Christmas Gifts: from everyday things… Homemade Christmas #3

It’s enjoyable for me to give gifts that I have created from my own hands. Some years the desire and time to create doesn’t jive with the hustle and bustle of the season! That’s when my “thinking cap” needs to get really creative.Last year I decided on a project that was simple, requiring just a little time and used things that I had on hand. An H2O decanter, made from an empty bottle of wine; burlap; glue and a marker; a stopper made from old door knobs and cork. Scripted on the tag: “I can’t turn water into wine, but I can turn a wine bottle into a water decanter” 😁. I enjoy a glass of wine while I cook dinner, instead of recycling or discarding the empty bottles, I started saving them and their corks. It always comes back to that whole “stewardship” thing for me!

Directions:

* Wash empty wine bottle in the dishwasher.
*Soak off the label and if needed use “Goo Gone” to remove any sticky debris. Dry well.
*Cut a piece of burlap to fit your bottle with a little overlap in the back.
*Map out the center of the burlap and write H2O on the center of it with black permanent marker. (One trick I used to get uniform lettering is write it in chalk first, making adjustments before going over it with the marker).
*Then use E6000 glue to attach the burlap lable both to the bottle and to itself.
*Choose a knob that has a center screw, screwing it into a cork, use a drop of E6000 glue to hold it in well with last turn.
*Then, with a sharp knife, trim down just enough of the cork that it will easily fit in the top of the bottle and be easy to remove.
* Tie a simple brown thrift tag with raffia and your gift is complete!