Making an Hourglass Using Bottles – Tutorial

I had such great feedback on my “Witching Hour” hourglass (pictured below) a few months ago that I thought I would create a couple more hourglasses for you and include a tutorial.

Creating an hourglass out of two bottles is a unique project and so simple.  There are many possibilities for a project like this.  Just about any holiday or theme can apply.  Another option is to create one to celebrate a special occasion like a birth, anniversary or wedding.  Or maybe just as a piece of art.

For this tutorial I have created two New Year’s hourglass examples using two different sizes of bottles. 

The first hourglass's (pictured below) finished size is 6” tall by 4 ½” wide.

ASSEMBLY OF THE FIRST VERSION (Pink and Black)

I chose these slope shoulder bottles for the project as when combined they have an hourglass shape.  The bottles come in two sizes.

The bottles I used for the first hourglass are 2 5/16” tall x 1 ¼” diameter and are the smaller of the two sizes.

 I like adding some decor to the bottles to jazz them up.  The trick is not to add too much or you won’t see the sand or other mixture falling through the bottles.  Stickers work really well for a project like this. 

Instead of using sand I created a mixture of Diamond Dust and gold glitter.  You can use whatever you like (sand, glitter, microbeads, etc.) just as long as the individual grains or beads are small enough to pass easily between the openings of the two bottles.

Instead of using sand I created a mixture of Diamond Dust and gold glitter.  You can use whatever you like (sand, glitter, microbeads, etc.) just as long as the individual grains or beads are small enough to pass easily between the openings of the two bottles.

I added the mixture to one of the bottles.  Some of the glitter sticks to the sides of the bottle giving the glass extra sparkle.

To slow down the flow of the mixture between bottles, I glued a small Chinese coin to the top of the empty bottle.  It is the exact size to fit on the inside rim of the bottle.  You can use any flat object with a hole just as long as hole it is bigger than the inside rim (so it doesn't fall into the bottle).  It can also be larger than the outside rim of the bottle.

I used E6000 glue to attach the coin.  Allow it to completely dry.  Then use the glue to attach one bottle to the other.  Next, I glued the two bottles together using E6000 glue and allow it to dry.

You all know by now that I like to add lots of embellishments to my project.  With an hourglass, the surface for embellishment is very limited.  I solved the problem by adding elements that give me more surface area.  These leaf flourishes worked perfectly.  They were originally silver.  I used Flamingo Liquid Pearls and Goldenrod Stickles to add coordinating color and sparkle.

I glued the flourishes to each side of the bottles using E6000 glue.  Since the contact areas between the flourishes and the bottle are really small, you need to use strong glue, giving it adequate time to dry before proceeding.  You can see in the picture that I supported the flourish using a stack of chipboard.  I also added some weight on top of the flourish to keep it straight.  I placed a bottle on the other side of the hourglass to keep it from rolling.  I let it dry 24hrs before attaching the flourish to the other side.  My climate is very dry so you may need more time if you live in a wet climate.

Once the flourishes were firmly in place I started adding other embellishments.  The mask is brass and I jazzed it up with black and pink glitter.  The clock is a button that is glued to a piece of gold filigree.  I added a piece of filigree to the seam between the bottles. 

The last step was to add the feet.  You want to add them last as you don’t want extra pressure on the feet while you are adding other elements.

The feet are made to attach to a corner.  I used needle nose pliers to bend the feet to fit around the curve of the bottle.  The feet don’t have to fit perfectly flush; just enough to create contact points for the glue.  Again I used E6000 glue and allowed the feet plenty of time to dry.  Make sure that all your feet are on the same level so that your hourglass stands up straight.  Because of the size of the bottle and the size of the feet, I used three feet on each side, spaced equal distance apart.

I painted the feet with Flamingo Liquid Pearls and Silver Alcohol Mixative.  As a final touch I added clear rhinestones.

THE SECOND HOURGLASS (Black & Silver)

This second hourglass is much larger than the first.  For this one I used the larger 3” 11/16” tall by 2” diameter slope-shoulder glass bottles.  The finished height of the hourglass is 10”.

The construction of the hourglass is exactly the same as the first bottle.  For this bottle I used a mixture of silver and black microbeads inside the bottles.  Since the opening of these bottles is larger than the first bottles, I used a small washer to limit the flow of the microbead mixture between the bottles.  Instead of feet I used two wood egg cups as stands.

I wrapped the star tinsel and falling star wired sprays around the necks of the bottles.  The wired sprays gave me a place to attach the images.  I used Glossy Accents to coat the top hats with black glitter.  The masks are brass that I first painted silver with Silver Alcohol Mixative Ink and then added black glitter and white feathers. 

I painted the backs of acrylic chandelier crystals with Silver Alcohol Mixative Ink and added stickers to the front.  I glued them together in sets of three using E6000 glue before attaching them to the bottles.

Alpha Stamps Products Used For the First (Pink and Black) Hourglass:

• Slope Shoulder Glass Bottle (Small)
• Dazzles Swirls, Flourishes & Borders Black Sticker Set
• 15mm Chinese Coins
• Lightweight Round Filigree
• Clock Face Buttons – Medium
• Antique Silver Leaf Flourishes
• Brass Box Feet – You will need 6 feet
• Antique Gold Square Filigree
• New Year’s Collage Sheet
• Liquid Pearls – Flamingo
• Stickles Dry Fine Glitter – Black Diamond
• Goldenrod Stickles
• Alcohol Ink Mixative – Silver

Alpha Stamps Products Used For the Second (Black and Silver) Hourglass:

• Slope Shoulder Glass Bottle (Large)
• Acrylic Top Hats
• Falling Star Wired Sprays
• Metallic Stickers Fans – Silver
• Clear Acrylic Chandelier Crystals
• Layerable Chipboard Banner Set
• EggCup
• Star Tinsel - Silver
• Pink Fans Collage Sheet
• Art Deco Cocktails #1 Collage Sheet
• Alcohol Ink Mixative – Silver
• Stickles Dry Fine Glitter – Black Diamond

Click here to download a PDF version of this tutorial.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!