Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy wednesdays: bud vase trio

budvases Bud Vase Trio by The Curiosity Shoppe

You’d think we’d had a baby with all the lovely flowers people have been sending us since we opened our Shoppe 2 weeks ago. We’re flattered and thankful…and completely out of vases. Luckily we’ve recently discovered the joys of glass cutting. We normally prefer crafts of the soft and fuzzy variety, so to pick up a hobby that requires fire, ice and glass has been a bit of a departure for us. But it turns out that cutting glass is easier than you’d think, and completely painless. With the surprising array of colors wine and beer bottles come in, you don’t have to be Tord Boontje to create a beautiful little bud vase trio. Click “read more” for the full instructions!

Have fun!
Derek and Lauren

Here’s what you’ll need:
Glass cutting kit (we like this one or this one)
Empty wine or beer bottles
Sandpaper for polishing cut edges
Candle
Ice cube

Making a vase out of a glass bottle isn’t rocket science, but it does take some practice. Don’t be upset or frustrated if you end up sacrificing a few bottles to the recycling bin before you master the fine art of scoring. To get started, adjust the cutter so that your bottle lies flat on the rollers with the scoring blade at your desired height. Using both hands, carefully roll the bottle towards you, keeping steady pressure as you create as straight a score line as possible around the entire bottle. Remember that to get a nice clean break in your glass it’s more important that the line be straight, not necessarily deep.

Now it’s time for the fire and ice. Light your candle, and holding the score line directly above the flame, slowly rotate the bottle for 20-30 seconds. Then do a few quick rotations so that the score line is evenly heated all around. Next, grab an ice cube and slide it along the score. This is where it gets interesting. If you hear any clicks or tiny cracking noises, this is a good sign. Most bottles won’t separate during the first round, so you may have to repeat the fire and ice routine a few times before the bottle magically (and cleanly!) snaps in two.

Soften the cut edges of the glass with sandpaper and you’ve got yourself a perfect little vase (or votive holder, or drinking glass)… Experiment with different sizes and heights and you’ll see that the possibilities are endless!

OH! This was actually the very first DIY project I introduced my husband to, about 3 years ago when we were still living with our parents and just boyfriend and girlfriend and it was SUPER easy and fun. Too bad his mom threw them all away thinking they were just broken bottles…

I have two questions - the link to the first glass cutter makes comments about how bad the glass cutter (of the second link) is - have you actually used both of these cutters and would recommend both of them equally?

Also, it seems to me like with these glass cutters, you can cut only perpendicularly to the glass surface. Of course I would love to create some Tord Boontje type oblique cuts - but probably because his wife is a glass artist they have special ways of making these cuts, but is this in any possible for us hobbyists at home?

Thank you!

felicity and lauren - I’m not a lot of help, but…I have the first cutter and it is as easy as the instructions above sound.

And yes, you are correct that you can only do perpendicular cuts, not the fancy cuts at angles.

We have used the first cutter (Ephrem’s) and would recommend it. As for the second one (Armour), we have checked it out and it looks pretty similar, but we haven’t actually used it. It seems more widely available though, so we wanted to provide the link just in case.

Hey Reva:
Yes! There are glass and tile drill bits out there. Ask for them at your local hardware store. I’ve drilled holes in bottles before, and though it’s not the funnest or most relaxing experience, it can certainly be done. And we definitely should have said this in our post, but please be careful and always take appropriate safety precautions. (Gloves and goggles for glass drilling.) Good luck!

I think i read something in Ready Made where they soaked a string in something flamable. Then they tied it around the bottle and lit it on fire. It looked scary to me. But cool. This looks safer. Perhaps I’ll try!

I am always looking for new ways to reuse things for easy/beautiful gifts, and this is just perfect! Any thing being reused as a gift is the best form of recycling!
I recently made paper-cut into note card size and sent it off to Australia as a birthday gift to a far away friend.

You can try this with a water saw, which is much quicker, but you will need a dremel tool to grid the edge along with safety glass and a dust mask. The candle fire and ice is much cleaner and takes longer so it depends on which process you wish to try.

Write a Comment:

Design*Sponge reserves the right to restrict comments that do not contribute constructively to the conversation at hand, contain profanity, personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.