How to Make Team Spirit Shaker Bottles

~Heather also blogs at HEATHER LESSITER and The Fat Bottomed Girl.~

This is a great way to recycle a used plastic water or drink bottle and annoy the heck out of your child at the same time. LOL! Seriously, though, these cute and handy bottles make a fabulous alternative to cowbells and air horns. You can even use them in addition to the cowbells and air horns for a great effect! My nephew can barely stand to sit near me when I'm shaking my bottle and cheering during one of my son's games. The look on his face when he sees my bottle sitting by my side is priceless in itself!

Besides moms of players getting together to make these, I think they'd be a great party craft/favor for a sports themed party or for a cheerleading squad to make.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Washed and dried plastic water or drink bottle with cap

Paper for labels

Computer, stickers or stamps for decorating paper

Clear tape

Pony beads, seed beads, fish tank gravel or other small objects

Tacky glue

Curling Ribbon

Scissors

Step 1: Print or otherwise decorate your paper (you could even use sticky-backed paper) for your labels. You can generally fit 4 labels down the long side on a standard 8.5X11 inch sheet of paper. Cut labels out.

Step 2: Place labels over the bottle's original label and tape in place. If you use clear packing tape to cover the entire label, you'll waterproof it at the same time.

Step 3: Fill your bottle with beads or other small objects that match your team's colors. I've found that pony beads work well, but we've also used poly pellets (for filling bean bags), fish tank gravel, flower arranging rocks and seed beads. Each item makes it's own sound, so try them out to see what you like.

Step 4: Place a bead of tacky glue around the inside of the bottle's cap and tighten the cap down.

Step 5: Cut the curling ribbon (team colors work very well here, too) into strips about 1.5 to 2 feet long; tie them tightly around the neck of the bottle. Curl the ribbon with the edge of your scissors blade and you're all done!