Inspiration Monday: Bottle Cap Jewelry

I rarely do an inspiration Monday on a specific item but I just couldn't help myself with this one. Sometimes you just need that starting point, a spark to to ignite your inspiration, and a simple bottle cap can be just that. 

Bottle Cap jewelry has been trending for several years now and continues to grow in popularity. Why is this? Many reasons come to mind, but personally I think it's because bottle caps are fun, they are a casual take on jewelry design, light in spirit and smile-inducing. In a serious world, it is a welcome joy to wear something which causes people to stop and say "That is so great! How fun! Too clever!" - and these are the responses I get when wearing my bottle cap jewelry. 

Bottle Caps offer so many possibilities for the creative designer. The most obvious is that you can put an image on the inside of the bottle cap or even on the backside. Most bottle caps have an 1" interior diameter, so if you have a 1" round hole punch, it's really easy to just punch an image and have it fit perfectly. In addition to images, I have seen people fill bottle caps with sprinkles, charms, pressed flowers, buttons, and just about anything small. It can be a miniature shadow box for your design. 

Besides filling your bottle cap with all sorts of eye-catching pictures and objects, you can also alter the actual bottle cap itself - creating something new. A metal hole punch easily punches through the flared tin edges. This is great for attaching jump rings, bails, connectors, or dangles. If you want, you can flatten a bottle cap with just a rubber mallet; the effect is actually quite dramatic and really changes the entire look. 

Once you have your bottle cap jewelry how you want it, finishing the piece is really easy. If you are just using an image, you can then coat the image in sealant, you can fill the bottle cap with resin, or use an epoxy sticker. If you have lots of objects inside your bottle cap, resin is probably your best bet, but you can always glue objects down really well with a glue such as E6000. Then all that is needed is to glue a magnet or pin on the back, glue on a bail or if you punched a hole, just attach a jump ring or earring hook. Instant jewelry and gifts! So simple, yet so much fun! 

Here is another idea: I used my husband's art work and put it inside a bottle cap, edged the interior of the cap in ball chain, and then filled with resin. You can do this for your own art work or that of your kids! 

The key to bottle cap jewelry is to have fun and be creative. The possibilities are endless! Here are a couple of tutorials to help you on your journey: 

Enjoy! Julie