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~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18

New today at Choose To Thrive, a simple and elegant word art display for your Thanksgiving decor or table. And you can use this same idea for all kinds of word ideas and displays.  Here’s the version I made for my kitchen table:

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Ready to make a set for your home?

Here’s what you’ll need:

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As always, I hope you’ll  Rock-What-Ya-Got and adapt this project as necessary to make it work with what you have on hand.  See tips at the end of the post for more ideas.

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Start with any bottle with a great shape. DH found these at our local Associated Foods grocery store.

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Remove as much of the front and back labels as possible, then soak for 12-20 minutes in warm water. 

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The remaining paper and glue should wipe off easily with a rag or scrub pad.

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If your bottle has a stamped expiration date (and most do) …

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… gently scrub it off with a scrub pad.  Mine came off in two seconds flat.

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Allow to dry thoroughly inside and out.

For the words, having access to a CriCut or one of these lovelies helps a ton.

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(And just in case anyone is curious, I used one of my favorite fonts, JSL Ancient, available as a free download here.)

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Apply vinyl lettering to bottles as you would for any other project …

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(And remember: if you’re using these for a table, make sure to cut two sets of letters so that your guests can see the letters on both sides of the table!)

To prepare your wheat, remove any weeds and leaves (if using home-grown) or remove outer wrapping from store-brought bundles.

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Gather a bunch of stems roughly the same width as the bottle opening into a nice, tight cluster.

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Carefully insert wheat, removing any stems that won’t quite fit.   You want the wheat to fit snuggly and not move around.

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And that’s it!  Quick, easy, DONE!

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A few THRIVE tips to Rock What Ya Got:

What if I don’t have a CriCut or Silhouette machine?

1) Cut letters from vinyl sheets or contact paper with regular craft scissors.  2) Barter, trade or just talk one of your really awesome neighbor-friend-cousin-coworkers into cutting letters for you.  3)Paint letters with craft paints using a stencil.

How can I get wheat for cheap? It’s so expensive at craft stores, even with a coupon.

Free wheat is easier to find that you might think. The wheat I used was from my neighbor’s garden. She wanted to see if she could actually grow this stuff and it worked great. If you like this look, consider planting a section next to the tomatoes or flowers next spring. Also, many farmers will let you glean left-over wheat along the edges of their fields as long as you ask first. I live in a large metro area of a million people, but was surprised how many fields I saw within 15 minutes of my house. Your local city or county clerk can get you the owner’s name and contact information. Good luck!

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Wishing everyone the start of a magical holiday season!

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Linking Up to:

DIY Show Off Fall Festival

Author

64 Comments

  1. Laurie at Turner Farm

    I love this! Great idea, love the look!

  2. Caroline @ Atelier Caroline

    Very pretty! A great upcycle project again

  3. Hatter and Hare Events

    Stylish and easy to construct…my kind of project! Thanks for sharing – you did a great job!!

  4. Jennifer @ Muse Lodge

    Whoa…I love this! The jars are perfect! I might have to go on a hunt for similar jars.

  5. I really like this idea! Very simple to put together, but looks amazing. Thanks for the idea!
    www.homeismore.blogspot.com

  6. Sarah @ Modern Country Style

    I love that phrase: Rock What Ya Got.

    Definitely one to remember!

    What I wouldn't give for one of those Silhouette cutting machines.

  7. Kari @ Ucreate

    These are so fun!! I can't wait to share with my readers…THANK YOU!

  8. Anna @ Take the Side Street

    Great "catchphrase," that rock-what-ya-got 🙂 I love natural things, wheat is so great for fall — I think these are great, and I love that you added instructions for people who might not have specialized tools.

  9. Mommying On The Fly

    Lighter fluid works wonders on the labels tooooo… These are amazing.. thanks for sharing..

  10. Nike, I just love this. Very cool, and so simple, and peaceful looking. Can something like this be peaceful?? I love the brown bottles, of course I have no such bottles, but surely something else will do. Thanks for the inspiration, and I would be THANKFUL if you stopped by to link this up to my weekly party **Amaze me AUgust**, please share ANYTHING you'd like, Im really easy. Thanks a ton, and hope to see you there. Bella 🙂

  11. Michelle@Somedaycrafts

    This is so beautiful! I am featuring this at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com. Grab mY 'featured" button.

  12. I LOVE these! I am your newest follower!

    – Michelle @ Bunch of Craft

  13. lovetheday

    I LOVE this. I posted it on my facebook page:

    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arlington-VA/Love-The-Day/150532814962510

    Thanks for the great idea.

    love-the-day.com

  14. Lesley Stein

    I just found your blog and love this idea!

  15. Miss Fergie

    This is so great! im sharing on my blog today!

  16. Hi Nike
    I've had a great time looking over your blog. I'm loving so many of your projects. I'm one of your newest followers.
    Kalleen

  17. Sarah @ Sugar Bananas!

    Thanks for this great idea. It's so classy! Who knew the expiration dates scrubbed off so easily. I've tossed so many jars into the recyling bin for having numbers instead of using them for crafts. Thanks for the info. I'd love for you to link this to my ”Sweets This Week” Link Party!

  18. Thanks for sharing. This is such a fun look, very autumnal.

  19. This is awesome! Those bottles are gorgeous with the wheat. Perfect color combo.

  20. Maddycakes

    I LOVE this! What a great DIY project for Thanksgiving/Fall. I reposted on my blog. Thanks for sharing!! I will be stealing….I mean copying this!!
    Michelle
    www.maddycakesmuse.blogspot.com

  21. The Pennington Point

    Wow that is a really cute idea! I love that you used bottles you had. I'm inspired to go look in my pantry and see what bottles I have. I may have to do a lot of baking so I can empty those molasses bottles. LOL! Great post. Lisa~

  22. Creative Ambitions

    Love the wheat in the bottles… great idea with the lettering!

  23. Love thw letters, love the bottles, love the wheat, love the blog!!

  24. love your project! love your blog…i think i'll have to just follow ya 🙂 can't wait to read more!

  25. Carmen @ Life with Sprinkles on Top

    I *love* this idea!!!! I want to make it myself but I'd have to go out and buy everything so that would kind of defeat the purpose of using what I have. 🙂

  26. Hi!! I am your newest follower from the crafty link up! I love finding new blogs and yours is lovely:) You can find me at www.bouffeebambini.blogspot.com
    Take a peek at my giveaways if you come by. Everything is handmade and gorgeous!

    I love this! great idea!

  27. I love the uniformity of the bottles lined up. You chose the perfect font, too.

  28. I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I linked to this post today from the Home & Garden channel at Craft Gossip. 🙂

    Your feature will appear in the main Craft Gossip RSS feed, on the main home page and can be found directly here
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/simple-thanksgiving-display/

    If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here!
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/

  29. I LOVE THIS!!! great job…. thanks for your comment! i am now following you would love for you to follow back!!!
    ~Andrea

    keepinitthriftyandrea.blogspot.com

  30. I love everything about this project! The bottles the font, the wheat. I think I'll go shopping for some root beer. 🙂 I'm featuring this project tomorrow!

  31. Black and White {Side by Side}

    Great fall decor idea!!! I love the wheat bundles and your scripture reference 🙂
    I'm spotlighting you on my blog today. Stop by!

  32. Those are great! I never thought about scrubbing off the date stamp–I figured it would be on there FOREVER!

  33. Love your fall bottles. The color is great and I love the simplicity of them, hope I spelled that right. Have a great week.

  34. That is beautiful! You have so many awesome ideas and I have really enjoyed looking at your blog! I will definitely be adding you to my blog roll! 🙂

  35. Rachel@oneprettything.com

    What a gorgeous idea! I would love to link to this if you didn't mind.

  36. Katie @ This Chick Cooks

    Love these! I'm linking to them on my Friday Favorites.

  37. Love the wheat in the bottles. I'm thinking I need to collect some bottles. 🙂 Neat idea.

  38. Elizabeth

    Love this! You should come link up to Made with Love Monday at Sew Chatty! http://bit.ly/bSsG5b

  39. .Amelia.Bedelia.

    This is a beautiful, thrifty idea.- I love it! I'm your newest follower! 🙂

  40. WOW! These are so great! Thank you for the wonderfully simple, very beautiful craft idea! 😀

    Blessings,
    Morgan

  41. Sweet Peas and Bumblebees

    LOVE LOVE this! I'm pinning right now…thanks for sharing!

    Briana

  42. LOVE THIS! I pinned it.

    I also need to know what your wreath is hanging in front of in that first picture. Is that a Declaration of Independence?

  43. Nike@ChooseToThrive

    Mrs. R – yes, it is the Declaration of Independence. I have a full size copy hanging in my living room with copies of the Bill of Rights and Constitution on either side. I love them!

  44. congratulations on your feature, chica!!
    http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2011/09/transitioning-your-home-for-fall/

  45. This is brilliant. I adore the simplicity. I'll be linking on Wee Folk Art's Facebook page. Thanks so much for a perfect autumn project.

  46. nightowl_72

    Yay for Australian softdrinks! I live just down the road from Bundaberg..
    Congrats on being 'copied' by Centsational Girl!

  47. Just want to say that I use Dr. Perricone and his face wash come in brown glass bottles – I save all mine because they match the house & and I will be using them for this project, just a brain trigger to anyone else that may use that prouct

  48. What size are the vinyl letters on the bottles? Love this idea!!

  49. Nike@ChooseToThrive

    @Kyrsten,
    Thanks for the tip!
    @Ashley,
    The letters I used were 2.25" inches tall. Hope that helps!
    ~Nike

  50. Anonymous

    I made these over the weekend. I used Redhook IPA beer bottles (because they don't look like beer bottles). I painted the letters instead because the paint at Jo-Ann Fabrics was $0.50. Great idea. It looks awesome in my house.

  51. Anonymous

    Hello! I am trying to find bottles this size on the internet and was wondering if you could tell me the neck size they are. i.e., how many millimeters they are in width? I see they are 12.75 oz bottles but want to make sure I dont get ones with too skinny of a neck. We are making them for our church MOPS group. Thanks so much!!

    erikandhollyw@hotmail.com

  52. Angela Alvin

    I really love Vinyl Word Art! Not just the words – but doing the graphics on the wall… using vinyl as stencils… "faux" wall paper!!! GREAT to use around mirrors, on dishes – anything and everything!

  53. I love this!! I'm sharing it on my blog today as party of a Thanksgiving craft round up! Hope you will stop by and check it out! http://www.nap-timecreations.com/2012/11/thanksgiving-week-crafts.html

  54. Leonora Walker

    This is a lovely idea, but how about adding some scented water to the bottle and use it as a room freshner too 🙂

  55. Leonora Walker

    This is a lovely idea, but how about adding some scented water to the bottle and use it as a room freshner too 🙂

  56. Leonora Walker

    This is a lovely idea, but how about adding some scented water to the bottle and use it as a room freshner too 🙂

  57. theaccomplishedwomen

    I love this idea! I'm sharing it on my blog today for some simple DIY Thanksgiving decor ideas. Thanks for sharing!

    http://theaccomplishedwomen.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/fun-thanksgiving-decor/

  58. Amelia Mello, M. Ed.

    Just discovered your blog. Fabulous! Congratulations!

  59. Erika Roberts

    Hi Nike, I love this tutorial and it is a lovely display! I love it so much that I am going to feature it on my blog. Full link backs and credit to you, of course! Please check it out at MishMashedMe. And I love your motto, 'Rock what ya got!' New follower ~ Erika