Saturday, October 13, 2012

Perfume Bottle Necklaces

Last May one of my regular customers from the Spring Antiques & Collectibles Faire in Pleasanton, CA stopped by my booth to show me several little perfume bottles.  She wanted to know if I'd be able to make necklaces out of them similar to the one she bought from me a few years earlier.  She had a bottle in mind for each friend and another one for herself.  How could I refuse?

The bottles on the left and right are filled with glitter.  The tassel was already attached when she gave it to me, so I'll let her decide if she wants to remove it.  It already had a hole in the top making it easy to add a jump ring instead of wiring it up.  The center bottle is full of the smallest pearls I had.  All of the bottles have a very small opening, so I was limited to what would fit inside.  

I filled the bottles on the left and right with seed beads, and the center bottle with glitter, then added some rhinestones down the front.  She requested the bottle on the right be filled with something green.

I'm sure there are dozens of ways to wire these up, but these two techniques have always worked for me.  I had these all put together before I thought of blogging about them, so I'll show you the easiest technique that works for almost any bottle as long as the top isn't too large.
  I used 22 gauge wire (open roll on left) because it's easier to work with than the thicker 20 gauge.  Then grab yourself a pretty little perfume bottle, preferably one that's already empty because old perfume smells bad stinks.  It's best to fill the bottle and glue the top on before you start to wire it up.  A little E6000 glue will hold the top in place so you don't end up wearing glitter all over your clothes.

Cut off two pieces of wire about 12" each.  Place one piece of wire around the neck of the bottle (this is a top view) cross the wire, pull tight, then pull both ends around to the opposite side and twist a few times to hold it in place.   Repeat with the second wire.

You'll end up with something that looks like this.  The wires are firmly held in place between the top and the neck of the bottle.  You can see some moisture still inside the bottle, so make sure it's completely dry before filling and gluing it.  A Q-tip works really well if the opening is large enough.

Continue twisting until you have about 3" of twisted wire on each side, cut off any excess.

Grab your round-nose pliers and make a loop about 1/8" away from the neck.

Hold the loop you just made with your chain-nose pliers.  Grab the end of the wire with your fingers or another pair of pliers and wrap it around around a few times until it's right up next to the bottle top.

Cut off the excess and pinch the wire down with your pliers.  Repeat on the other side.

All ready for some embellishments and a chain.
I was able to fill this bottle after wiring it together, but it's best to fill and glue it first so that your wires don't slip off the top.  I used E6000 glue for all the embellishments.

I'll be bringing them with me to the Fall Antiques & Collectibles Faire on Sunday.  I'm really not crazy about doing custom orders because I constantly second-guess all my creative decisions.  Oh dear, I sure hope she likes them.


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Posted by Labels: glitter, pearls, perfume bottle necklace, perfume bottles, Pleasanton Antique Faire, repurposed jewelry, rhinestones, tutorial, wire wrap

35 comments:

  1. Michelle L.October 13, 2012 at 11:40 AM

    I think she would have to be loony tunes not to LOVE them! What a wonderful tutotial, Betsy! I really like the look of the double-twisted wire loops. Great technique!

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  2. Glenda/MidSouthOctober 13, 2012 at 12:09 PM

    This post got my immediate attention as soon as I saw the first picture. :-D I am sure she will be very happy with them - very pretty!
    I have several tiny bottles that I had thought about doing that with, but I would have to practice wire wrapping a lot more. Yours is so neat looking. I have even watched tutorials on youtube and it is still messy looking.

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  3. cebelicaOctober 13, 2012 at 12:24 PM

    I love, love, love this. Thank you for the idea and the tutorial. Hugs! xx

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  4. AnneOctober 13, 2012 at 12:28 PM

    Betsy how could she not like these! LOVE this idea and yours are beautiful! I am inspired!
    xx
    Anne

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  5. poppilinnstudiosOctober 13, 2012 at 1:32 PM

    Gorgeous creations! I'm sure your customer will love them.

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  6. Rosemary@villabarnesOctober 13, 2012 at 1:41 PM

    Beyond cool, Betsy. You should sell bunches.

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  7. Petite Michelle LouiseOctober 13, 2012 at 2:01 PM

    these are SO sweet! I am going to have to give them a try! merci! ;)

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  8. ~Lavender Dreamer~October 13, 2012 at 2:17 PM

    I love the way each one is unique. I have a small collection of small perfume bottles that I've had for years. I keep them on a small saucer on my dresser. I've never found empty one like this to repurpose. I love them!

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  9. Linda @ A La CarteOctober 13, 2012 at 2:44 PM

    She should love them! All the bottles are so cute and each one is unique in it's design. Adorable idea! hugs, Linda

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  10. must love junkOctober 13, 2012 at 4:50 PM

    Very creative and cute!!
    Susan

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  11. PeggyOctober 13, 2012 at 6:03 PM

    I'm sure she will love them. They turned out really sweet. Is there anything you can't make jewelry out of? So creative!

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  12. LizlovesVintageOctober 13, 2012 at 7:30 PM

    Thanks for stopping by and leaving me a comment. I love DIY projects that are interesting and fun. LOVE the pumpkins with attitude post also!!
    Have a wonderful Sunday,
    xxx Liz

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  13. Pam LambkyOctober 13, 2012 at 7:38 PM

    Love these... Thanks for including your easy to follow tutorial! I'll bet you get rave reviews on all of these! xo's Pam

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  14. PamOctober 13, 2012 at 8:13 PM

    I'm sure your friend will love the bottle necklaces you made for her. Thank you for the tutorial. Someday, I may give it a try.

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  15. The Polka Dot ClosetOctober 13, 2012 at 8:29 PM

    You are amazing, I totally love this and bookmarked it!

    Carol

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  16. Little Miss MaggieOctober 13, 2012 at 9:03 PM

    Great tutorial, Betsy. Such cute little necklaces.

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  17. Mary EllenOctober 13, 2012 at 9:20 PM

    Oh my these are so adorable!! You come up with the greatest ideas and are so sweet to always freely share how you make things with us!! Thanks so much!

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  18. NancyOctober 14, 2012 at 4:47 AM

    Totally Beyond Cool!! Thanks for sharing how you made these!!

    Huggs, Nancy

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  19. Jean @ www.thebackyardbungalow.comOctober 14, 2012 at 6:17 AM

    How can she not love them? They're fantastic! But I feel ya on the custom order thing...I second guess myself, too.

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  20. Diane WritesOctober 14, 2012 at 7:03 AM

    I'm catching up with your posts Betsy. Been so busy lately and I miss reading your posts and artworks.

    This is another set of equally creative and genius work from you. So cute and the intricate details make me adore each piece.

    Have a great week Betsy!

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  21. Karen BatesOctober 14, 2012 at 8:10 AM

    She will love them...they are adorable, what a great idea to use those sweet little perfume bottles.

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  22. KathyOctober 14, 2012 at 8:11 AM

    I think she will love them - I know I would! Thank you for sharing the tutorial. I have many little bottles and maybe I will actually find the time to MAKE something with them one of these days!

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  23. Marsha @ Tattered ChickOctober 14, 2012 at 7:01 PM

    Love these!!!! It was soooooo good seeing you today!!!!! Get some rest!!!!

    xoxo

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  24. Faire NotionsOctober 14, 2012 at 9:11 PM

    These look fantastic. They're so cute. I'm sure she'll love them.
    Lisa

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  25. StephanieOctober 15, 2012 at 11:39 AM

    Hi there! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a sweet comment - you had a great idea about engraving an initial in the bracelets :) Your necklaces are stunning and very creative. Enjoy your day!

    Blessings,
    Stephanie

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  26. Sherry@Back2VintageOctober 15, 2012 at 2:34 PM

    Oh, she will absolutely LOVE them!!! Don't second guess yourself! They are beautiful!!! Thanks for the tutorial, too...great photos!!!

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  27. MaggieOctober 16, 2012 at 11:11 PM

    hi Betsy, doing some catch-up reading tonight. Thanks for a neat tutorial on these perfume bottles; this same technique could be used on other objects, too. Nice, clear close-up photography! I'm intrigued by the other bottles, too, where you've brought the wire up along the sides of the cap and did one twisty loop.
    Your client will love them all!!

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  28. LaurieOctober 17, 2012 at 9:05 PM

    Oh how wonderful! Thank you for showing us how you did it!

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  29. Laurel@chippingwithcharmOctober 18, 2012 at 5:33 AM

    Just lovely!! I know what you mean about special orders...its so much easier when you just put your creations out and if someone likes it they buy it :) But I'm sure they will love these!! Laurel

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  30. ~ Liz ~October 19, 2012 at 3:46 AM

    Your creations are bound to be in high demand whether you create them off the cuff or custom according to request. You also must feel surrounded by riches working with all those amazing little treasures all the time. What you do with the bits and pieces never ceases to amaze me!
    Liz

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  31. Patty (Patty's Pretty Things)November 9, 2012 at 4:25 PM

    These are adorable. Thank you for the fabulous tutorial.

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  32. That Girl AngJanuary 18, 2013 at 3:57 PM

    So....did she adore them like we do?

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  33. Betsy@My Salvaged TreasuresJanuary 18, 2013 at 7:34 PM

    She sure did:-)

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  34. That Girl AngJanuary 18, 2013 at 8:07 PM

    Great! I'm inspired. I just got about 7 of them.

    Btw... you have an amazing blog.

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  35. SilkartistMarch 16, 2015 at 11:30 AM

    Very wonderful!

    ReplyDelete

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