What’s the Best Way to Recycle Leftover Wine Bottles?
Don’t actually recycle them – turn your favorite Merlot or Roscato container into a decorative glass bottle! You can easily put them to good use by recycling (or should we say upcycling?) and turning them into a beautiful vase, upscale food storage or other nifty knick knack for your home or a gift for a friend. From simple vases wrapped in rustic twine, to aromatic diffusers covered in your favorite trinkets, it’s easy to turn your trash into treasure with these DIY wine bottle crafts.
Upcycling projects are gaining more and more popularity because they’re not only good for your wallets, they are good for the environment, too. Did you know that it takes about a million years to decompose a glass bottle? By reusing your wine bottles you cut off thousands and thousands of years of earth’s shoulders! So, before you throw away your next empty glass bottle, pour yourself some vino and browse these awesome things you could turn it into.
How do I decorate a wine bottle?
First, drink the wine inside it, then clean your wine bottle. For some more complex projects, you might then need to cut your wine bottle. After that, the sky’s the limit: weave colorful yarn around your bottle, use a hot glue gun to add jewels or trinkets; with the right tools, you can even etch personalized messages into your leftover wine bottle crafts.
Before You Begin
Tip # 1: Cleaning Your Wine Bottle
Before starting any project with a wine bottle, remove the labels and glue residues. This can be a little tricky unless you know how to do it right. While you can always buy something like a “sticky stuff remover” (that’s the actual name of the product) in a craft shop, using it is a messy process. Instead, you can use something you most probably already have on hand in your kitchen. Stainless steel scouring pads (those heavy duty silver sponges we find at the supermarket) work wonders on glass and don’t scratch it. Start by soaking your empty wine bottles in hot water for a few minutes with some dish soap. Then peel the labels off and rub away whatever’s left with a scouring pad.
Tip # 2: Cutting Your Wine Bottle
For many DIY projects with wine bottles you will need to cut either top or the bottom off. To do so, score a ring around the bottle where you want it cut with a bottle cutter, heat it with a candle, and quickly dip in ice cold water. The rapid temperature change causes the glass to crack along the scored line. It’s important to sand the broken glass right after using coarse sandpaper, to get rid of the sharp edges and make sure they won’t cut anyone.
Here’s an awesome video of 3 easy ways to cut a glass bottle:
Drinking Glasses Turned Vases Turned Candles
There can never be too many drinking glasses. Especially, if they are so easy to make at home from your leftover wine bottles. And thick hard to break glass of different colors only make it better. All you have to do is just cut the wine bottles to the height you prefer, use sandpaper to smooth out the edges and voila, your new stylish, eco friendly and dishwasher safe drinking glasses are ready to go. Another good news? These can be also turned into vases and used for DIY candles. Save a pretty penny on Thanksgiving and Christmas gifts by giving your friends handmade candles in elegant glass jars made in minutes from your leftover wine bottles. Pretty neat, isn’t it!
Rustic Yarn Wrapped Vases
Turning used wine bottles into stylish vases takes minutes by simply painting them, but you can take your table decor to a whole new level by creating beautiful yarn-wrapped bottles. Not only are they cost effective, but they also add a heartwarming rustic touch to any mantel or tabletop. Just mix up colors and shades depending on the occasion or season.
Starting from the top, wrap the yarn snugly around the bottle and glue it in place so no glass shows. This method will create a clean and smooth look. To achieve a more organic and messy look, let your yarn overlap and bunch up in various directions. You can also use colored clothes, rope or twine for a more rustic look. Use a glue gun to add lace or other embellishments of your choice. Put in a few flowers (stems that stand tall will complement the tall shape of the bottle the most) and voila!
Glass Planters
Who doesn’t love cooking with fresh herbs? Instead of constantly buying them at the store you can grow them on your windowsill with a help of a recycled wine bottle. To make DIY herb planters cut wine bottles perfectly in half. In the half with the bottle neck add some soil, seeds of your choice and insert a thick cord (or about five strands of string) tied through and left long through the neck. Fill the other half of the bottle with water and invert the neck down into the base. The loose hanging cord will soak up water and provide it to the plant while you can enjoy your very own self-watering herb garden hassle free!
Tea Light Holders
Wondering how to set the mood for a romantic evening or want to make a perfect DIY wedding decor? Try out these stylish tea light holders to create the perfect atmosphere.
Cut the wine bottles in the middle and place the top part (the one with the bottle neck) over tea lights to decorate your dinner table. Feel free to experiment with various sizes if you like. The muted and colored light from the glass will add the air of intimacy and romance to your room.
Another way to do a simple yet charming candle assortment is to slice the bottom off wine bottles (2-3 inches) of different shapes and sizes, and pop each one over a tea light. Group them together on a tabletop for a flexible, easy-to-make centerpiece.
Upscale Storage Jars
Transform the bottom part of wine bottles into food safe glass containers to store dry products such as rice, pastas, and cereal. Use a cork to keep the jars covered. Experiment with various sizes by cutting the bottles taller or shorter.
Are you excited to start a new DIY project?
-Time to stock up some more wine and send to a friend (or two) along with the link to this blog.
-Continue exploring about your favorite drink of Gods. These useful Tips For Cooking With Leftover Wine will make you crave for more.
-Share your favorite DIY wine bottle crafts on social media and tag us with #RussianFlora
