Turn a Trophy into a Decorative Bottle Stopper

I bet that every one of us has a trophy lying around somewhere, collecting dust.  Wouldn't it be fun to turn that old item into a fun useable piece?  Here's my solution:  make a unique cork bottle stopper!

I have a plethora of trophies from my dad's car show days, so I didn't have to look far to find a trophy to work with.  I have seen old trophies at thrift stores, though,so you should be able to find one.  If all else fails, the pieces are very inexpensive to purchase from a trophy store.

Project estimate:

Trophy, on hand or $1 and upBottle, on handCork, on handPaint, on hand

Total:  Free and up

Step one:  Disassemble the trophy to remove the top.

Step two:  Drill a small hole in the cork, and screw the trophy top into it.  You can add glue if you want to, but I didn't.

Step three:  Paint the trophy top and the bottle.  I used a chalky finish paint, but any glass paint or multipurpose paint would work, too.  You could use spray paint, as well.

Optional:  I used a metallic glaze to highlight the details and give the project some depth, but it looked great before I added the glaze.  I'm adding this to my living room mantle so I wanted a bit of shimmer.

I like the stopper with the bottle as decor, but you could just make the wine stopper by itself. It would make a fun, unique gift idea, or a pretty decorative item for a party.  Now, what to do with the rest of the trophy?  Stay tuned...

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Turn a Trophy into a Decorative Bottle Stopper

I bet that every one of us has a trophy lying around somewhere, collecting dust.  Wouldn't it be fun to turn that old item into a fun useable piece?  Here's my solution:  make a unique cork bottle stopper!I have a plethora of trophies from my dad's car show days, so I didn't have to look far to find a trophy to work with.  I have seen old trophies at thrift stores, though,so you should be able to find one.  If all else fails, the pieces are very inexpensive to purchase from a trophy store.Project estimate:Trophy, on hand or $1 and upBottle, on handCork, on handPaint, on handTotal:  Free and upStep one:  Disassemble the trophy to remove the top.Step two:  Drill a small hole in the cork, and screw the trophy top into it.  You can add glue if you want to, but I didn't.Step three:  Paint the trophy top and the bottle.  I used a chalky finish paint, but any glass paint or multipurpose paint would work, too.  You could use spray paint, as well.Optional:  I used a metallic glaze to highlight the details and give the project some depth, but it looked great before I added the glaze.  I'm adding this to my living room mantle so I wanted a bit of shimmer.I like the stopper with the bottle as decor, but you could just make the wine stopper by itself. It would make a fun, unique gift idea, or a pretty decorative item for a party.  Now, what to do with the rest of the trophy?  Stay tuned...

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Recycled Craft: Candleholder Made From a Trophy

One of the many things I love about writing for Dollar Store Crafts is that DSC crafters are so open minded to different crafting ideas.  Occasionally, I've made something quite out of the norm (like this mirror) and been delighted to find that you all really liked the idea.  Two weeks ago I made a bottle topper out of a trophy, and I looked at the trophy pieces strewn on my desk and wondered what I could do with them.  I grabbed a few items and started playing.  This is what I came up with:  a one of a kind candle holder.

The first version of this was spray painted a neon yellow.  That was a disaster.  I didn't prime anything, so the paint dripped and didn't adhere evenly.  The color was a terrible choice.  Major craft fail!!  So I started over and made some adjustments, and I love the end result.  It's unexpected but prettily shabby chic, I think.

The trophies can be found at garage sales and thrift stores (if you don't already have a few collecting dust!), and the rest of the items were all found at Dollar Tree.

Project estimate:

Trophy, on hand or $1 and upSilver platter, $1Resin bird, $1Bird cage, $1Silk Flowers, on hand or $1 and upBattery operated candles, on hand or $1E-6000, on handPaint, on hand

Total: $3 and up

Step one:  Disassemble the trophy and reassemble it as desired.  Use E-6000 to glue the parts together.  You can see how I assembled my two candle holders below.

Step two:  Paint the entire project one color.  I used a large brush and chalky finish paint.

Step three:  Once it is dry, add birds, flowers, and candles.  Since these could tip over easily, I suggest  using battery operated candles, which are available at Dollar Tree.

I'm planning to add small pastel, plastic Easter eggs to my pink platter as a fun centerpiece.  The blue candle holder is on my  mantle, next to my decorated bottle.  I like to decorate with unusual, unexpected items.  Do you?

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