How many times have you popped the metal cap off of a glass bottle? Beer bottles, soda bottles, the metal lids are generally thrown in the trash with millions of others. You might not know this but those bottle caps make fabulous accessories, unique gifts and more. If you use products which have those metal caps start saving them; you’ll be able to make all kinds of cool stuff for you, your family and your friends. The perfect caps to use are the ones which twist off so there are no bent areas of the lid from using a bottle opener.
Easily make a pair of dangling earrings by starting with four metal bottle caps. You can use metal primer and paint or you can use the caps as-is. After that, you have many choices. Use small, round stickers to create the theme you want for the earrings. Or, cut small pictures out of cloth and glue them on. You can even attach tiny images cut from magazines or other paper sources. The circles you cut can be cardstock, wrapping paper, wallpaper, pieces of envelopes or old greeting cards or scrapbook paper.
Besides paper and cloth accents you can also use many other things. Paint the caps, glue on a metal washer, then attach a bead in the center of it. That creates a 3-d design that looks great. Or, paint the background color onto the caps then glue on tiny bunches of dried flowers. Stick on a fake jewel, glue on a decorative button, or attach a small metal charm. There are literally thousands of designs you can create for the small earrings. Make elegant themes, casual themes – even themes for little girls by the cloth, paper or other embellishments you choose.
Purchase the wire earring hardware; you’ll find it in small packs that contain several pair at most any craft store. Decorate two of the lids and leave the other two painted unless you’re using them all as-is. Cut a piece of fishing twine to be twice the length (plus a little more) that you want the dangling earrings to be. If you want them to hang 4″ from the lobe, cut the string to be 9″ long (this allows a little extra for attaching the twine to the bottle caps). Thread the twine through the hole of the earring hardware and bring the ends of the twine together. Glue them to the backside of one of the lids. Now glue the second bottle cap on top of the first so that the underside of the caps face each other. The earrings are cute and easy to make.
Anyone can make a key chain by using two bottle caps. Cut a pipe cleaner in half then cut one of the halves in half again. Fold this piece in half and thread one end through a metal key ring. Bring the ends of the pipe cleaner together. Glue them to the backside of one of the bottle caps. Glue the second bottle cap onto the first and you’re done! Instead of a pipe cleaner you can use a small piece of wire (tape it to the inside of the cap) or even a piece of twine.
Cut a long ribbon to make a cute bottle cap locket. Glue the ends of the ribbon to the inside of one of the caps. Glue a small bead to the edge of the lid, on the outside area. Stack a second lid on top of the first for a moment. Mark the area on the second lid where the bead is on the first lid. Now cut a small piece of stretch cord and glue the ends inside the second lid. This cord will then be stretched over the bead to close the locket. To hold the two lids together cut a small piece of ribbon. Glue one end to one cap and one end to the other cap, at the opposite sides from where the bead and stretch cord are. Cut two small, round pictures and glue one to each lid, on the inside, covering the ends of the ribbon. Now close the two lids by snapping them together and stretching the cord over the bead.
Make a little wrist rattle for a baby by cutting a length of narrow elastic to fit the child’s wrist. Paint the two lids with primer and paint then place a small bell inside one of them. Glue the ends of the elastic to one lid, on opposite sides, on the underside. Glue the second lid over the first one, trapping the bell as well as the ends of the elastic between the two lids. Slide this cute rattle onto a baby’s wrist and watch the fun!
Attach a button magnet to the underside of a decorated bottle lid and make a cute refrigerator magnet. Decorate it with lace, fake flowers, small photos or other embellishments. Or, decorate the lids and glue them onto belts, purses and other accessories. You can even make cute enhancements for things like curtain tie-backs, lampshades, picture frames and more. Bottle lids go into landfills by the millions; why not use them for something else besides trash?
