Seasonal Memories in a Bottle

I love the changing of seasons and in my neck of the woods there are distinct changes in our nature and the environment. How much fun to be able to save these pieces of the season in a bottle? You can even save pieces of nature and found objects from a vacation in a bottle too and keep these memories on display.

Saving your memories in a bottle is an easy thing to do and can be changed up year to year if you use the technique I’ll show you here.

Gather your objects to save and collect them into glass bottles. These apothecary bottles were found at Michaels at a very reasonable price.

Create your labels. I used a digital kit: General Store Postage Kit by Jenni Bowlin Studio. I personalized the labels by painting over the parts of the label with a digital brush and using the type tool to add my own text of what’s inside each bottle. I also filled in the decorative stamp edge to make printing and cutting easier. You can find the label that’s just right for you by going to Snap Click Supply Co. and putting “labels” in the search box. You’ll get pages and pages of labels in return.

I printed my labels out on regular printing paper. Printing on a light weight paper makes the adhering step easier.

Instead of cutting my stamps out with scissors or straight blade, I used a perforating blade. I then tore my stamps on the perforation to get an interesting edge to the stamp.

Here’s the secret to adhering your labels! I wanted my labels to be temporary so I could change out my display as the seasons and years changed. Did you know you can adhere paper to glass using MILK? It’s a great adhesive for paper to glass and many home breweries adhere their labels this way. Use whole or 2% milk, and paint the back of your label quickly and lightly. If you let the brush lay on the label too long, or load the milk on the label, the liquid will bleed through to the front. Be careful when placing your label on your bottle because yes, it will stick!

It is easy to remove your labels to change up your display. Peel the label and run the bottle under water to completely remove the label and milk adhesive. As someone who frequently changes her mind, I love the temporary property of the milk adhesive.

Have fun bottling your own seasonal memories!