Millions of tons of materials are used each year to create the cans, bottles, and bottle caps used by the alcohol industry. Traditionally, the simple option to dispose of the used materials has been to leave them at recycling facilities. However, there are many more options to consider, especially for artistic recycling enthusiasts.
People from all over the world have had their lives derailed while fighting alcoholism. Furthermore, friends and family can also have a tough experience guiding their loved ones through an alcohol addiction. To aid the healing process of recovery, those affected can turn to recycled art as a way of creating something positive from the waste items associated with alcohol. Here are some creations to inspire you.
Bottle Cap Portrait Flowers
A charming touch is to use bottle caps to display photos in them. Due to the small size of bottle caps, the ideal pictures to use are the faces of your loved ones. A little glue is all you require to stick the photos in place. You can then make them look like cute flowers by coiling stems of wire and sticking them to the backs of the bottle caps with super glue. Look at the accompanying image for stem inspiration.
Bottle Cap Letters
A fun prospect is to create large letters from the alphabet. Letters can be arranged throughout your home or else given to friends and family members as gifts. Creating the letters is a little more ambitious than any of the other projects on the list. Start off by shaping a block of wood into the letter your desire. Then hammer down a selection of bottle caps before using super glue to affix them to the wood.
Wine Bottle Ornaments
For old bottles of wine and spirits, these can be transformed into stunning ornaments in just several minutes. Wrapping thin strips of tape around the bottles creates the line effects. Think about what style you would like to see before beginning, but the beauty of these ornaments is that you don’t have to be a design expert.
When you are happy with the positioning of the tape, use a can of art spray to colour the bottles. Leave them to dry before removing the tape to replicate the design technique in the example image displayed.
Wine Bottle Night Light
Use paint and whatever other decorative materials you can think of to create an enticing visual style on the exterior of a clear wine bottle. The accompanying image provides some inspiration, but you can do pretty much anything you can think of (check out these examples of stunning landscapes). Just make sure to choose a background paint that is light enough to be illuminated.
Once your bottle has been completely decorated and has had time to try, you will be ready to drill a hole in the back. The purpose of the hole is to insert fairy lights in the bottle to provide illumination. Don’t forget to wear safety gear while drilling.
Beer Can Lantern
The final piece of recycled art is this wonderfully simple beer can lantern. You won’t believe how simple it is to reclaim beers cans and actually turn them into beautiful pieces. As the images show, you need to apply masking tape around the top and bottom sections of the can. Use a ruler and pen to mark out vertical lines for where to make the cuts.
A sharp Stanley knife used carefully is required to make the vertical slits (only cut between the masking tape sections). After all of the incisions have been made, gently press down on the can until you form a spherical shape. Remove all tape before spray-painting the can, after which you can insert a small candle.
Recycled art using former alcohol containers and materials can draw attention to the redemption stories of recovering alcoholics. The artistic pieces above will get your creative juices flowing.
