Glitter Time Out Bottles

So, I found this link on Pinterest and was reminded of it again when a friend posted something related on her Facebook page. So, it seemed to me like I better get to work on making a couple glitter bottles!

I did a little shopping yesterday with my mother and Alice. We went to AC Moore and I picked up superfine glitter and silver glitter tempra paint. They had glitter glue there too and I could have used clear glue and glitter, but this was the cheapest combination of materials. Then we stopped by Wegmans for their awesome bulk tea (omg Almond Ode to Joy rocks so hard!) and I found these cool Norwegian water bottles. I liked the fact that the lids were the same diameter as the rest of the bottle, but any thicker plastic bottle would work fine.

I peeled off the labels and used Goo Gone to clean them up. Then I added water back in until each bottle was around 3/4 full (I drank some on the drive home).

Then I just poured half the glitter into each bottle (purple was what Finn chose) and a good squeeze (no I didn't measure) of the paint. Then I stole/borrowed Tim's phone to time how long it took for them to settle. I played around with adding water and paint until they settled at about the right rate. Then I super glued the lids on and ta da!

This was really a quick and easy project. Finn loves his bottle and has been playing with it. We haven't had a time out to try it on yet, but that shouldn't take long *sigh*. The paint left the water cloudy. It doesn't clear completely even after sitting overnight. It's a pale milky white. This doesn't bother me at all but if you'd like it to be a little clearer use the clear glue rather than paint. I also didn't bother using hot water. They may have been clearer if I used hot water for mixing. If I made these again I think I would add some larger glitter along with the superfine for some variety.

All in all this project cost me about $13 for the two bottles. If I had bought clear glue and extra glitter it would have run me around $15-$18. Either way not too shabby.

The idea for these glitter bottles originated with mind jars. They're a way to show a child how a mind busy with stress can settle if you take time out to refocus. Really neat idea.