Alright all you vino fans. It's time to stop tossing your wine bottles in the recycling bin and start putting them to good use. With some DIY instructions and a little bit of craft skills you can reuse wine bottles and turn them into useful, fun decorative pieces.
Looking for creative wedding table centerpieces? Need a new planter for your bunny succulent plant? Look no further than the bottom of your empty wine glass, er, should I say empty glass wine bottle. From recycling to upcycling, you can turn those useless red wine and white wine bottles into something you'd spend a ridiculous amount of money for at the home decor store. So bottoms up, it's time to start crafting.
Here are our 10 favorites ways to reuse wine bottles.
1. Wine Bottle Succulent Planter
If you're looking to liven up a space, but don't exactly have a green thumb, then have a go at with a wine bottle succulent planter. They'll brighten up the kitchen table, look gorgeous in the window, or add some flair to your nightstand.
Working with glass can be a little tricky. Life Chilli recommends that when making these DIY succulent planters you begin by marking the bottle. By simply using a candle, you can then cut through the glass. Get the directions here.
2. DIY Wine Bottle Bird Feeder
Why buy a bird feeder when you can make your own? All you need is an empty wine bottle, a few scraps of wood, and some hardware. Oh, and of course some bird seed.
Birdwatcher or not, you'll love sitting in the backyard watching all the different species you attract to the yard. The kids will love it too! Get the directions here.
3. Wine Tiki Torch
For those that love to spend warm summer evenings hanging out in the backyard, this Tiki Torch Wine Bottle is for you. It sets the mood with some upcycled ambiance and makes for an interesting talking piece when you throw an outdoors dinner party.
When selecting a wine bottle to reuse for this project, the wider shaped bottle the better because it's more stable. You can use a clear bottle, but burgundy and green glass work, too. This is really what those Chardonnay bottles were meant for. Get the directions here.
4. Wine Bottle Lamp
Do you sometimes go to home decorating stores like World Market and think, I could make that? Well with the wine bottle lamp you can. There's really nothing to it.
All you need to do is select an interesting empty bottle. Chianti, champagne, cabernet sauvignon, bordeaux, and even old wine bottles will all do as long as they are visually appealing. From there, drill a whole in the bottom, pull the cord through the neck, and add your lampshade. That's it! You just saved a pretty penny and recycled your wine bottle with a fun DIY project. Get the directions here.
Craft Note: This also looks cool when you do it with liquor bottles.
5. Twinkle Lights
These Twinkle Lights are guaranteed to brighten up any space. They look great in the window, but anywhere you want some ambiance will do.
Simple to make, all you have to do is drill a hole in the bottom of the bottle then stuff it with stringed lights. If you don't have the appropriate tools, you can stuff the bottle through the top. Then plug in and watch them twinkle. Get the directions here.
6. DIY Wine Bottle Party Platter
This is one DIY wine bottle gift you will want to keep for yourself. By flattening - or bottle-slumping - the wine bottle you can turn it into an appetizer serving platter for your next party. Wine charcuterie board anyone? Get the directions here.
Craft Note: While the process for this way to reuse a wine bottle is simpler than it looks, you will need an electric glass kiln.
7. Wine Bottle Soap Dispenser
Need a new soap dispenser? Don't waste your money on a store-bought one, make your own instead. Wine bottle soap dispensers are insanely easy to make. Clean off a used wine bottle, plop a pour spout in the bottle, add dish soap and you're all set.
Decorate it with chalkboard paint or etch the glass, but either way be sure to label it. Others may not know it's soap and try to sneak a foamy glass. Get the directions here.
8. Flower Wine Vase
If you're not the crafty type, you can still find a fun easy project to upcycle your wine bottle into something other than smashed glass by turning it into a vase. Using hot water, remove the sticky label from the bottle. Once you have a clean slate the options are endless. Dress up the bottle with ribbons, roll it in glitter, paint it, or keep it plain - it's really about the flowers anyway.
Make an arrangement out of sunflowers, perhaps some gerbera daisies, or the wildflowers you picked. These make gorgeous centerpiece arrangements for weddings, the kitchen table, and parties of any kind.
Craft Note: You can also do this with beer bottles.
9. Hurricane Candle Holders
These wine bottle candle holders make the perfect gift for Mother's Day, birthdays, or house warmings. While there are many ways to turn a wine bottle into a candle holder, the good thing about this design is it protects the flame from a draft or breeze. It also has a fun, elegant design that serves well as a wedding table centerpiece.
If you're intimidated by cutting glass bottles, it's easier than you think. With the help of some nail polish and ice you can easily remove the bottom. Then all you need is some spray paint and circle stickers to achieve the rest of the design. That doesn't sound so bad now does it? Get the directions here.
10. Decorate It
Do you simply feel like being crafty? Use your old wine bottles as a canvas and decorate them any which way you like. You could go with a holiday or beach theme. Or you could let your supplies be your guide and get creative with it.
Paint, chalkpaper, heavy duty twine, whatever you use, have fun with it. You can even dazzle it in glitter like these champagne bottles. There's no right or wrong way as long as you're having fun. Grab your gal pals, a few bottles of wine, and make a night of it. Get the directions here.
Now that you know how to reuse wine bottles, here are 15 Wine Cork Crafts You Can Easily DIY at Home.
This article was originally published on April 20, 2018.
