Hudson music festival - lantern project 1, recycle bottle craft miy

Miy Recycled Bottle Craft
"Fiesta Lanterns"
Kids Bottle Lantern Green Craft Creations
"f o r t h e p u r e j o y o f m a k i n g t h i n g s"

Miycreations Project article and photographs
by MaddyLane Designs

Miy Recycled Bottle Lanterns: “Summer illuminations”
Looking for a fun way to illuminate summer nights. These recycle plastic bottle
lanterns where created for the Hudson Music Festival Celebrations. This year the
event will also include its first "Lantern Festival"...it's is sure to be a spectacular
evening with a lantern parade.

Simple and fabulous lanterns can be easily made by children of all ages. It's a
super summer day camp activity. Using plastic bottles in various sizes with a few
basic supplies, magical creations can be made under two hours. Simple patterns
are created with stickers or painter's tape, and adorned with decorative wire and
beads. Let the lantern parade begin!!! This green craft lanterns are also ideal to
illuminate a patio or deck at home or at the cottage. A perfect summer green craft
to do with the kids!

Hands-on time: Under 2 hours
Total time: paint dries to the touch in about one hour , take 24 hours for the paints
complete cure.
Skill: Easy, kid friendly projects, idea for day camps, vacation or the cottage
Cost estimate: Since mostly recycled products are use, pennies per lantern. Cost
depends on how many different paint colours you use.

Note: that the same projects can also be done using acrylic paints that you already
have or Vitrail paints (which is only recommend for older children since they are
solvent based). Vitrea 160 paint is non-toxic and water based therefore
paintbrushes are easy to clean. Vitrea paints are translucent and create a special
stainglass look.

Materials & tools:
- Medium or large plastic bottles ~ pop or water bottles
- Vinegar and lint free cloth, paper towels
- Painter’s tape in assorted widths, pencil and scissors
- Scissors or craft knife (to be used by adults) to cut the top off the bottles.
- Marker (to make a cutting line to remove the top)
- Assorted self adhesive stickers, circles, stars, bugs
(office supply stores or dollar stores)
- Vitrea 160 glass paint (by Pébéo) water-based paints
-Sponge (a regular household sponge will do, you can also use a clean one that is
ready to be discarded)
- Paintbrush
- Paint tray (recycle an old plastic container)
- cup and water to clean the paintbrushes
- Colour wire, clippers or pliers, a hole punch
- beads in various sizes and colours (start with what you have)
- Cotton swabs (to clean any paint bleeding after removing tape or stickers)
- Votive or tea candles, the best is actually glow in the dark glow stick (they are
much safer to used and last for hours)
- Sand (to place at the bottom of the lantern to secure the candles)

(Material are available at art and crafts supply stores)

Creating bottle lanterns is a great way to Recycle and Re-utilize plastic bottles into
new artistic and fun ways.

Clean the plastic bottles thoroughly to remove labels, and wipe dry. If the labels are
hard to remove soak the jars in warm water and soap for about half an hour. For
stubborn sticky residue on the jars, apply a little vinegar or rubbing alcohol and
wipe off with a paper towel.

Cover your work surface with newspaper and prepare your materials and bottles
items to be painted.

Make a line using a marker about 2 inches below the cap of the bottle, all around
the bottle neck. Use a craft knife or scissor to cut the top off.

Use a variety of assorted self adhesive stickers like circles, dots, bugs stars and so
on to create cool patterns by applying them to the clean surface of the bottles. You
can also opt to use painter's tape in various widths and lengths to place vertically
or horizontally around the bottles to create very cool stripes.

Place some paint in a paint tray. Dip the paintbrush or sponge (sponges are easier
to use for younger children), dab it to remove excess paint and apply the paint all
around the jars over the sticker and tape. This is easy and fun for kids to do, plus
sponging on the paint will give the painted items a textured look. Once completed,
place the painted bottles upside-down onto a newspaper to let them dry,
approximately one hour.

After one hour and before the jars are completely dry, use the tip of a craft knife or
pin to help peel off the stickers and painter's tape. If some bleeding occurred along
the edges of some of the designs, it can be simply wiped off gently with a damp
cloth or cotton swabs. To remove any adhesive left by the stickers, use a cotton
swab and rubbing alcohol.

Clean the paint tray and sponges with easy soap and water clean-up. The children
can still go ahead and do the wire and bead handle after the bottles are dry to the
touch, which is about one hour.

Use a hole punch to make holes about half an inch from the top rim for the
decorative wire handles.

Cut a piece of decorative wire to desired lengths. Insert the wire at on end of the
rim handle into one of the holes and use pliers to loop and twist the wire to secure it
into place. Insert decorative beads as per desired. Making a loop at the end of the
wire, insert it into the second handle hole and twist to securely close and fasten the
handle.

Apply stickers or painters tape and paint.

Miy Teen Bead creations

Use a variety of assorted self adhesive
stickers like circles, dots, bugs stars
and so on to create cool patterns by
applying them to the clean surface of
the bottles.

Use a hole punch to make the holes for
the decorative wire handles..

Once the bottles are painted and almost
dry the sticker and tape are to be
removed.

Illuminations....

Place some sand at
the bottom of each
painted lanterns.
Secure votive or tea
candles at the centre.
I highly recommend to
use glow sticks. Glow
sticks are much safer
to used and last for
hours. Kids can even
bring glow sticks
lantern in their tents
or camps outs.

For a super easy
entertaining idea and
centerpiece, group a
bunch of painted
bottle lantern in a
cluster for a
spectacular glow show.
You can even
combine several
different colours of
glow stick for a colour
feast for the eyes.

Have fun with this
project, the variations
are endless..

Creative the decorative
handles with assorted various
beads of different colours and
sizes...use what you have.