This hot, sweltering past weekend, I chose to go indoor fleaing. I live in a really small town and without driving the 30 minutes into the Memphis Metro Area, I don't have a ton of antique/flea markets in my tiny area. I thought of one. When I arrived I was surprised to learn that the owner was in poor health and preparing to close up shop.
So it was bitter-sweet that I was able to score some really good loot for very little.
I left with several old prescription style bottles, some old shoe taps and a book about France, circa 1940's.
I decided to use all three in the same project and created these uniquely designed vintage bottles using the old shoe taps...
Heres how-
Use Jacquards Pinata inks to color your taps. Pinata inks work great with metal and dry fast which makes this a project you can complete in under 1 hour.
I chose Pinata Colors in Sangria Margarita, Manilla Black and Blanco Blanco White. Gotta love the names!
After inking the taps, use a sanding block to remove some of the color (like around the edges and raised areas) to create an antiqued look and let some of the metal show through. After sanding, use some Pearl Ex Varnish to seal the ink to the tap.
Next, choose some delicious images from the book to adorn your tap. If your tap has a "hole" in the center, dress that up by choosing an image that will show nicely through that hole.
Use some Neopaque paint to dry brush the edges of your taps, if desired. You may want to add a second coat of pearl ex varnish to the tap after this step.
Tear a page from the book and tear the edges in an irregular fashion. Wrap the image around the bottle and secure with paper adhesive or tacky glue.
Further embellish your taps with flat backed stones and chandelier crystals, using a jump ring to secure it to the bottom hole on the tap.
Cut a 10" length of 18 gauge wire and thread it into the left side hole and out of the right side hole.
Secure the wire at the back of the bottle using round nose pliers.
Further embellish your bottle with decorative tops like pearls glued to your corks, crystals wired to your corks, decorative shiny paper tape, etc.
For more ideas using Pinata inks, see my tutorial creating colorful peat pots with pretty metal flowers using pinata inks.
Tell me about your unique projects or ideas using flea market finds by leaving me a comment. I am continually inspired by my readers talents and ideas. Have an idea for a project that you would like to see? Tell me about that as well! I love hearing from you,
Live Life Creatively,
Many people would simply throw their old taps when they’re worn out. But with a touch of creativity and the use of stuff like old bottles, you've turned useless objects into superb artwork.
Posted by: Rob Feckler | March 8, 2012 at 12:10 PM
shoe taps, who would of thunk it?
Posted by: 365 days of crafts crew leader | August 2, 2011 at 07:36 PM