The Secret to Writer’s Block: Art - Post Three

Distraction in a Bottle:

Using a Crafting Project to Provide the Necessary Distraction to Writer’s Block

Every once in a while, I just need to completely get my mind off of writing. I need to find a project or activity that will reboot my brain and put me in a more creative mood. When I need a really good distraction, I often turn to crafting. Some of my projects have come out better than others (admittedly), but I always enjoy the process- regardless of the product. I decided to share a craft project that I recently completed. It was one that I particularly enjoyed, could be modified for everyone’s individuals taste, and hit a couple different areas of crafting- fully distracting me from my writer’s block woes.

This project involved taking empty bottles and turning them into beautiful art pieces for the home.

Here are the things that you will need:

• Bottles - you will need between 2 and 4 depending on what word or image that you want to feature. You can use lots of different sizes and shapes. Bottles with a high neck and those that are clear are easier to use (think white wine). For my project I used rum bottles that our local distillery had filled with hand sanitizer for hospitals and businesses around town.

• Glue gun with glue sticks - to adhere all your fun little ideas to your bottles as well as your letters if you choose

• Speaking of letters: I chose to use 3 inch pre-cut letters. I am not great at free hand letters, so I went this route for a clean look. You could also use stencil with paint, letter stickers, or free hand it. If you want black letters, just buy them black. Otherwise, go with white or light grey so you can modify with paint as desired.

• Paint & brush - Here’s where some of the creativity and fun begins. Pick your color palette and your theme. Having trouble finding your paint inspiration? I have included some ideas further below. Remember, the more complicated your idea, the more paint you have to buy (this blog cover image only required three colors). So, keep your color palette simple or use the same colors on multiple bottles - just in different ways. The 2 fl oz acrylic paint works great.

• Decorative extras - and here’s the other fun part. You can get as creative as you want here. I will give you step-by-step instructions for the two themes in the pictures here as well as some other ideas to make the bottles your own.

So, when you have your supplies and are ready to get started, here are your steps to follow:

• Remove any labels and extraneous metal pieces from your bottles. Use wire cutters to remove any metal pieces (I recommend using gloves for safety here). Depending on the glue used on the labels, you may need to soak the bottles in soap and water. Usually dish soap and warm water will do the trick.

• Once your bottles are dry, start painting! You will need at least 3 coats (and for metal paints you will need more). Make sure that you paint the bottom of the bottles to facilitate light coming through if in front of a window or in case you have them on a shelf/ledge. Then paint any extra designs that you may want to incorporate (for example: coral design). If you want your letters to be a different color, go ahead and paint those as well.

• Time to bust out the glue gun! For these two projects, I bought two main items for decoration: Burlap crafting rope & burlap printed ribbon. I used both to fill the negative spaces around the letters and to tie in the four bottles while not being too “matchy-matchy”. For one bottle I completely covered it with the rope (TIP: start in the middle and work your way in either direction. Then just tuck in your ends so that you can’t see them. Use the glue gun to to anchor your rope and make sure you have no glass showing. Use extra glue on the neck of the bottle so that the rope doesn’t slip). Then glue on your letters!

• For a little extra sparkle, I added a couple of pieces from some potpourri I had laying around, made a starfish cutout, and then utilized some extra burlap ribbon and rope to make the message in the bottle. The sand I got from out back (since I live in Florida and most of our dirt is actually sand) but you could also purchase sand or use rice as a substitute. One set of bottles I just painted the tops shut while the other I used corks for more beachy details.

I picked color schemes/themes to match my home decor and the Florida theme, but you can make it your own! Here are some other themes/ideas I had thought of:

• Choosing your word theme: I also thought about using “LOVE”, “LIFE”, or “LIVE”. Initials would be nice if you are single, your last name if it’s short, or a single bottle for the first letter of the family last name are also good ideas.

• Color themes: Try using combinations of flat colors with metallics. It’s a nice way to change the depth of your project and draw your eye to something shiny. Other themes I thought of: Garden (use purples, pinks, and silk flowers); Pop (use reds, blacks, whites, and yellows- really cute ribbon would work great here); Moroccan (golds, whites, and a bright color pop)

• For holidays: I think it would be really fun to do this for holidays. I am a Christmas nut, so I very well may try this when it gets closer to that time of year. Why not try oranges, reds, and browns for a “FALL” theme. “BOO” could be a great idea for Halloween as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed this distraction from writer’s block. It was fun to bring out my creative side with paint and glue instead of ink. It was also a nice project that I could start and stop as I wanted (I didn’t have to finish it all at once). It also helped to facilitate my writing because I could pick up the project each time I found myself stuck. Here are some of the supplies that helped me complete my project: (paid links by Amazon Associates).

I hope that these ideas help you to break through! 

Found a great source of inspiration that worked for you?  Let me know!

Still getting writer’s block?  Tell me how I can help!