How to Make a Bubble Necklace from an Empty Prescription Pill Bottle

This fun and easy craft is both a piece of jewelry and a toy. Make one for yourself, with a child, or in a batch for party favors! This is a great way to recycle those bottles into something fun and useful.

Here's what you'll need:
* An empty prescription bottle with its lid
* About 30 inches of cord or yarn
* A pipe cleaner
* A pony bead (or similar)
* Decorations (stickers, glitter, paint pens, etc.)
* Glue
* Soapy water
* Clear varnish or polypolyurethane (optional)
* Extra beads (optional)

Start by peeling off the pharmacy sticker from your pill bottle. (If the label is stuck on especially well, you can try soaking it in some hot sudsy water for a little while first, to loosen it.) Make sure your bottle is clean and dry (and that all the pills are gone!) before you start decorating it.

Now is the time to decide how you want your soap bubble necklace to look. You can use stickers, glitter, paint pens, cut out shapes from construction paper, or any other craft supplies that are basically flat. Let your artwork dry completely, the consider applying a coat or clear varnish or polypolyurethane to seal it. You're almost sure to slop some bubble mixture down the outside of your container when you start to use it. If you seal it, the moisture won't be able to damage your decorations. Be sure to let the sealant dry completely before you go on.

While you're waiting for that to dry, you can start working on the lid. You can decorate the lid, too, but leave a spot right in the center clear, that's where your bead will go. Glue the bead to the center of the outside of the lid, with the bead sideways. The hole in the bead should be accessible from both sides. (Be careful not to fill up the hole in the bead with glue! You don't want it to be clogged later.)

Let the lid and the bead dry, and then thread your cord or yard through the hole in the bead, to make the necklace. You can add extra beads on either side of the lid-bead, if you want to. Then tie your bubble necklace at a comfortable length around your neck. Or, tie it at a good length for the person you plan to give it to, if you made it as a gift.

Curl one end of your pipe cleaner into a loop, and leave enough of a handle so that it will fit in the pill bottle. Bend and break off the excess, (or use wire scissors, if you have some).

Finally, pour a spoonful of liquid dishwashing soap into your decorated container, and then add water to within about a centimeter (about half an inch) of the top of the container. Slip your pipe cleaner wand into the bubble solution, and close the lid tightly, so it doesn't leak.

Now you have a pretty necklace and a handy toy! Make a bunch of them on a rainy day and pass them out to brighten people's lives. Everyone loves bubbles!!