Upcycled Bottle Cap Wine Glass Charms!

I recently attended a wine party with some friends, and in preparation for the party I thought it would be fun to make affordable, cute and personalized wine glass charms for everyone! I knew I wanted to make something “upcyled” and this is what I came up with: Bottle Cap Wine Glass Charms! I had seen similar ideas for magnets and keychains using bottle caps, but never glass charms.

So, here is the first attempt at making the charms. They are pretty simple to make, but a little time consuming.

Supplies Needed:

• Bottle caps (I used beer caps from the bar…yes, they have been washed and sanitized!)
• Scrapbook paper or any kind of paper for the inserts
• Alphabet stamps and ink
• 1” circle die cut
• Glue (I used tacky glue, but I think just about anything would work)
• Epoxy Resin—this is the primary expense for the project. I found mine at Home Depot. Be sure to purchase the recommended rubber gloves, stirrers and mixing cups. I know that Hobby Lobby and other stores also carry various epoxy resin products.
• Wax paper
• Drill and small drill bit (this is only needed if you’re doing the charms)
• Thin ribbon or jute (which is what I used)

Here is the step by step process I used. I did this project in stages, so the pictures are taken on different days (and on some days, I just didn't have enough hands to take pictures...the project can get messy!).

Step 1: Wash bottle caps if they’ve been used. Make sure they are completely dry before starting.

Step 2: Cut out your circles from the scrapbook paper

Step 3: Stamp the 1” circles with the initials (or stamps) of your choice

Step 4: Glue the circles into the bottle caps. Note, be sure to let them completely dry before storing them. I didn’t let my first batch dry completely and the ink bled.

Step 5: Arrange bottle caps on wax paper.

Step 6: Mix epoxy resin according to box instructions (note—I did mine in small batches because it starts to harden very quickly, making it difficult to work with).

Step 7: Pour epoxy resin in each of the bottle caps. Make sure that you get a full coverage on the paper; I didn’t do this on some and had some problems. If you get the mixture on the sides, it should wipe off easily before the resin is fully hardened (and you can break it off if it does harden all the way). Let the resin harden completely before moving to next step.

Step 8: Drill a small hole in the top of each bottle cap. Thanks to my awesome husband, Aaron, for doing this step for me! If the back of the cap is rough you can sand or file it down.

Step 9: Use your ribbon or jute to make the connector. Use enough so that you can easily tie it on to wine stems later. The jute frayed really easily so I put a little piece of tape on the end to make it easier to put through the hole.

Step 10: Apply to wine glass stems and enjoy your evening!

The end product was a hit and I can’t wait to make more charms and to try magnets and gift label. After these are perfected a bit, I will add them to my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/OtyKaiCrafts?ref=pr_shop. Friends and family watch out—these may be your Christmas presents!

We're linked up:

ref="http://cherishedtreasures-terry.blogspot.com/" target="”_blank”">

http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/