Vintage Style Bottle of Hope

Bottle of Hope - Vintage Style - Designed by Lucy Reese

Hello Clayers! This month we all participated in designing Bottles of Hope. I had never heard about the program until joining the Makin's Clay® Design Team. I can tell you that the cause hits really close to home as I lost my mother to lung cancer in 2005 at the age of just 56. It seems once we know one person who has it, we begin to know more and more people who have survived or are still fighting some form of cancer. This month, I would like to dedicate this piece to my mom, Virginia Turner. 

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:

Makin's Clay® - Red
Makin's Professional® 

• Ultimate Clay Machine®
• Ultimate Clay Extruder®

Small Round Jar with Cork
Prima-Iron Orchid Baroque #1 Mold
Beacon 3-in-1 Adhesive™
Art Alchemy Paint- Rusty Red
Black Paint for a Wash

Instructions:
1. Use the Ultimate Clay Machine® to roll out the red clay beginning on setting #1 and then again on #2. Apply some Beacon 3-in-1 Adhesive to the glass, and form the rolled clay sheet around the glass jar.  Blend in your seam using a bit of water on your fingers.  

2. Using the Prima, mold create 4 of the sun burst looking one ( I don't know what it's really called..lol) Again, add some adhesive to 3 of the molded accents and add to the jar. For a little something extra, I used some small stamps to impress the word "Hope" in between the sun bursts while the clay was still fresh. To create your top, add a sun burst to the cork and hand make a small handle. Set everything to dry for 24 hours, and then use the Rusty Red to paint the entire piece.








3. You can create any details you would like. One way that I added some interest was to use the Ultimate Clay Extruder® to make some small ropes to braid together to add around the lid. Once everything is painted, make a wash from a little black paint and some water, paint it on and wipe it away leaving it in the crevices. 

That's all there is to it! Bottles of Hope is truly an inspiring project to be a part of!

~Lucy