Hi friends!!
A couple weeks ago - I got this idea in my head that I just had to get out in real life: A Mummy Champagne Bottle. As you might know, I’ve been painting a lot of Custom Champagne Bottles over the last few months, and when October came around I just couldn’t get the idea out of my head that it would be so cute if they had their own little costumes.
She’s lost it, one might think. And honestly - you might be right. Never before did I think I would spend my days dressing up Champagne Bottles in little costumes, but hey here we are. And I’m not mad about it. I fear what this might mean for my future children's costumes, but that’s a not-today problem.
Anywho, I was super happy with the result - and when I posted them on Instagram, it seemed like y’all liked them too - YAY! All but one sold almost instantly, and I kept getting messages wishing I could ship them. I so wish I could ship these little cuties, but alas, I cannot. So today, I thought it would be fun to teach you how to make your own! I’m all for a seasonal craft, and I think these would be super fun to make with friends. You can sit your Mummy Bottle on your bar cart for the season, and then bring it to a Halloween party! Or sip on it while handing out candy :)
I should disclaim that this is my first ever DIY Blog, so please bear with me as I try to explain what my hands do. I’m hoping to do more of these in the future, so I'm looking forward to any comments and questions you may have! I will also make a reel showing all the steps, if video is more your thing.
Alright, let’s dive in.
Supplies: Click Here to Shop Supplies
Bottle: Bubbly, Wine, Bottle of Choice
Baking Soda
Adhesive Remover
Painters Tape
Rubber Bands
Grocery Bag
Spray Paint or Multi-Surface Acrylic Paint
Foam Paint Brush
White Acrylic Paint
Cream Acrylic Paint
Black Paint Pen
White Paint Pen
Mod Podge Satin Sealer
White Burlap Ribbon
Hot Glue Gun + Glue
Brown Watercolor Paint (or coffee or tea)
Black Satin Ribbon
First - grab a bottle of bubbly, wine, or any bottle you want decorated. For a mocktail option, I’ve been really into the Blood Orange Italian Soda from Whole Foods, and it has a similar bottle shape. I used La Marca Prosecco for the original Mummy Bottles, because that is a pretty safe crowd pleaser. For this tutorial, I used this little mini rose bottle that I had leftover from a past project.
Time to remove the label! Add room temperature water to a bowl or your sink (something large enough so that the label will be completely submerged), and add ¼ cup baking soda for every 1 bottle that you’re doing. Place the bottle in and let sit for 30 minutes. The label should come off easily after that, and if there are any remaining sticky parts, you can use an adhesive remover and a sponge.
Now, we prep the bottle for spray paint. I use painters tape to tape off the bottom of the top label, and then use rubber bands to tie a grocery bag to the top, so the whole label is protected.
For spray paint, I’ve used a variety of brands - but really, anything with a satin finish is good in my book. If you don’t have the space for spray painting, you can also prep your bottle with a multi-surface acrylic paint, though it might take several coats. Both options definitely work, the spray paint is just quicker. Make sure to wear protective gear!!
The bottle will take a couple hours to dry, so I would suggest watching the new Hocus Pocus movie during this time. I’ve seen some people hating on the new movie - and I will not stand for it! I thought it was SO cute and I loved the witches banter. It's very cheesy in all the right ways.
Alright, so now the bottle is prepped and ready to go! Pour a little white and cream acrylic paint onto an old plate, or whatever you have handy for a palette. Dip a foam brush into both colors, so that there’s a bit of each on the brush (this will give it that stripey look). Now just take that brush round and round your bottle! It doesn’t have to be perfect - it just gives the bottle a little texture.
Once that is dry (around 20 min) take a black paint pen and draw two ovals towards the top of the bottle, right around where the bottle starts to curve out. Then, I like to take a thinner white paint pen and draw little dots towards the top center of the ovals, and small c-shaped lines around the edges. I think that gives the eyes a little personality! To protect your bottle, you can add a layer of satin Mod Podge sealer.
Note: I didn’t wait long enough for my black to be dry before I added the white (whoops), which is why it looks a little gray here - so I went over the white again later on.
Time to add more texture! I found this really cool burlap ribbon at Michaels, but I linked a similar one here! I also think gauze could work too. Put a few dots of hot glue on the top back of the bottle, and stick on the ribbon. Then, wrap and weave the ribbon around the bottle until it looks how you want it to. I think a little criss-cross action looks great too! Once it’s where you want it, glue the end to the bottle. I also picked a few extra spots to glue down, so it’s extra secured.
Now, if you want to be extra - we can add a little dirt to our bottle. I used a very watered down brown watercolor, but I think coffee or tea would work too if you didn’t want to buy paint. Pick a few spots to paint the white ribbon with the brown color, for an extra grungey look.
And TA-DA! Your mummy bottle is complete! You can add a little black bow to the top, because who doesn’t like bows? And of course, make any touch-ups you see fit (I added a little more white to the eyes)
Chilling + Serving Recommendation:
I recommend placing your bottle in the fridge a few hours before you’re ready to serve. If you’d like to display the bottle in an ice-bucket, I recommend putting ice in ziploc bags and putting the bags around the champagne to prevent direct condensation.
Add a few drops of cherry syrup to your glass of champagne to make it extra spooky!
If you’d like, here are a few extra things I found to make your kitchen / bar cart extra spooky:
Bat Cheese Board (this lives on my counters all of October!)
And that’s it!! Like I said, this is my first tutorial - so I would LOVE to hear your thoughts! Did you learn anything? Are you going to make one? Was it too complicated? Too easy? What do you want to see in the future? Let me know! And definitely let me know if you make one! I’d love to see it :) Tag me on instagram @rachelreynolds.art
Cheers! Rachel