Spirited Servers launched from recycled bottles

Sisters Sandy Wood, left, and Betsy Sodon of Brackney have recycled old glass bottles into designer trays. STAFF PHOTO/PAT FARNELLI

BY PAT FARNELLI

Two crafty sisters from Brackney have developed serving trays that are witty, artistic, and made entirely from recycled materials.

“Spirited Servers,” a crafts business making cracker and snack trays and clocks from wine, beer and vodka bottles, was conceived after Betsy Sodon went on a vacation to Puerto Rico and saw an item made from a wine bottle.

She wondered how a wine bottle could be flattened without cutting, and was told the glass vessels could be baked in a kiln, which collapses and spreads them slightly. Adjacent bottles will fuse together.

Since she and her sister, Sandy Wood, had enjoyed ceramics and porcelain dollmaking in the past, they knew what to do with a kiln. It took some experimentation to control the shape the bottles would take, but it turned out they could be uniformly molded.

All of the items are made from recycled bottles, some from wineries, some from recycling centers, some contributed by friends.

There are several trays: a cheese serving tray with a cheese knife, a tray made with two wine bottles fused side by side, one right side up and one upside down; and a cracker or candy snack tray made from a single slumped bottle.

The sisters make clocks by painstakingly removing the paper labels from bottles, firing them in the kiln, re-applying the label, then adding clock works.

A favorite bottle is the painted Gray Goose Vodka Bottle, which makes very beautiful trays. Another favorite is a wine bottle with a painted ghost, whose wide skirt contains the winery name.

 Spirited Servers will be exhibiting their wares at several area locations over the next month or two.

They will be participating in the Fall Festival at Elk Mountain Ski Resort in Union Dale this weekend, Oct. 9-10.

On Oct. 30, they will be featured in the Tunkhannock Junior Women’s Club’s Annual Fall Festival and Arts and Crafts Show at Tunkhannock Area High School.

 They will also be part of the Springville Area Women’s Clubs Annual Bazaar at Elk Lake School on Nov. 6.