Basket Planter

Supplies:

• #77-7721 Armour Bottle & Jar Cutter
• #15-0315 Glass cleaner
• #08-9415 Masking tape
• #61-3341 Quick Grip Glue
• 2 Pkgs Sculpey clay –Pink (or color of your choice)
• Large wine bottle or other wide, tall glass bottle that fits your pillar candle
• Pillar candle
• Paper Towels
• 3 in 1 Oil
• Protective gloves
• Safety glasses

General Instructions:

1. Put on gloves and eye protection.
2. Oil the cutter wheel as specified in instruction booklet.
3. Cut bottle at desired height (cut it high enough to allow roots to grow). Follow the instructions that come with your Bottle cutter View the directions and How to Videos
4. Clean bottle with glass cleaner.

Decorating the piece:

1. Knead 2 pieces of Sculpey clay in your hands until pliable.
2. Roll each piece as evenly as possible into long ropes about ¼” thick.
3. Twist the 2 ropes together.
4. Wrap some of the rope around the top rim of bottle. Pinch ends together where they meet. Press clay gently to the glass, but try not to flatten the rope. On opposite sides of the bottle, flatten a thumbs width  into the clay to allow for the handle to be glued on later.
5. On a cookie sheet, bend enough of the remaining rope into a U shape to form a nice length for the handle. If the rope is too long , cut it. If it is too short, stretch it a little. To measure how wide the handle needs to be, place the bottle cut side down on the cookie sheet near the open ends of the rope. Adjust the width and re-shape the handle into a nice U (It is important you get this just right now, as you will not be able to re-shape it once it is baked).  Flatten a thumbs width of the ends to match the width you flattened on the bottle. Shape and trim into pleasing looking ends.
6. Turn bottle right side up and place on the cookie sheet next to the handle (do not bake bottle upside down, air must be able to circulate inside). Bake at 265 degrees in the middle of the oven for about 10-15 minutes in a well ventilated room. Check often. Do not allow clay to get too brown or burn. Remove from oven when clay on the sides are firm to the touch. Check constantly while baking.
7. Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow everything to cool untouched overnight, away from a cold breeze or counter.
8. If any part of the clay is not secured to the glass after baking, re-attach with Quick Grip glue.
9. Attach handle to rope where you flattened it around the tip of the bottle with Quick grip glue.
10. Place a real or silk plant in the basket. DO NOT pick basket up by the handle. The handle is for decorative purposes ONLY.

Suggestions:

1. Etch the side of the bottle with one of Etchworld’s many different glass etching stencils and Armour Glass Etching Cream.
2. Fill with a herb plant and etch the herb’s name on the side using one of Etchworld’s Made to Order Name stencils. Etch by your favorite method- Armour Glass Etching Cream, Sand-Etch or standard sandblasting techniques.