Buggy Bottle Caps

Things You'll Need:

• Newsprint
• Rinsed and dried bottle caps
• Desired colors of spray paint
• Desired colors of acrylic paint
• Small paintbrush
• Permanent markers (optional)
• Craft wire (paper clips work as well, though they’re a bit more awkward to bend)
• Wire cutters
• Needle nose pliers
• Hot glue gun
• Small craft magnets (optional)

Directions:

1. Working over newsprint, spray paint bottle cap tops as desired; dry thoroughly. Use paintbrush to add designs and features of your bug with the acrylic paint. Set aside to dry.
2. Add further details to dried bottle caps with permanent markers, if desired.
3. Cut legs for your bug from the wire. Snipping with the wire cutter, cut approximate 10-centimeter lengths for each pair of legs.
4. Lay one length of wire over back of a bottle cap, with center roughly aligned with center of cap. Push wire down with your thumb. With your other hand, push the wire back out over the cap to the top, still holding the center with your thumb. Use needle nose pliers to bend the wire down on each side, forming an upside-down “V.” Now use the pliers to bend the small tip out at the end, about 1 centimeter from the end.
5. Secure legs to the underside of the bottle cap with hot glue. If you’d like, glue a magnet to back as well. Enjoy your cute crafts, knowing that something that could have ended up in the trash has been put to a better use!