Three Months Later . . .

I think I have the final design figured out, thanks to hours of trying out different assortments with my mom and a couple hours of shopping with Amandaconda.

I tried growing my own moss (not worth it, better to find coupons and buy the stuff), tried uniform looks, larger clusters of bottles . . . thanks to My Fair Wedding with David Tutera for making me rethink everything.

The end result is one large green bottle with a candle inside, one large clear bottle with a white flower potted in moss, one additional bottle that will house some sort of elevated table number for a little height variation. I found some 6' garland with ferns in it - PERFECT for the forest theme! I can cut it in half and get two tables out of each strand. (Michaels is far superior to Joanns when it comes to fake flowers.)

I'm pretty sure this look is "the one." Time to finish them up and move on to the next project:
Forest-themed Invitations.

In the unlikely event you've been following this saga . . .

. . . here is an update!

I'm liking:
. . . larger candles instead of tealights, and will try pillars next.
. . . matching (color and shape) sets of bottles in varying heights.
. . . green bottles.
. . . white flowers.
. . . two candle bottles, one bottle vase.

(I apologize for gratuitous use of the ellipsis . . . .)

Got to admit, it's getting better.

I've had some success breaking the bottles. I find the "drip" method word more reliably than the "dip" method.

In each method, you make a score line around the bottom of the bottle with a glass cutter.

In the "dip" method, you keep a pot of boiling water on the stove and a tub of ice water nearby. Alternate hot and cold dips for about 5 seconds each. Do this a few times until the bottom falls off.

In the "drip" method, you keep a kettle of hot water on the stove. Bring the water to a boil, then bring your kettle and bottle to the sink. Slowly pour boiling water along the score line, and then run cold tap water over the score line. Do this a few times until the bottom falls off.

I haven't found a great way to fix uneven breaks. At this point I just have a box of bottles to re-score (about an inch from any break in the glass) and try again.

Here is a small scale prototype. (I only had tea lights available.)

Mulligan

My first attempt at removing the bottoms of wine bottles worked . . . but only in the sense that bottles don't have bottoms anymore. I'm determined to make some (approximately 42) good ones for table centerpieces, so there will be more practice and future posts. Once the bottoms are removed, lit candles will be placed inside, and it will be AWESOME. Mark my words.

My fiance is insistent on using the phrase "if it works." I had to remind him that projects that are "easy" are more common, and decidedly less interesting.

Note: I'll be accepting donations of green or brown wine bottles from now until April 27, 2013.