Paper Mache Bottle

I love projects that are all stuff you are likely to have on hand. This is one of those! You will need:

• paper mache
• salad dressing bottle -clean and empty
• Mod Podge
• tissue paper (pattern of your choice)
• cork that will fit into top of bottle

Use THIS paper mache recipe!  I know there are others ,and some will probably work, but it’s the one I used.  It is great for this sort of thing.  I like to make it up the day before, and keep it in the fridge for various projects, but you don’t have to, of course.  You will have some left over, so you can make more jars, or beads, or buttons, or something else.  🙂

Be sure you have removed the label completely from the bottle, and it’s clean. I run mine through the dishwasher, and I’ve discovered that the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is the best way to remove all traces of labels from jars.

Then simply begin to smooth the paper mache onto the bottle.  I did not cover the bottom, because I wanted it to be level and stable.  I also didn’t wrap into the inside of the bottle because I wasn’t sure how I was going to finish the top.  If you don’t want to put a stopper in it, you could probably wrap the paper mache over the rim, but I don’t see any reason to, as you are going to cover that with paper anyway.

Now, let it dry.  I thought this would take a day or two.  But it took FIVE DAYS!  However, let it dry completely before you go any further. If you don’t, I think you may end up with problems down the line.  I thought about drying it in the oven, like I do with beads or buttons, but I thought it might cause shrinkage and make it pull away from the jar.  In this case, I think patience may be a virtue.  By the way, I set it on a few thicknesses of paper towels to dry, and changed positions a few times a day.  I don’t know if this helped or not, but it made me feel like I was doing something.

I guess you might like it just like this.  I did think about just painting it, or trying something else, but then I thought… MOD PODGE!  😉  I have this really pretty striped tissue paper, and it just sort of called out to cover this bottle.  This took a couple more days, as you have to put on a coat and let it dry and do it again, and again, and again until you get it just right. Or you get tired of doing it.  🙂

I went vertical with the stripes, and wrapped them into the inside of the bottle (over the rim) to make it more finished looking.  I didn’t cover the bottom, but just under the edge, so you can’t see where it ends when it’s standing.  Then I found a little cork that fits into my toothpick jar.  You can buy those at any craft store, I think.

This is one project I’m keeping for myself!