Guest Post – Adult Programming with Crafts

While I’m out recovering from surgery, I’ve asked a few friends to step in and fill my shoes.  I hope you enjoy what they have to share with you!  If you like what you see, stop by their blogs and tell them!

I am not a crafty person.  I have trouble tying a bow on a present, so it’s a stretch for me to even attempt to do a real craft project.  I’ve done a few small craft programs for adults at my library and we get a decent turn out.  With the theme of the Adult Summer Reading Program (Groundbreaking Reads) I was at wits end trying to find simple programming ideas.  One idea is ‘underground’ and I really liked the idea of looking at underground drinking or Prohibition.  I tried to find a local winery to come out to give a talk, and hit a dead end.

Next idea was a craft so I turned to Pinterest and found a number of interesting craft projects.  I settled on spraying chalkboard paint on wine bottles. Something easy that even I could do.  As advertising for the program I wanted to create a few samples.  I used a wine bottle and a pretty blue mead bottle.

There are a number of pins and websites that show how to do this, I had to kind of put together my own way.  I made a few mistakes but overall my bottles turned out nicely.  The wine bottle I planned to cover completely while with the blue bottle I wanted to only spray the bottom portion to keep the blue visible. 

 

 

 

 

I purchased some Goo Gone, chalkboard spray paint and blue painters tape and was ready to go!

First thing I did was peal off as much of the label as possible and then rubbed Goo Gone all over the label.  It was wasn’t coming off nicely so I soaked the bottle in some warm soapy water.

Once I did this for both bottles I was ready to start to paint!

I had to tape off the blue bottle. I lined the end of the tape up with the seam on the bottle to make sure the tape was lined up properly and would circle around in a nice line. Next time I do this I’m going to tape a bag or plastic wrap around the top of the bottle. I only put a few rows of tape and the spray sort of peppered the top of the bottle and the lid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I gave each bottle three coats of paint. I waiting about 15-20 minutes inbetween coats. Drying times may vary depending on type of glass, I noticed that the blue bottle took longer to dry than the wine bottle. It’s best to wait 24 hours before you write on the bottles to make sure they really are dried and set.

My plan for the program is to talk about Prohibition and wine making at home while we wait for our coats of paint to dry. I’m using information from Boundless and DIY Plonk. (Plonk is poor quality wine, used for the stuff you make at home.  Also the website isn’t great to look at, but it simple and informative.)

Something I learned and suggest doing is to spray the bottoms of the bottles first. The bottoms only really need one coat and once it’s dry you can stand the bottle up to paint the rest.  There were a few other mishaps of a bottle getting stuck to the paper and one falling over when a dog bumped into the table.  But overall I think this was the best craft for a non-crafty person. Next month we’re making origami flowers.

I can’t wait to do this craft next week at the library!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amelia is an aspiring author and a librarian in New Jersey.  You can find her sharing her Little Thoughts About Books and on Twitter at @litjrzygrl.  She also manages the social media for the Central New Jersey region of the Jane Austen Society of North America at www.cnjjasna.org