Top-Pot Creatures : 12 Steps (with Pictures)

This Instructable will show you how to make these cute llittle Top-Pot Creatures from recycled materials, glue and tape!

The finished pots will have all sorts of uses but we use them for making geo-caches.

They are waterproof and have enough space inside for a small log book and maybe a tiny present.

They could also be used for sweets, treasures, letters...

I will show you here how to make the pictured creatures but you could make all sorts of others, the only limits are your imagination.

They are very easy to make and can be made by or with kids of all ages.

Step 1: Supplies

I used:

a few empty pop bottles,

a glue gun, and pva glue

clear tape and electrician coloured tapes,

a jigsaw or bread knife,

string, garden wire, pens, glitter, tissue paper

Step 2: Fixing the Bottle Tops

I cut the tops off my pop bottles using a jigsaw for some and a bread knife for others. The jigsaw was quicker but the knife was quieter and the cut was flatter.

Then I used my glue gun to stick them together.

Step 3: Spider Top-Pot

For the spider I cut four lengths of string which I loop tied onto a fifth piece of string. I then tied this around one of the top-pots ends and covered the whole thing in yellow tape, leaving one end openable.

Step 4: Ant Top-Pot

For the Ant I cut up an old foil pudding pot. I used the rim and covered it in tape but it wasn't as flexible as I hoped so in the end I made the rest of the legs from garden twine covered in tape.

I made three sets of legs and one set of antennae and glued them to the top-pot body then covered the whole thing in tape leaving one end openable.

Step 5:

Step 6: Mouse Top-Pot

For the Mouse Top-Pots I made face shapes from foil and covered them in tape. I made ears from a piece of folded tape. For the black mouse i put string whiskers under the tape and taped a piece of string for a tail on the other bottle top. For the blue mouse i made a tail from folded tape.

I taped the ears on first, then glued the face on to one bottle top. I stuck the tail on to the other bottle top then covered both ends and middle in more tape leaving one end openable.

Finishing touches were drawing eyes and whiskers on the blue mouse and sticking half sequins on the black mouse for eyes.

Step 7: Butterfly Top-Pot

For the Butterfly Top-Pot I cut the wings shape from the pop bottle and folded it in the middle. I then used white glue to stick on tissue paper and a bit of glitter. When it was dry I covered the decorated surface in more tape.

I cut a couple of small holes in the fold and used gardening twine to attach the wings to the Top-Pot which I had already covered in white tape. I used a bit more twine to make antennae which I glued to the other bottle top and covered the whole thing in more tape, making sure to leave one end openable.

Step 8:

My twine I had coming out the bottom of the butterfly so I could attach him to a branch but you could have it coming out the top and hang him from the branch.

Step 9: Dragonfly Top-Pot

For the dragonfly I laid out a length of wide tape and sprinkled some glitter on it. Then I cut two wing shapes from the plastic bottle, laid them on the glitter tape, then laid another length of tape over the top, leaving space round the plastic so that the two sticky sides of tape would stick to each other.

I then cut around the wings leaving the stuck border and taped them to the top-pot body. Using garden twine I made three sets of legs and one set of antennae. I tied the legs on with another piece of twine leaving a length to hang him by. And covered the whole thing in red tape leaving one end openable.