Called to the Big Leagues - The Coca-Cola Project!

During December I received a phone call from the web marketing folks at Coca-Cola.  Apparently they had selected 5 artists to do special projects for their website to show creative uses for Coca-Cola bottles.  There were a few catches, first, I had 4 days to create the project, second, instead of offering to use something I had already made, I asked, "what would you really like someone to make that you don't have yet?".

The final catch is that I, along with my 2 year old, ended up with this season's version of the flu (which I have named "Flu-Monia") that week!  And still I faced the challenge head on....a Menorah?  Why certainly I can figure that out!

I wanted it to be fun and unique, and as much as I looked on Google images and Pinterest I came up pretty empty as far as bottles were concerned, except that people would just line them up and stick candles in them.

So I set my mind to work and decided I would use a large bottle in the middle which would somehow balance the other bottles on a base, which could rotate.  Why I didn't just line up bottles and stick candles in them I just don't know!

Here was the first Google Sketch I did:

So I set about putting my vision to reality.  I used some salvaged 1" board and drilled holes large enough to fit the bottles into.  I didn't have any retainer clips (and the thought of operating a motor vehicle in my condition was out of the question), so I took some soldering coil and made my own, which I then surrounded with some pine needle wires from Dollar Tree that I cut to fit.  On the base, I cut a large hole large enough to accommodate the bottom of the large bottle and added another piece of wood underneath.  I then lined the hole with foam to ensure a snug fit.

Again, with no ability to get off of the mountain, I had to improvise for "candles", in my mind, I had wanted to get actual candles that would fit in the holes, but I didn't have any, so I ended up using wooden dowels painted white.  I will definitely recreate this project with real candles next year.

I then put individual flowers made out of Coca-Cola cans in front of each bottle.

My big mistake, I decided I wanted the insides of the bottles to be white.  This would not have been a mistake if I hadn't decided it in a feverish (103 degrees) state at the last minute.  It's a real pain to get the insides of bottles painted, I'm sure there's a better way and I will figure it out!  It did all work out in the long run; however, the folks at Coca-Cola were treated to a box with lots of clean up to do and lots of wet Kilz.

In the end, I figured it out and overcomplicated it and made it happen, and I am pretty proud to have been selected.

Here is the article:

The Coca-Cola Bottle Etsy Challenge

And here is the finished product:

I am so thankful to have been given the opportunity, and glad for the patience of the folks at Coca-Cola.

Soda Can Hanging Fern

So here's a breakdown of my latest project; however, I have a whole lot of catching up to do on my blogging, but seems I'm going to be going in reverse order!

I made a fun fern out of soda cans and I think it's pretty smashing!

 

So I started off by cutting pieces of corrugated plastic (from my stack of recycled election and campaign signs!).  I painted the pieces brown with the Krylon paint that bonds to plastic.  I then glued the pieces around a planter salvaged from our community dumpster.  This can be tricky, and I recommend using clothes pins or other clamps to hold the pieces in place at the top as they can be quite springy!

 

I then filled the planter with spray foam insulation, available at any hardware store.  Tip: when the can says only fill 50% of the space you want filled, THEY MEAN IT!  Be sparing, and be sure to allow it to harden overnight.

 

After my pot had 2 layers of "wood", and my insulation had dried, I sanded and glued floral picks onto pieces of soda cans I had cut to look like ferns.  I then arranged them (carefully) in my hanging pot and I am tickled with the result!

California Pottery? What is THIS!?

Okay, it's shiny, it's beautiful, it has the look and feel of California Pottery and yet I just can't figure out what to put into google to figure out what this is!

It's round with a rounded base and a hole in the center.  I'm relatively certain it isn't a bird house, could be some kind of planter but that seems odd.

Anyone?

Vintage Thermos Lamp

So one of the things I do to keep my toddler in togs is buying random things at thrift stores, yard sales, etc. and selling them.  I seek out the retro, the bizarre and the interesting.  On my latest venture out into the world of hillbilly thrift stores I found an old Thermos from 1971 with a really cool design on it.

Of course, step one of selling the things I find is figuring out how much they are worth so I did a search for vintage thermos and immediately found a bunch of LAMPS!  Yep, apparently people make lamps out of old thermoses, which is not really a surprise since I've been making lamps out of all kinds of random items lately.

• crafty tip, in general, there is no need to buy a "lamp kit" at your local hardware store if you want to make a lamp since you can usually find used lamps for about $1 at your local thrift store and voila, you have a lamp kit!  Lamp kits are usually between $7 and $11 so you'll save some bucks if you like to make lamps!

So...instead of selling the Thermos "as is", I figured I would try my hand at making a lamp.  A word of caution, however, most older quality Thermos products have glass liners so eliminate the surprise factor if you are drilling through the plastic layer by using a punch instead, it's still a real pain to get the glass out though.

Not posting step by step instructions yet...since this was my first attempt and, while I think it turned out beautifully, I know I'll be simplifying the process before too long!

So I had an old lamp that I bought for $1, paid $1 for the thermos and $1 for the lampshade...total cost for this super cool retro lamp was $3!

Commissioned Soda Can Wall Hanging

So the bears are now awake, making the daily trip to the recycle bin quite risky...but having just completed my first really large piece and it's been worth the risk!


Since it's being shipped up to New York tomorrow I needed to take some pictures so I won't forget...and this one is hard to part with!  My lovely customer on Etsy originally sent me a photo of a flower that I believe is displayed on a wall outside an antique shop in South Carolina, the challenge was that the piece she showed me was made out of large steel paint cans and other large cans, and she wanted a 36" diameter piece made with soda cans.  I would say it turned out beautifully!

My challenge on the MacGyver end was to make this piece happen and keep it stable so that it could hang on a wall...materials varied from chicken wire, to gutter guard, to finally yardsticks and pizza pans!

I will post more pictures soon, and hopefully I'll have a picture to show once it arrives and is hung on it's new patio wall far to the North!

The other fantastic thing about this piece is that it comes apart and is able to ship in a golf club box or similar...this aspect of it is something I am especially proud of, as if I start making more of these, they will be in "kits" so that they can be assembled by whoever buys them and they will feel that they are part of the artistic process as well!  Whoopee!

I have been getting crazy with the soda cans of late...partially because I am able to make these things for little cost and I'm a bit broke lately, but also because there are so many different things to do with cans and it's so much fun (except for my aching hand from tin snips and can crushing!).

So for now, I'll roll the dice with those bears and keep it up with the cans...

This guy was at the top of my driveway the other day...

The Joy of Crafty Moms...Thanks Ann!

I was going through a box of my old things recently and came across a mug that was made for me.  When I was in 2nd grade, we moved from Atlanta to Philadelphia.  I very quickly made friends with a wonderful girl named Allie.  During the years to come (we only lived there for 4 years, but in elementary school that's a lifetime!) Allie and I spent many days and nights together.  Her mother was what I would call "super crafty".  Now, my mom liked to make things and put together creative collages and photo albums...but Allie's mom was truly a crafster.  She loved working with pottery, and was quite adept at the craft.  Over the years, she made my parents a planter that looked like our house and many other treasures.  This mug; however, is something I will treasure forever.  I think that it may be the first piece of art that was made especially for me and the impact will be felt for a long time.

These days, crafts are a big part of my survival and my ability to support my little family.  As I sit here at my craft table, a mug sits on my desk...with a mouse on one side (I used to have pet mice), and my name on the other.  It has inspired me to continue crafting since the time I first got to know a woman who was so important to me during that time of my life.  I am thankful that Allie Keech came into my life, and for her mother Ann.  They say that everyone you come across is a piece of your puzzle in some way...that God puts people there for a reason, and it really is true.

Thank you Ann (aka Mrs. Keech!).  You are truly a special person and an inspiration for crafty moms to strive for "super craftiness"!

Soda Can Ashtrays

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