Going Very, Very Tiny

Decorating bottles with polymer is a lot of fun.  The  Southern Connecticut Polymer Clay Guild participates in a project, Bottles of Hope, in which small bottles are decorated with polymer and distributed to patients as a wish for well being.  I've enjoyed making bottles for the program.  The other day, I ran across some very small bottles - tiny, actually - and they just seemed to be begging to be decorated.

Decorating these tiny bottles turned out to take a lot more time and finesse than I'd originally thought. The various pieces of polymer are incredibly small, and needed to be placed carefully.  I also discovered I had to bake each layer separately.  It's been fun to make them, and I wanted to share three little bottles with you.  This round little bottle has a pointed bottom which provided a perfect perch for the vine.


The photo on the right with the orange butterfly and the dime should give you a good idea of the size of these little pieces.

 This photo demonstrates how the cork is "chained" to the base via polymer.  I designed them so each tiny bottle has a chain that attaches the cork to the bottle.  There is also a polymer loop for the addition of a chain or ribbon so the bottles can be worn.  This bottle has a flattened shape and was easier to decorate than the first shape.

This last little bottle has a square shape so it can stand up all by itself.  Because of the width of the bottle, there is more space for design and the pattern flows around the shape.

So what do you think - kinda cute, aren't they!