Wine Bottle Bowl

A moment of madness overcame me I think, when I wondered if I could make a bowl out of mini wine bottles.

But SUCCESS !!

This was a many stage project:

• Stage One: Go to local Indian restaurant and chat them up very very nicely to save lots of little 'one glass' wine bottles for you.


• Stage Two: Be extra nice to partner and slip into a chatty conversation that you would be so chuffed if those bottles were to be washed and their labels removed.


• Stage Three: Get off your backside and wash the bottles, remove extra sticky labels by scrubbing with a scouring pad, then scratch remaining glue off with the back of a knife.


• Stage Four: Spend at least 3/4 of an hour balancing the bottles in the kiln, so they will flatten to make a large petalled flower.


• Stage Five: Wait impatiently all night for the kiln to do its work, then in the morning take out fused glass bottles whilst still warm, passing them hand to hand so not to burn your fingers.


• Stage Six: Wait until the kiln is cold, then prepare it for a second firing.


• Stage Seven: Find a suitable recepticle to use as a mold, a stainless steel mixing bowl did it for me, and put it upside down in the kiln, lay the fused glass on top, and prepare to wait impatiently again for a second night.


• Stage Eight: Lock yourself out of the workshop so there is no temptation to burn your fingers once again.


• Stage Nine: Take out your masterpiece, pat yourself hard on the back (put the bowl down first) and tell your visiting parents that they produced a genius. :)


• Stage Ten: Text your neighbour and ask if she has any grapes, or other fruits to use as photographic props.

So there you go, the making of a bottle bowl.

The neighbour couldn't supply fruit, so I had to used baking potatoes - they don't quite have the same beauty as a bunch of juicy grapes, but a compromise was needed. :)