Sailor Jerry Bottle Label Art
Preserve your favorite Sailor Jerry Rum label pin-up as artwork! The end result gives you a weathered vintage look that would make a great addition to any home bar! I’ve provided a quick step-by-step tutorial on how to easily remove the label and transfer the image to canvas!
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Supplies:
1 empty Sailor Jerry Rum bottle – Is yours not empty yet? Make Rum Spiked Pecan Pie or a few Sailor’s Sweethearts!
Hot water
Small stretched canvas (I used 5×7”)
Gel medium
Paint brush or foam brush
(1.) Start by filling your bottle with very hot water. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. Using your fingernail, slowly pick at one side of the label until it starts to lift off the glass. (2.) Continue to peel back label carefully.
If some of it doesn’t peel off perfect, don’t sweat it! It will add to the effect in the end!
(3.) Next, cover your canvas with a thick layer of gel medium. Place the label, pin-up image side down, so the hula girl pin-up is face up. (4.) Smooth out any wrinkles or air bubbles and put in a safe place to dry for 3-4 hours or overnight.
You might ask why I didn’t just skip the tedious work and paste the label, pin-up image side, face up and call it done.. The problem with doing that is the second it becomes wet, ie; using Mod Podge or a gel medium, the actual label side shows through. Since I only wanted the pin-up from the inside, I chose this method! ; )
(5.) When canvas is try, dip a paint brush in water and lightly paint over label to dampen it. (6.) Using your finger, slowly rub at the label until it starts to peel up.
Continue to rub off label and scratch away the white paper until your image is revealed. Use more water if necessary and be careful not to scratch through to the canvas.
Once your image is revealed you can leave it as is and paint a thin layer of gel medium over the top to preserve the image OR you can use acrylic paint around the edges to create a border, wait for it to dry, and then seal it up with another coat of gel medium!
Enjoy your new artwork and of course enjoy some Sailor after your crafting efforts!
Donna Hoelke says
Sasha – this is adorable!
Sasha says
Thank you Donna!
Anonymous says
Hi Sasha, very inventive way to use sailor Jerry labels. We would love to do the same but BIGGEST problem getting the label off. Yep soaked whole bottle in hot water and pouring hot water in bottle but that label just will not budge, nothing like your pictures. Any solutions?
Sasha says
What king of labels are you working with? With Sailor Jerry bottles, a few rounds of hot water seems to work! Just fill it up and let them sit for 5-10 minutes. Dump the water out and fill with scalding hot water again. Slowly peel the label back and it should come off mostly complete.
Andrew says
This is awesome!, What kind of gel do you use ?
Sasha says
Thank you! It’s a polymer medium that you can find in the painting section of most craft stores!
Anastasia says
Always looking for new ways to soak and reuse my SJ labels. I love your canvas art. Thought you’d enjoy my jewelry made from SJ label girls ….
https://www.etsy.com/shop/YesAnastasiaJewelry
Cheers,
Anastasia
Sasha says
I love your SJ jewelry! I will definitely be ordering from you soon!
Bill Craig says
So I have 6 different inside pinup girl labels…..How many are there?
Sasha says
That’s a great question, I’ve actually wondered myself! Let me get with Sailor Jerry and then get back to you! 🙂
Anastasia says
I’ve collected seven so far I believe, plus I have limited edition posters with three others that I haven’t seen on a label yet, plus, of course, the hula girl.
🙂
Your Sailor Jerry jewelry girl…
Anastasia
http://Www.etsy.com/shop/YesAnastasiaJewelry
Anastasia says
Did you see that mod-podge has a new product out specifically for photo-transfer. I think I’m gonna try a bottle.
Sasha says
That’s awesome! I’ll definitely have to try it out!
anna says
I too am having the devil of a time lifting the labels off the sailor jerry bottles, I’ve tried and tried and tried. The labels seems to stick like Sh* * to a blanket…. Got so upset, had to have stiff drink to calm nerves.
Brianna says
2 things:
1. Your method worked flawlessly for me. I filled the bottles with water and microwaved them for 2 minutes and they came right off. BUT I had a bottle that I’d been hanging on to for about 4 years. This bottle was a plastic bottle, and when I peeled off the label, the image was stuck to the plastic bottle like a child’s temporary tattoo! I was, and am, SO BUMMED… it’s about 99% intact though, so I will probably just use a razor to cut out the plastic panel.
2. I didn’t exactly want to make them all into wall art. I wanted to keep some almost as if they were baseball cards to collect, but the glue won’t dry again! It’s been about 36 hours and they’re still very sticky. Any suggestions on what to do to make them unsticky?
Shanna Garcia says
Hi Sasha, Just wondering if the method you use to adhere the pin-up label to the canvas works on wood. Well wood thats already painted with tempera poster paint that can be used on wood.
Sasha says
That I can’t say.. I’m guessing the surface might be too slick for the image to adhere to it. You could still Mod Podge it onto the wood right side up rather than doing the image transfer though! Let me know how it works out!
Web Slinger says
Heya! This project is awesome! I kinda messed up though… I left the hot water in the bottle for too long, and not only the label came off, but also the adhesive!! It looks really weird, all glossy and sticky. lol
I guess I can always smack it against a small piece of glass and frame it! 😀
Brannon says
Try placing it (sticky side down ) against a sheet of plastic wrapped stretched taut.
adam says
Hello! Tried this for the first time today! It was a very humid day and the label peeled right off without filling the bottle with hot water. I got the same glossy effect, it didn’t turn out bad just not as good as your example. I will keep trying though, and may have more luck during dry winter months. Thanks!
Brannon says
I’ll have to try this method. After peeling off the sticker I simply laid it (sticky side down) on a sheet of plastic wrap. It was easy to tear off any excess.
Brannon says
Note: the sticker mentioned is from a plastic bottle.
Anton says
These labels peel off quite easily. I am currently collecting them and currently have 6 different one’s. Does any one know how many there are