarding feeling.

Linked up at
the Shabby Nest
and:
Bernideen's Tea Time Blog

Recycled canning lids

For me, the motto often is: better not throw it away; it might come in handy sometime. And when enough time has passed, I often come up with a good idea. You just never know when that will happen.

Take used lids, clean and spray paint any color you prefer. 

Cut out a catalog picture or any other picture you like. A baby food jar lid is a great pattern to hold on the picture and trace around. Paste that into the middle of the lid. Spread glitter around the edge with glue and glitter or glitter glue. When all is dry, spray paint with a clear coat that will give it protection and add that sheen. Stick a magnet on the back, and there is a beautiful magnet.

...I joined the party at:
the Shabby Nest

Victoria Hope is One!

 Jessica baked the cake and helped decorate it. Simple simple, but fun for kiddos.

  I figured some new balls would be a treat. They look so girliesh, don't they? 

And here are some more shots from lately:

 Sweaty face and red cheeks.  Its those sweltering summer days that do it!

 How about some glitter on my foot! That seems to be the excitement here...although nothing came out.

 This is one of her favorite expressions lately. "Kliena frautzerita"!

 We have one outdoorsy little girlie. Now she is big enough to open the doors, walk out, get down the stairs and walk or crawl about outside. She couldn't be happier than when she can be outside.

Vintage Sewing Machine Table

When it comes to old treadle sewing machines, I seem have a magnet in me that draws me to them.  One day I spotted this rusty frame (below) sitting in the rain and sun on someone's yard. I couldn't help but ask about it. For a small fee they let me have it. It is a FARMER sewing machine frame, something I don't recall seeing before.

  I cleaned, scrubbed and sanded the frame quite a bit. I was debating what color to paint it. The original was brown, so since I was in a restoring mood, I went with it.

 An old piece of plywood found in the old shed works well for the tabletop. I took a rosewood colored polyurethane (that was lying around from before) for the finish, and there I have it. A simple yet sturdy little table that could be turned into a sewing machine table again, or just to be used as a coffee table. In this case I have my vintage bowl and pitcher sitting on it.

Plus, it makes a nice place for little feet to play . The kids have fun pushing the pedal up and down. This is one 'sewing machine' they are allowed to do that on as much as they want to!

See you again soon! I've got more fun coming up!

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!