KOCHI: She was feeling jaded that weekend. All she got to pass her time was a plastic juice bottle and a yarn of wool.
“I tied the wool over the bottle and attached a toy strawberry to it. It looked beautiful! My parents appreciated the work,” says Krishna Nair on how she got addicted to her hobby ‘bottle art’. Krishna is working as a Human Resource Manager at an MNC in the city.
More than a hobby, it is Krishna’s initiative in reusing the polluting agents of nature. She ensures to make eco-friendly products from reusable things.
“The raw materials I use are those we usually abandon. I wanted to give my best to reduce environmental pollution,” adds Krishna.
Krishna was interested in art and crafts from childhood but didn’t pursue it seriously. She began to do bottle art just a year back. “I started doing bottle art as a stress-buster, but later it became a monetary source. However, the monetary benefits will always be a secondary factor for me,” she says.
It was her husband, Jayakrishnan, who encouraged her to market the bottles initially.
“He took a few bottles to his office and they were bought by his colleagues.”
The bottles were initially sold for E100. Now the price of bottles ranges from E200 to 1,500. The products are sold through her Facebook page ‘GLASFLACHE Crafts’ and are delivered all over India, the Middle East and the UK. ‘Glasflache’ means a glass bottle in German.
“The products are priced based on the artwork and the time I invested in it. I never charge money for the bottle as I get it free of cost,” says Krishna.
Krishna initially did artwork on the sauce and beer bottles available at her home. Later, she started collecting bottles form her friends and family.
She rarely collects bottles form the public as she gives priority to the hygiene of the bottles. “I’ll soak the bottles in detergent for an hour. Then the bottles will be washed with shampoo for removing the odour. The artwork will be then done with coir, clay, beads, stones and ribbons,”.
Bottle art that involves clay is her recent favourite. She dedicates half an hour (10-10.30pm) every day is for bottle art. Due to the continuous insistence of her friends and family, she is planning to take bottle art classes for the children soon. She has also a collection of over 1,500 varieties of wedding cards which she began to collect from the age of 14.