We love a bit of craft at TMK and we especially love a bit of upcycling. Maybe it’s the thrift tips I learned from my mum growing up or perhaps it’s just the simple joy of having something useful repurposed into a new object of desire. Whatever it is, creating something new from something old gives me a deep sense of joy and well-being.
So when I stumbled upon a great craft idea on Pinterest I just had to have a go at home and see how easy it was to replicate. You can view some of my inspiration boards here 🙂
Here is what you will need to make your diffuser:
- an old pefume bottle/narrow neck bottle or similar
- some scraps of decorative paper or gift wrap – alternative washi tape or stickers (which is what we opted to do)
- coloured permanent marker style pens to write/doodle/draw onto glass
- craft glue – preferably PVA
- scissors
- perfumed oil
- 4-6 reeds or bamboo skewers
Start off with your old bottle, wash it out thoroughly and take off any labels. Once it’s dried you can start getting creative.
With the chosen paper, decide what you want to have as the back of your bottle. You can do a patchwork of different patterns, overlay papers or trace out a shape and use your favourite piece of gift wrap. Once you have done this step, simply brush on the glue to the paper and press it onto the bottle holding into position for a minute before releasing to dry naturally.
If you want to further customise your bottle you can use the marker pens to doodle designs or letters onto the front of the bottle.
Final stages are to simply pour in your chosen perfume oil and whack in the reeds and voila there you have it, your very own repurposed reed diffuser. I think this would make a lovely house warming gift or thank you for someone.
Some tips and tricks having completed my own project. Make sure the oil you choose is light like an almond oil as this helps the oil travel up the reeds to then release the scent into the air. To refresh the smell, carefully remove the reeds and replace into the bottle upside down about once a week. Once the reeds are totally absorbed with oils they won’t work so well so I’ve found you need to replace the reeds about once a month to keep the fragrance working effectively.
Have fun, and let us know what you think about the project.
Remember, adventure is out there!
Nat xx
