Polar Bear Plunge Blog Hop - Living a Good Life in the Cold

 Several things to note about me:

1. I live in cold northern Michigan where winter-type weather often reigns from the end of October to the end of April (and we all have our own definition of what winter-type weather is - anything under 40 degrees is mine).

2. The word "cold" is a four-letter word in my vocabulary. (For you young'uns, four-letter words are naughty.)

3. I like to solve problems. Coldness is a problem unless it's in the form of an occasional strawberry margarita or bottle of hard cider or other refreshing drink on a hot summer evening.

4. Tea solves many problems, including coldness.

5. I made a very cool tea tray (if I do say so myself) for my morning tea and Bible reading time. (Hutchmoot Homebound was the online conference of Christian artists, writers, and musicians put on by Andrew Peterson and the whole Rabbit Room gang. Check them out.) This tray is covered in two coats of resin which, I sadly discovered, develops a little ring when something hot is set on it. The something hot is my cute little teapot. So, that's the problem to solve so that I can combat coldness with my tea and beautiful tea tray.


6. I have solved my problem in a fun and cutesy way by making a small trivet from bottle caps (from the afore-mentioned hard ciders and my husband's occasional stout beers).



The little red center makes me think of a warm, red, glowing hearth-fire, like when former quilters used to put a red square in the center of their Log Cabin blocks. And the snowy, wintery fabric lets me revel in the fact that I'm not out in the winter, but I can still enjoy the beauty of winter.

Here's how I made it, and you can, too:

I used my Clover yo-yo maker (size 30mm) to start the cap covers, making one red one and six blue.


Remove the fabric from the yo-yo maker & put the cap in the center before cinching it up tightly. I used either doubled over thread or quilting thread to make it extra strong for cinching without breaking.


Tie a knot, taking the thread through the fabric a time or two.


With a few stitches at each place that touches, sew the covered caps together, again using doubled thread or a thicker thread.



While the backside doesn't look too bad as is, I decided to make it better by backing it with felt. This also gives the trivet a little more stiffness so it's not flopping all over as you try to put it in place. If you're giving this as a gift, you could embroider a little sentiment or your name on the felt before you glue it on.


I traced carefully around the trivet, trying not to get any ink on it, and then used E6000 glue to attach it to the bottom.

A saucer and mug served as weights to hold it together firmly as the glue dried overnight. You probably wouldn't need that long, but since I worked on this in the evening, I just left it overnight.




In the morning it was ready to go on my fun tea tray with mug and cream pitcher.


Yes, the teapot totally covers it, but I'm ok with that because it small enough that the pot sits very steadily on it and it doesn't overcrowd my tea tray. To make a larger trivet, just cover 12 more bottle caps, sew them on, and make a larger felt backing. Easy peasy.


I realize, though, that I still need a small tea cozy especially made to fit this teapot, so I'm off to the drawing board. Perhaps that will be the next blog hop project.

Enjoy your tea, or whatever warm cuppa you prefer, and don't suffer from the cold too much. 😄

Here are some more participants in the blog hop which I hope you'll enjoy and from whom you can get more fun ideas.

Happy crafting!

48 comments:

  1. What a fun idea for using bottle caps. Living in Australia, your version of cold is my "very very very cold".

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    1. Yeah! I grew up in the Philippines, so I know a little about tropical weather. It's taken a long time to acclimatize here and I'm cold all winter. Hoorah for crafting!

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  2. Sweet tea tray and trivet for your teapot! I love your unique designs and clever use of bottle caps. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. What a fun project and a great way to recycle as well. These would make great hot pads in a larger version as well. Thanks for playing in the hop with us!

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    1. It's been a fun hop so far. Thanks for including me. I'm looking forward to perusing all the other creative ideas.

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  4. Your yo-yo trivet is very clever and pretty!

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    1. Thanks. I saw something like it in a store and have been looking for the right moment and need to make one.

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  5. That is a nice tray and a clever trivet idea for your teapot. I was thinking all you needed was a trivet when you mentioned the ring on the tray and then you were sharing your trivet as well.

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    1. I'm currently working on some larger trivets for my dining table.

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  6. This project is awesome! I love how it looks on the tea tray when nothing is on it--nice and decorative but also very useful when needed. Thanks for sharing how you made it. Now I just need to get some bottle caps.... maybe I'll get some hard drinks in bottles for the football game this coming Sunday....32 years is a long time for this gal's favorite team WHO-DEY!

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    1. I hope your team wins and that you have the additional fun of reusing bottle caps. (Go easy on the acquiring of them, though. :))

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  7. What a sweet little trivet to add to your tray...very cozy looking! Thank you for sharing!

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  8. this is so creative and fun. thanks for sharing.

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    1. It is a fun, simple project to do while watching "All Creatures Great and Small." :)

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  9. I had not thought of bottle cap trivets in years!!!!
    So fun to see!

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  10. A clever idea, making a trivet from bottle caps! I like your tray too!

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    1. Thanks! My little creative soul is full. :)

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  11. Great idea to solve that problem. Thanks so much for sharing!

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    1. Thanks! It was a fun and relaxing project that didn't take a lot of concentration.

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  12. This is such a great project. Cold is a 4 letter word to me, too (in Maine and Massachusetts). I love your tutorial on the bottle caps. I have a challenge going on on my Tips and Tutorials for the month and it would be great if you linked up (kathleenmcmusing.com). Thanks for this inspirational post!

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  13. that is a very cute trivet and a great solution to your problem

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    1. Thanks! It's holding up well and I'm actually making some bigger ones for my dining table.

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  14. So fun and easy. I might make myself one.

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  15. Love your tea tray. I'm sure you will figure out a way around your resin issue. Also appreciate the background on the making of your trivit.

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  16. It was fun to read your post and your trivet solution is great!

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  17. You are a problem solver and you did this up wonderfully. I've never given a thought to making a trivet out of bottle caps; thank you for the idea and my, it's so clever.

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  18. Cute idea! Enjoy your hot cuppa while you look at the winter outside. Thank you for sharing.

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  19. Neat project. I live in Southeast Michigan and I tip my hat to you Northern Michiganders.

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  20. The bottle caps are a great idea! Thanks for sharing.

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  21. Love your project. Thank you for sharing it with us.
    Carol O

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  22. Love that little trivet! Thank you for sharing your tutorial. The tray is lovely. I wouldn’t want to have it marked either 😉

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  23. Such a clever idea. Love your beautiful tray!

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  24. I grew up in northern Michigan and when I saw this blog hop I thought of the festival we had in our resort town every February. The Polar Bear Festival. As far as your definition of cold? It's in the 40s here in Alabama this week. Love your trivet.

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  25. I woke up in the night and realized I was incorrect in my previous comment. It was the Perchville Festival and they had a polar bear swim.

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  26. What a cute and creative trivet and lovey tray. Cold is an unwelcome piece of weather here, too, these days. Cute kitty. I enjoyed reading your blog today. Thank you ... :) Pat

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  27. Love both of your projects! And I think we need to swap countries during the winter months, so I can enjoy the four letter word while you enjoy the heat here!!!! xx

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