Nothing says badass like a homemade button. But badge machines are expensive, and sometimes you don't want a lot of buttons made from one image. When you're in the mood for something completely unique, it's time to make a Bottlecap Badge.

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies.

You will need an image (or text, if that's more your cup of tea), a bottlecap, some white glue, some Mod Podge, a paintbrush, a pinback, and some hardcore glue--get something made for holding metal.

Step 2: Cut Your Image to Fit the Bottlecap.

You can draw a circle with a stencil or trace something round and cut that with scissors, or use a scrapbooking paper punch. One inch was perfect for my bottlecap, but you could also cut your image smaller and put a larger piece of paper behind it for a decorative border.

Step 3: Glue Your Image Into the Bottlecap.

Take your white glue and dab a little onto the back of the cropped image. Stick it inside the bottlecap and press firmly. If your bottlecap has one of those rubber ridges inside, you can press the center of the image down with a AA battery or tube of lip balm, and then work the edges down with your fingernail. Wipe up any excess glue around the edges with a damp paper towel.

We'll seal it completely with Mod Podge in the next step, so don't worry if it's not completely secure.

Step 4: Seal It With Mod Podge.

Most of the bottlecap badges I've seen seal their image with a thin layer of resin. It makes for a very nice effect and you can embed other items over your image, but it does take longer to dry and involves fumes even more noxious than those of Mod Podge. I like it this way--it's faster and the image will still stay in there. If you want to try the resin technique, there's a great tutorial here.

The Mod Podge will dry clear and relatively flat, but if you use a stiff brush and a good glob of sealer, you can get a cool brushstroke effect. The other nice thing about using Mod Podge instead of resin is that you can move on to the next step while it's still drying.

Step 5: Glue Your Pinback to Your Bottlecap.

Get out your serious business glue and follow the directions. Stick those suckers together and let the glue harden completely. I bought a bottlecap badge once that ended up falling apart, and it's no fun. Don't let that happen to you!

Step 6: All Finished!

Once the glue dries, wear your new button with pride! You'll get lots of compliments on your marvelous little accessory. If anyone asks how you made it, share your knowledge! Show them how or send them this Instructable.

Happy crafting!