A year or so ago, I had an idea to create something more practical with my art. Something that people could not only have in their homes because it was pretty but because it was functional as well. The idea was to create lamps from any type of bottles. My thought was to decorate these bottles in different styles and put them together with lights, wiring and lampshades.

Only one problem: I had no idea how to do it or where to get started

I knew I could have created the lamps by cutting a hole in the side of the lamp, towards the bottom and wire it through the bottle, but I didn’t and still don’t, have the tools that would require nor the desire to drill through glass.

So I sat on the idea for awhile and eventually forgot about it until one day, I was hanging out with my best friend and came across a how to video on facebook. This video was giving tips on how to make different things, one of which was the bottle lamps. Instantly I got excited. I finally had a visual for what I needed to create the bottle lamps once I was done painting the shade and the bottle. All I needed was a bottle lamp kit (which included things like the wiring, the bulb socket, a harp and various bolts to hold everything together), the bottle, lamp shade and electrical tape to hold everything in place. Right away I started working on locating everything I needed to turn my idea into a reality.

Once I located everything and had actually acquired everything, it was time to get to work. I went to Create Arlington in order to put things together. The image below is the set up I had to figure out the electrical part of the process. I wanted to understand how everything worked before actually painting the bottles and lamp shades because if I couldn’t get the electrical part to work, then there was no need to move forward. Let’s just say it took a few times. However, eventually I got it! I was so happy and excited once I figured it out. I knew I had the hardest part behind me and I could move forward.

The next step was working on the bottles. I had an idea to try pouring paint on the bottles and seeing how that would turn own. Over Christmas break, my mama and I played around with pouring paint and the bottle in the image above is the result. The second bottle that I attempted the pouring paint with is below.

The Ocean pouring paint and the Christmas pouring paint bottle, however did not survive the trip home from Create Arlington. I thought they were both dry enough when I headed home, however that was not the case. Once I got the bottles home, they both had been ruined. The Ocean pouring paint had black and brown paint all over it and the Christmas pouring paint bottle had white and blue everywhere. I had just put resin on the Christmas bottle and because of that, I could not salvage it. The blue and white paint had stuck to the resin and it was impossible to remove. The Ocean pouring paint bottle, I was able to salvage. This one had partially dried and I was able to get most of the unwanted paint off and do the pouring paint a second time. However, I knew it would not be the same.

As disappointed as I was that two of my creations had been messed up, I started again. I did the pouring paint on the Ocean bottle for the second time and started working on another bottle to replace the one I had to toss. The result of the second pouring paint is below.

Once I had gotten the pouring paint where I wanted it and liked it, I painted the white part of the waves and finished painting the water on the bottle along the neck. Then I had to let it dry and worked on another lamp and lamp shade.

One of the bottles I had worked on that night things got messed up was an square olive oil bottle. I quickly found out that the square shape of the bottle did not allow for the same technique of pouring paint. And while it was among the bottles that had been messed up, it actually turned out to be better. I was actually able to paint each side of the Olive Oil bottle to look like a tree trunk. My goal was to create a lamp shade to match that looked like Cherry blossoms. Once I had the bottle done, I was able to work on the lampshade.

With the lampshade done, it was time to put everything together for the Cherry Tree. After the picture below was taken, I went back and painted the electrical tape to match the style of the tree trunk. This lamp is on display at Create Arlington and is selling for $50.

With the first one completed I started to work on the lampshade for the Ocean lamp bottle. I decided that the lampshade for the second bottle would be the beach with the shore line. I also did pouring paint on this lampshade as it was the right shape and texture for it.

First I did the beach colors with brown, silver and yellow pouring paint. After a day or two of drying I was able to come back and do the different tones of blue for the shore lines. I am still working on this one. The next step is to add the white parts of the waves and add texture of the sand. Once the lampshade is completed, it will be time to put everything together. The Ocean bottle lamp will be selling for $75 and I hope to have it at the next Third Thursday on February 18th.

I am really excited about what God has inspired me to do and create. I love that He has given me the ability to create things just as He has created me.

I pray for you this week.

Until next time,

God Bless.