Happy October. In honor of it being National Bake and Decorate Month and National Women’s Small Business Month, here’s a fun craft Mom loved to do…
#NationalWomensSmallBusinessMonth
PILL BOTTLE JEWELRY & CHARMS
By Gloria Pitzer, inspired by… “Wanna Make Something Of It”, written by Carol Duvall (Nash Publishing, 1972)
Yes, Carol, I Wanna Make Something Out Of It!
By Gloria Pitzer, as seen in her syndicated column, “No Laughing Matter” (Circa 1970s).
I JUST FINISHED reading a brand-new book… by Carol Duvall and, believe me, my life will never be the same again. I was so impressed by Carol’s book on turning useless household junk into beautiful household junk that I immediately organized my friends into a locally chartered group known now as THE KNIT WITS!
All of you have had the urge to become creative at some time or another, and even if you haven’t you will once you read Carol’s book. If you’re the kind of person who always wanted to stuff felt aardvarks with shredded wheat and decoupage your teenager to the refrigerator door with 20 coats of Hi-C fruit drink then Carol’s book is for you!
I’ve spent so much time making pill bottles into jewelry and covering paperclips with contact paper, I’ve had a load of laundry sitting in pre-soak for three months. Nobody would have minded except that I should have put it into the washing machine first, but that was full of brown paper bags!
I remember Mom making a lot of jewelry using this method when I was young. It was fun to watch the melting process through the oven window (as pictured above). These are quick and easy to make – great for craft shows.
INGREDIENTS/ITEM NEEDS:
Plastic pill bottles
Small bits of wax crayons
[colored glass stones or small seashells from the dollar store – optional]
Aluminum pie tin
Darning needle [or drywall screw]
Chains, jump rings, and/or large safety pins
INSTRUCTIONS:
Remove caps from bottles and place a ¼-inch chip of crayon inside each. Stand bottles upright [2-3 inches apart] in the foil pan. [Option: You can also add a dollar store glass stone or small seashell in each.]
Baking time will vary, depending on the size of the bottle and the shape you want to end up with. As well, baking temperature will also vary by method – conventional oven at 500°F, convection oven at 400°F.
According to Mom’s notes, for the conventional method, times were as follows:
4 to 5 minutes for chunky or curved top
6 to 7 minutes for almost flat, with slight teardrop shape
8 to 9 minutes for very flat, round-ish disc shape
[NOTE: I used my countertop convection oven at 400°F for 5 minutes (to flat, round stage). Thus, watch it closely.]
While still soft, fresh out of the oven, poke a hole in the top with a darning needle or screw, for attaching a wire jump ring for hanging. Or press a large safety pin into the back side while still soft. The plastic comes off of the pan easily.
It only takes a few minutes for the plastic to cool.
LAST THOUGHTS…
For questions or comments, you can email me at therecipedetective@outlook.com. I’m also on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective.
[NOTE: As always, I’m asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share this.]
See also:
