We were lucky to catch up with CYDNEE PEDLER-TRUJILLO recently and have shared our conversation below.
CYDNEE, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I actually learned what I do through a mix of curiosity, trial-and-error, and a personal challenge I gave myself years ago. I’ve always believed that objects especially bottles carry stories. Seeing how many bottles are discarded every day made me want to find a way to give them new life. So I started small, researching how to safely cut and finish glass, and then I taught myself through countless hours of hands-on practice.
There were a lot of mistakes early on. A lot of broken bottles. A lot of learning what not to do. But each failure taught me something.
Knowing what I know now, I think I could have sped up my learning process by allowing myself to ask for help sooner. I tried to do everything alone at first every technique, every tool, every design. Once I began connecting with other makers, glass workers, and even just people who appreciated art and craftsmanship, I started to grow faster. Community really does make a difference.
The most essential skills were patience, problem-solving, and having an eye for detail. Working with glass is slow work. You can’t rush the cut, the sanding, or the polishing. Every part of the process is about respecting the material and bringing out what was already there. Creative vision helps, but patience is what makes it possible.
The biggest obstacles were confidence and fear of being “seen.” When you make something with your hands and your heart, it feels vulnerable to share it. And for a long time, I didn’t put myself or my work out there consistently. I had to learn that what I create matters, that upcycling has impact, and that my art has a place in the world. Once I embraced that, things changed for me and for The Treasured Bottle.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m the owner and artist behind The Treasured Bottle, where I transform discarded glass bottles into functional keepsakes and custom art pieces. My journey really started with the belief that everything and everyone has a story. I’ve always been drawn to items that other people overlook. When I realized how many bottles get thrown away every year, it felt personal. I didn’t just see “trash,” I saw memories: celebrations, dinners, milestones, losses, toasts to love, and everything in between. I wanted to honor that.
I began teaching myself how to cut, shape, sand, and polish glass safely. It took a lot of practice, patience, and mistakes to get here. But eventually, that learning grew into a craft, and that craft grew into a business. Today, I create hand-cut drinking glasses, vases, candle vessels, decor pieces, and custom keepsakes, all made from bottles that once held a moment in someone’s life.
A big part of what I do is custom memory work. Someone might bring me a champagne bottle from their wedding, a whiskey bottle from a loved one who passed, or a wine bottle shared during a moment they want to remember forever. I transform that bottle into something they can hold, display, or use daily—something that keeps that moment close.
What sets me apart is the emotional intention in my work. My process isn’t about production or trend—it’s about storytelling and preservation. Each piece is handled carefully from start to finish. Every cut, every refinement, every polished edge is done by hand. I want people to look at their finished piece and feel something.
I’m most proud of the impact my work has on people. When someone holds a finished glass made from a bottle tied to a memory, you can see it on their facethere’s recognition, warmth, and sometimes tears. That’s when I know I’m doing exactly what I’m meant to do.
For anyone new to my work, I want them to know that The Treasured Bottle is about honoring memories, reducing waste, and giving everyday objects a new purpose. It’s art, but it’s also connection. It’s sustainability, but it’s also storytelling. Every bottle has a story my job is to help you keep living it.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think one thing non-creatives sometimes struggle to understand is that being a creative isn’t just about making something. It’s about feeling something, and then trusting that feeling enough to let it guide you. When you create, you’re not just making a product you’re putting a piece of yourself out into the world. It’s vulnerable. And that vulnerability can be the hardest part.
A lot of my journey with The Treasured Bottle has been learning to honor that vulnerability instead of hiding from it. When I transform a bottle, I’m not simply cutting and sanding glass I’m holding someone’s memory, their celebration, their grief, their joy. That takes emotional presence, not just technical skill.
The other thing people don’t always see is how much time, patience, and quiet repetition goes into craft. Creativity isn’t one big spark. It’s thousands of small, slow steps many of which no one else ever sees. There are days where nothing turns out right, bottles crack, edges chip, and I have to start over. But the love for the process has to be stronger than the frustration of failure.
So if I could offer insight to anyone watching a creative person’s journey: understand that what looks simple or effortless has years of unseen work behind it. And that the heart you feel in a handmade piece that is the real art. The technique matters, yes, but the meaning is what makes it alive.
Creativity is not about perfection. It’s about connection. And that’s the part worth protecting
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Yes — there’s a story that stands out for me, and it’s one I always carry with me.
When I first started The Treasured Bottle, I didn’t have the right tools, the right equipment, or really any guidance. I was teaching myself by watching videos, reading forums, and mainly just experimenting.
I remember one night in particular I had been trying to cut and finish a very sentimental bottle someone had trusted me with. I wanted it to be perfect. But the glass kept cracking. Every time I thought I had it right, it would break in the final stage. I went through multiple attempts, hours of work, and I could feel myself getting defeated.
At one point, I sat there looking at broken glass pieces on my table and I honestly questioned whether I should be doing this at all. Whether I was capable. Whether I was more in love with the idea of this art than actually skilled enough to make it real.
But I also realized something: the reason I cared so much was because the story behind that bottle mattered. The person who gave it to me trusted me with their memory. So instead of walking away, I took a breath, stepped back, and relearned everything from how I scored the bottle to how I heated and cooled it, down to how I held the glass in my hands. I slowed down. I respected the process instead of trying to control it.
The next attempt worked. And when I delivered the finished piece, the emotion on that person’s face reminded me exactly why I do what I do.
That moment taught me that resilience isn’t just “not quitting.” It’s being willing to start again to return to the work with patience, care, and the understanding that what you’re creating has meaning.
The Treasured Bottle was built on that:
learning, failing, adjusting, and trying again because the memory is worth it.
And I’m proud I didn’t walk away from that table.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thettreasuredbottle.etsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetreasuredbottle?igsh=MWl0YmRkbnNyMHg1Zg==
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thetreasuredbottle4642?si=KVcpsL_wVHowSYMl
