Bottle Lamps

Here we are at the end of another year.  It is true what they say about life being like a roll of  toilet paper - the closer you get to the end the faster it goes.  This year has gone so fast!

I always look forward to celebrating the end of one year and the start of the next with friends.  My philosophy is that Christmas is all about family but New Year's Eve is to spend with good friends.

This past month I have made so many of these bottle lamps to give to family and friends that I have actually lost count.  They look very effective and they are so easy to do now that you can buy strings of lights on a fake cork containing batteries.  They make lovely Christmas decorations but they are also perfect for summer evenings sitting out in the garden.

This quartet of bottles once contained a well known fizzy wine.  In fact, some of these bottles were opened to be drunk as part of our Christmas Day meal.  I think these elegant cut glass bottles make perfect bottle lamps.  However, their labels are stuck on with some of the stickiest glue I have ever come across.  I tried everything I could think of but I could not remove the glue.  In the end I resorted to the internet, my weapon of choice was nail polish remover.  I was a little reluctant to raid by nail polish remover because I only had an expensive brand, but I need not have worried.  All I needed to remove all of the residue glue was half a cotton wool ball with about a teaspoon of polish remover.  It removed all of it, that is less nail polish remover than I use to remove my nail polish!

This pretty blue gin bottle had the remains of the bottle screw top cap around the neck and I was concerned that someone might cut a finger on it.  So when, after several attempts, I failed to cut the metal band off, I decided to wrap the neck of the bottle in some glittery washi tape - sadly the tape kept unravelling, so I added another layer in clear sticky tape.  That did the trick.

This year I have done a lot of knitting but next year I am planning to get back to my card making.  I am not  sure whether I will use ready made topppers or colour my own.  I do have an awful lot of toppers in my stash dating back 10/15 years and they need using up.  I also have a pact with my friend Lisette to start on our Christmas cards in February next year.  Get your tape runners ready Mrs Beez.

I hope that 2020 is a good year for you and your family, may it bring you good health and happiness.

Cheers my friends and 'Happy New Year'!

Dionne