Tutorial On Making Glass Salt/Pepper Shaker Rosebud

In the last post I showed a bunch of glass rosebuds in a silver teapot. Today I'm going to let you in on the secret of how to make them for yourselves. They are so unique and I have never seen anything like them.

The first thing to do is find some very tiny salt or pepper shakers. I got mine at Goodwill for 50 cents apiece, but I think they are a dollar store item.

Assemble all the parts that you will need. Salt and pepper shakers, check.  Heavy gauge wire, wooden skewers, floral tape, coffee filters, white paint, and tools to complete the craft. You will need wire snips, scissors and a stiff bristle paintbrush.

I got some of the heavy gauge wire, cut it to the same length as the wooden skewer and fed it through the holes in the pepper shaker. For the one hole salt shaker, I made a tiny loop at the end of the wire just big enough so the loop would not slip through the hole in the silver lid.

Next, attach the glass body to the lid. After you have secured the lid to the glass body, take a wood skewer with the blunt end at the silver lid. Wrap the wire around the wooden skewer just a couple of times down the length of the skewer.  Now pinching the salt or pepper shaker in one hand; use the other to start wrapping the floral tape around the silver lid and especially below it.  It will take a bunch of floral tape to build up a thick enough stem to keep the heavy glass part from wobbling.

Once the salt/pepper shaker is secure, wrap the rest of the skewer in the floral tape down the length of the stem.  Now grab your coffee filter and fold it up into 1/8th's.  This is just like you used to cut out snowflakes when you were a kid.

Please excuse my chipped nail polish.  Often I get so caught up in my crafts, I forget to take care of myself!

Cut the wide end to look like a pointy leaf while making sure the bottom is all completely attached. If you want you can give the bottom a little twist.

 

Fan out your leaf and then attach it to the skewer stem with more floral tape. Make sure it is secure and then break out your white acrylic craft paint and dry brush the entire stem; taking care to not get paint on the glass rosebud.

This is how it looks completed, but I dressed mine up with lace and pink ribbons and tiny pearl trim.

This is a really fun and unusual use for salt and pepper shakers. If you want to wrap them individually to give as a gift just get some celophane wrapping and copy what the florists do. Add a bow and a gift tag and just wait to see how impressed your friend will be at your crafty talent!