• Two empty plastic water bottles
• A hot glue gun with glue sticks
• Scissors
• A colorful ribbon or two
• Some dried or silk flowers
To start, remove the labels from the two water bottles.
Pick up the first bottle and decide how big you would like the
cup portion of your chalice to be. You are going to be cutting the
bottle in two, and the bottom section will be the cup part. The top
portion will be the neck and bottom. Do you want them equal? Cup portion
smaller than the bottom? That's up to you!
When you decide on the size of the chalice's cup, carefully cut
the bottle in two. Depending on the brand of water bottle, there may
already be lines and grooves that you can follow. Once the two parts are
separate, MAKE SURE you trim the edges of the two sections smooth,
especially the cup portion. You will drink from this, so you don't want
to be poked by a plastic splinter!
Once the two parts are separated, wipe out any water that may
have been left over inside the bottle. Now, turn the "cup" portion of
the bottle upside down: the open end should be facing down on the table.
Take the other half of the cut bottle and remove cap and plastic
ring, if you haven't already done so. The area where the cap twisted
onto the bottle will become the "neck" of the chalice.
With your hot glue gun (make sure you have adult help if you are
not allowed to use on your own), put hot glue on the bottom of the "cup"
(the portion facing down) and press the "neck" opening onto the glue.
Make sure it's in the center so your chalice is good and balanced! Let
the glue dry before you touch or move the chalice. (If you can't use hot
glue, this craft works just as well with the type of white craft glue
that dries clear. Drying time may take overnight, however, and you DO
NOT want to turn the chalice right side up until then. The glue will run
down into the neck of the chalice and onto your table!)
When dry, turn everything right side up and there you are! It could function as a chalice just as it is, but why stop there?
Take the second water bottle. Cut a portion off the end of this
one, about a third up from the bottom. It should look like a small cup.
The rest of this bottle can now be recycled. Place your dried or silk
flowers into this bottle bottom. You won't need much.
Now, pick up your chalice and carefully fit the open chalice
bottom into this cup-like portion. You may have to press in on the
plastic to make it fit, but it will go in. Finally, tie some colorful
ribbons on the neck, and you're done!
You can be as creative as you like with this craft. You can use
soda bottles of different color plastics to give your chalice some jazz.
You can change the flowers in the bottom to match the season or add
other elements. (Avoid anything that's too heavy. I wouldn't fill the
bottom with gem stones, for instance! Yet you can get nice effects by
shredding different color craft or tissue paper and using that instead
of flowers, or in combination with flowers. You can use petals,
glitter...let your imagination soar!)
Another neat idea is to use the bottom of a water or soda and a
clean, empty mini water bottle, such as the "aqua pod" water bottles.
You don't need to do anything with the mini bottle. You can even leave
the cap on. Cut off the bottom half of the regular size water bottle to
the desired "cup" size, and then glue it right onto the mini bottle's
cap. Once this dries, you have a chalice in which you can actually bring
your ritual "ale" to Circle! If you're too young for actual Circle ale
or wine, you can bring along your own grape juice (consider it your
"provate vintage") and toast the gods along with the rest of the group.
Just open the cap, fill your cup, and screw it back onto the base (you
may want to ask someone for help with this: you don't want to end up
wearing your private vintage).
And if the chalice breaks, cracks, rips, or gets stomped on by
dancing feet, it's all recyclable. Simply make another! Make them for
all the members of your Coven for a special treat. You could even put
good-wish messages or a good luck pouch in each one.
SOURCE: http://www.broomstix.com/22%20Lammas%2009/L09Sparrow.htm