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.