I love the swirling, calming, mesmerizing look of these glitter bottles. They are so pretty to look at, and they are great to hand to a fussy kid who just needs a moment to collect himself and chill out. I have been wanting to make one of these for a long time, but I have never found *exactly* the right recipe for one. For this craft, I made four bottles using different methods and ingredients until I found one the worked perfectly and kept the glitter suspended for a few minutes before slowly setting to the bottom. I found one recipe that recommended mixing glitter and water with cheap hair gel, but I found that the glitter stuck to the sides of the bottle, and remained suspended indefintely. Perhaps it was the "extra-stiff" brand i used, but I wasn't happy at all! Then I tried water + glitter + liquid dish soap, and that worked a bit better, but I felt like the glitter settled to quickly. The gel glitter glue method + glitter + water worked the best, but in my first attempt I added way too much glitter glue and it took over an hour for the glitter to visibly settle and several hours to settle completely. The recipe I have here keeps the glitter suspended for several minutes, but is thin enough so that it languidly swirls down and settles at the bottom.
by Marigold Haske
What you'll need
- 16.9 oz plastic bottle, emptied and cleaned
- Gel glitter glue
- .12 oz vial of fine glitter
- Very hot tap water
- low-temp hot glue gun + glue stick
How to make it
1. Clean and empty a 16.9 oz plastic water bottle and remove any labels. Try my easy Homemade Goo Remover to take off any sticky residue from the label. Squeeze no more than 1/2 an inch of gel glitter glue into the bottom of the bottle. Pour in a smail vial of fine glitter.
2. Fill the bottle with very hot tap water, leaving an inch of space at the top. Replace the cap tightly and shake until all of the gel glue and glittter are mixed up. A chopstick or bamboo skewer is useful to break up chunks and scrape any glue sticking to the bottle sides--but don't worry about it too much. Any glue sticking to the sides will dissolve and mix in over time. Are you happy with the length of time the glitter remains suspended in the water? If not, add another squeeze or two of gel glitter glue and mix it in. Keep in mind that as the water cools, it will take longer for the glitter to settle--several minutes longer. For the first bottle I made, I added over an inch of gel glitter glue to the bottom. It worked great at first, but once it cooled down completely it took over an hour for the glitter to settle all the way!
3. If you are happy with the length of time it takes for the glitter to settle to the bottom of the bottle, you are ready to seal. Remove the cap and swipe the lip of the bottle with a cloth to make sure it is clean and dry. Use a low-temp glue gun all aong the edge and quickly replace the cap, closing as tightly as possible.
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