You don’t have to be an oenophile to enjoy a nice glass of wine at the end of a long day. Even the occasional drinker will end up with an empty wine bottle or two in the kitchen. You could recycle them, but why not re-purpose them to spruce up your interior decor? You can highlight the elegant shape of a wine bottle in your home in creative ways and give yourself a fun and easy crafting project to try on the next rainy (or snowy!) day.
Not sure where to start? Here are eight DIY projects for wine bottle crafting that will suit your home perfectly.
#1 Easy Flower Vases
This simple project only requires an empty wine bottle and a few long-stemmed fresh flowers. If you already love the label art, simply rinse out the bottle, fill it with fresh water and pop in a few flowers for an easy centerpiece. To remove the label, soak the wine bottle in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes to loosen the adhesive. To remove more obstinate labels, add a bit of baking soda to the water for extra scrubbing power, or use steel wool to get off any stubborn stickiness.
To add a personal touch, try painting your empty wine bottles with chalkboard paint and wrapping them with some decorative lace, ribbon or jute twine. You can add a name or a favorite quote with chalk to finish a one-of-a-kind piece.
#2 Festive Accent Lighting
Warm up a dark winter evening with twinkly wine bottle lights. These lights look best in a group of three to five bottles, and work well on a mantel or shelf near an outlet. To make them, you’ll need one 50-bulb string of holiday tree lights per wine bottle (the kind that only has a plug on one end). You’ll also need a drill with a 3/4-inch tile bit and a cone-shaped file or grinding stone.
To make your lights, clean the bottles and remove the labels. Then, drill a hole in the side of the bottle. Use the cone-shaped file to smooth any rough spots on the edges of the hole, then feed a string of lights into the bottle until it’s full. Plug the lights into a nearby outlet, turning the bottle so that the hole you drilled is concealed against the wall.
(Image via TheDSA.com)
#3 Table Lamp for Reading
If you prefer a lamp that will provide ample reading light instead of ambient lighting, you can turn your wine bottles into a chic table lamp for a bedroom, den or next to your favorite reading chair. To make it, you’ll need the same materials as listed above for the accent lighting, swapping the Christmas tree lights for a DIY lamp kit from your local hardware store. You’ll also need a lampshade.
To make the lamp, follow the directions above, but insert the lamp wire through the hole instead. Snake it up the spout of the bottle and attach it to the bulb socket, twisting the wires together as indicated in the lamp kit’s instructions. Attach the shade holder, screw in a light bulb and place your lamp shade over the bottle to complete the look.
#4 Dish Soap Dispenser
Upgrade your kitchen by replacing a cheap plastic soap container with a colorful wine bottle dispenser. For this project, you’ll need an empty wine bottle and a soap dispenser pump top from a craft store.
Clean the bottle and remove the label first. You can use a plain bottle for this task, or you can decorate the bottle with paint, decals or glass etching cream. Once your bottle is complete, trim the dispenser tubing to the length of the bottle, attach it to the inside of the pump and screw the pump onto the wine bottle as you would a cap. You can refill your soap dispenser to use it indefinitely.
(Image via Mother Nature Network)
#5 Tabletop Tiki Torches
Keep mosquitos at bay with decorative citronella torches for your picnic table. To make them, you’ll need an empty wine bottle, glass marbles or craft pebbles, a refill tiki torch wick, citronella tiki torch fuel oil and a 3/8-inch x 1/4-inch brass or copper coupling from the hardware store.
First, clean the bottle and remove the label. Fill the bottle about one-third of the way with marbles or pebbles to weigh it down, then fill the rest of the way with the citronella oil. Thread the wick through the coupling so that about a half-inch of rope peeks through its wider end and insert the long end of the wick into the wine bottle. Press the coupling into the spout and light your torch.
#6 Candle Holders
If you prefer to use your wine bottles for romantic candlelight indoors instead of outside, you can turn a wine bottle into a classic candle holder instead of a tiki torch. This is a super-easy project — all you need are wine bottles and tapered candles in your favorite color. Depending on the diameter of your candles, you may also need a paring knife.
Clean your bottles and remove the labels first, then decorate the bottles by using any of the ideas above that inspire you. Once your bottles are ready, simply insert your candle into the bottle’s spout. If the base of your candle is too thick to insert into the bottle, use the paring knife to shave the bottom until it fits. Light the candle inside and set the mood for a lovely night.
(Image via Guide Patterns)
#7 Decorative Time Capsules
Turn a clear wine bottle into a display of tiny souvenirs and a photo for a 3D picture frame. For this project, you’ll need a clear bottle, a bamboo skewer and a favorite photo as well as sand, beads or small shells. You can also add extra decorative touches like charms or beads to a cork topper with a hot glue gun.
Clean your bottle and remove the label, then add a few inches of sand, shells or beads. Roll your photo so that it will fit through the bottle spout and insert it. Use the bamboo skewer to help uncurl and position the photo. You can use the hot glue gun to decorate a cork or bottle topper for a finishing touch.
(Image via DIY Network)
#8 Decorative Bookend
An empty wine bottle can also serve as a decorative bookend to keep a stack of books from tumbling over. To make this, you’ll need some craft sand, a funnel and a bottle stopper (the original cork or screw cap will also work).
Rinse out your wine bottle and remove the label if desired. You can also decorate the bottle with paint or etching if you prefer. Use the funnel to fill the bottle with sand, then cap the bottle tightly. The heavy bottle will hold books in place without tipping over, and it makes a great conversation piece for wine lovers.
(Image via Greenvale)
There’s a lot you can do with those empty wine bottles, so go ahead and pop that cork today!
Please be advised that these crafts involve sharp objects and are intended only for adult use.
