I love glass bottles and jars… but especially love the bottles that olive oil comes in. Often tall and slender, with beautiful old world design labels… the glass bottles that holds this golden liquid comes in shades of greens, golden hues and earthy amber tones…. so beautiful are these olive oil bottles…. who would want to throw them away… I ask you?

I never do… because to me they are my future works of art… for my decoupage designs with recycled glass. After the olive oil is gone, I soak these wonderful bottles in the sink with hot sudsy water… to remove the paper labels and any oil residue. They are then lovingly placed in the dishwasher for a complete “washing” and set on the kitchen counter for a few days to dry.

Sometimes… these glass beauties sit on my art work table in my office for weeks… as I get the feel for what the bottle wants… as far as the images for the decoupage design. Many times…. I think of a person who might receive  this decoupage bottle as a gift… and the design unfolds in my heart… infusing my mind with creativity… setting in motion a work of art using paper, ribbons, charms… paintbrush… and the vintage feel and look that only  decoupage gives.

I know that this finished piece… that once was filled with olive oil… will someday soon… hold a single flower to sit prettily on a desk somewhere.. or be placed in a windowsill or bookshelf… adding beauty and grace to a person’s life…  and I feel I am doing a little something to add to recycling.

So… the next time you feel the urge to throw away a beautifully shaped or colored bottle or jar… ask your creative self what you could make this bottle or jar into… that could be useful, beautiful or collectable.

Seeing through the looking glass,

Victoria