Bird in a Cage Bottle of Hope by Amanda Phillips

Bird in a Cage Bottle of Hope 

Designed by Amanda Phillips 

Hello and Welcome! 

Amanda here today sharing with you my contribution to our Makin's Clay® Bottle of Hope program.

Note - Here is a bit more information about what Bottles of Hope are - Makin's Clay® is proud to have our designers supporting this worthy effort through the creation of Bottles of Hope featuring Makin's Clay®.  

Bottles of Hope are small glass bottles covered with polymer clay and given to cancer patients. They symbolize a wish and a hope for health.  This project was started in 1999 by a Rhode Island cancer survivor and has spread internationally. Bottles are made by artists, students, survivors, seniors and many more who volunteer their time and love.   Learn more about this worthwhile project, see a gallery of many creative bottles and more here on their website. 

Supplies:

Bottle of your choosing (cleaned and thoroughly dry)

Makin's Clay® - Black 4.2 oz (you will only need 1/3 of this package - Makin's Clay® just  lasts and lasts!), Terra Cotta 4.2oz. (1/8 of the package here)

Light Adobe from Earth Tones set 

Makin's® Ultimate Deluxe Extruder set and disc# 1,3,11,12 

Makin's® Clay Cutter

Charms of your choosing, I used a little brass bird that I used nail polish to paint blue and a jewelry pin to hang it by my cap. Also the hope charm.

Beacon™ 527 Adhesive   

Scissors

Instructions for Cage:

Roll back clay in Makin's® Ultimate Clay Machine to setting #3.

Place bottle on rolled clay, and with your cutter cut around the bottom of your bottle leaving a 1/8" space around the edge so that as the clay dries it will stay close to the size of your bottle.

Using your Ultimate Clay Extruder™, extrude black clay using #12 disc and measuring the circumference of your bottle, be sure to extrude that plus 8". Cut and let dry. 

Extrude black clay using #11 disc and again extrude the circumference plus 5" . Cut and let that dry. 

Insert #3 disc, measure the height of your jar plus 1" x 12; extrude black clay for those pieces. I ended up extruding 12 seven inch pieces for mine. Lay all these out to dry being sure to flip for even drying.  Normal drying time is 24 hours, but these fine pieces will take much less time to dry. 

After they have dried, place bottom piece under jar and cut or sand away any uneven edges. Now to the edge of your bottom, glue your # 12 strip around the bottom. Be mindful to apply glue so it does not show too much. Now making sure your jar sits snug in your bottom snip the tip off your #3 tubes and place evenly around your bottle.  You only need glue these to the top of the bottom strip (see pic) After all are placed use your # 11 strip and wrap and glue around. Now glue the remaining to the top to secure (see picture).

I wrapped the remaining #12 strip and made a stopper to place the jewelry pin and birdie in bottle. 

Instructions for Nest: 

Using terra cotta clay, extrude a minimal of 3- 12" pieces with the # 1 disc...depending on your bird cage size..my little nest here is only about 3/4 of an inch. Be sure to extrude more as you determine your nest size. Allow to dry. Tie your strings and then loop back on themselves in a big ole mess. It's a birds nest you can't do this wrong. (see pics)

My little eggs were made from Light Adobe clay from the Earth Tones set with a bit of speckling done with a marker.   Mount the eggs to the nest and mount to the top of the coiled clay stopper.  Add twine bow and HOPE charm.