I Spy Bottles

If your kids are like mine, they probably have lots of little trinkets accumulated from birthday parties, gumball machines, church crafts, and other random places.  I realized just how much stuff my little ones have while scouring the house yesterday for items to use in these I Spy Bottles.

some trinkets

I came across this idea on Pinterest some time ago and like most things have had it hanging on a sky hook.  I finally got around to getting all the supplies together.  This activity is the perfect way to repurpose a plastic bottle and clean up all those trinkets lying around.

The Bottle:
The VOSS water bottle I used worked really well in terms of size and smooth exterior for the label.  The other bottle I used was a Nesquik bottle with a Tropicana cap (I thought I would just change it up a little).  The Nesquik bottle didn't have an adhesive label that required scrubbing or cleaning off, so it worked well.

The Filler:
Many blogs I saw used "Poly Pellets" or "Poly Fill Beads"--it's what is used in stuffed animals and dolls and supposedly easily found near the batting and poly-fill section of the craft store.  Unfortunately, my local AC Moore didn't have it.  Instead I found a product in the floral section that I thought could be easily substituted called "Crystal Fill".  Basically, you just want a filler.  Some people even use rice or colored rice.

The Trinkets:
While roaming around the store I found some cute themed buttons and alpha-beads that would make fun additions to the I Spy bottle.  You can also fill your bottle with common household items like coins, paper clips, small candles, really anything goes.  This doesn't help those prone to hoarding, but I guess for things like this it's good to hold onto that random board game piece, tires broken off of a toy car and those tiny keys to play locks.

The Label:
One blog mama (Pink and Green Mama) took pictures of the items inside the bottle and laminated the cards.  I thought that was a great idea.  Rather than risk losing the card, I decided to print the picture directly on a large label sheet and stick it directly to the bottle.

Another version is to make I Spy Bags (see homemade by JILL).  You can make your own bag with a clear plastic front or even easier is to buy pencil cases that go inside 3 ring binders and glue shut the zipper.

labeled I Spy Bottles ready for play