Plastic bottles are not biodegradable, so finding ways to transform these items into unique crafts is an excellent way to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in our nation’s landfills.
Plastic Bottle Flowers
You can easily transform empty plastic soda bottles into colorful flowers. These flowers make great springtime decorations or centerpieces for a little girl’s birthday party. Children can make this craft with minimal adult supervision.
Supplies
- Empty two-liter plastic soda bottle
- Sandpaper
- Permanent Sharpie marker
- Scissors
- White school glue
- Acrylic craft paint
- Paint brush
- Glitter glue
- Wooden skewer
Instructions
- Cut the plastic bottle about 1/3 of the way down from the top.
- Lightly sand the surface of the bottle.
- Draw at least five petals for your flower using the Sharpie marker. Carefully cut along the lines and bend the pieces to shape your flower.
- Coat the bottle with a thin layer of white glue.
- When the glue has dried completely, decorate the petals as desired using your acrylic paint. If you’d like to add a bit of sparkle to your flower, apply glitter glue to the edge of the petals.
- Poke a small hole through the bottle cap. Insert the wooden skewer through the hole and screw it back onto the bottle.
Plastic Bottle Votive Holder
Candle holders make pretty home décor pieces, but they can be very expensive. Luckily, it’s not hard to make your own votive holder from an empty plastic bottle.
Supplies
- Empty 20-ounce soda bottle
- Hot glue gun
- Flat florist marbles
- Sand
- Votive candle in clear glass cup
Instructions
- Carefully cut your bottle to the desired height. If you’re not sure how tall you want your candle holder to be, cutting below the bottle label is a good place to start.
- Use the hot glue gun to attach florist marbles around the bottle base until it is completely covered. You can use clear marbles to make a simple and elegant holder or you can experiment with colored marbles for a more contemporary design.
- Pour sand in the bottle.
- Nestle the glass votive cup in the sand.
- Enjoy your new candle holder.
Plastic Bottle Beads
If you enjoy making handmade jewelry, you’ve probably noticed that beads can be very expensive to purchase. To save money, you can make your own using plastic soda bottles.
Supplies
- Empty clear plastic soda bottle
- Permanent Sharpie markers
- Scissors
- Pliers
- Heat gun
Instructions
- Cut your plastic bottle into strips measuring approximately one centimeter wide. If you wish, you may cut the ends to a point.
- Color the plastic strips with permanent Sharpie markers in the color of your choice.
- Roll the strips into a small ball and hold together with a pair of pliers.
- Use a heat gun to melt the plastic into a bead.
Variations
The method for making plastic bottle beads has several variations you can try. Instead of coloring a clear plastic bottle, you can try making beads from colored plastic bottles. Some people have also had success gluing tissue paper or scrapbook paper scraps on the inside of the plastic strips.
More Crafts to Make
If you’re looking for even more plastic bottle craft ideas, consider the following projects:
- Plastic Bottle Bell: Kids will have fun turning a bottle into a handheld musical instrument.
- Plastic Bottle Basket: Make a cute little basket for Easter treats or other holiday goodies.
- Soda Bottle Coin Purse: A coin purse made from an empty soda bottle makes for a unique way to keep track of spare change.
- Plastic Bottle Pencil Cup: Organize office supplies by making a customized pencil cup.
- Bird Feeder: Make an attractive feeding station for the birds that visit your backyard.
As you can see, plastic bottles provide a very versatile basis for crafting. Challenge yourself to be creative in finding new ways to use this everyday material!
