My husband has now learned to ask “can I recycle this” when tossing any jars, cans, or bottles that come through our house. He’s not asking “is it recyclable?” but rather “am I allowed to recycle it?” Everything is a craft supply these days, and I’m proud to say that I’ve gotten him well-trained.
I can never recycle a Martinelli Apple Juice bottle without thinking really hard before I do. They are such sweet little round bottles of grand craft potential. And naturally, around Halloween, they are the perfect pumpkin.
I made these Halloween pumpkin candlesticks for Country Living Magazine.
What you need:
- Martinelli apple juice bottles (10 oz and 25.4 oz)
- Mod Podge, gloss finish
- Orange food coloring
- Measuring spoons
- Bowl for mixing
- Foil-covered cookie sheet
- Oven
- Paper towels
- Black paint marker
- Twine
- Taper candle
- Clean juice bottles and remove labels.
- For 2 small and 1 large bottles, mix 2 tablespoons of Mod Podge with 3 teaspoons water and 10-15 drops of food coloring. Mix until blended. (Don’t add more water; the liquidity will make the final result streaky.)
- Pour orange liquid into a bottle and twirl around until its fully covered. Let excess drip back into your mixing bowl. Stand bottles opening side down onto cookie sheet. Repeat for the other two bottles. Let the bottles drain for an hour.
- In the meantime, preheat oven to 225 degrees.
- Once the hour has passed, wipe the mouth of the bottles with paper towels. Turn bottles right-side up and place on a clean sheet of foil. Put in the oven for 45 minutes, or until glass bottles are transparent.
- Let cool, then use paint marker to draw jack o’lantern face on bottle.
- Wrap the mouth/neck of the bottle with twine and knot in the back. Insert candle in the mouth of bottle.