Recycle Wine Bottles
After the cork has been popped and wine has been enjoyed what can you do with all those leftover wine bottles? If you’ve enjoyed a bottle with sentimental value or one that you had been saving for a special occasion; you may not want to surrender the bottle to the recycling man. Instead of just shelving it in your closet or pantry, repurpose that bottle or bottles to create something useful or simply artful.
Steps
- Create the traditional, inspiring wine bottle candle. This old time favorite is easy to create and always fun to enjoy. You even don’t have to be a crafty person--just someone who craves ambiance.
- Select a wine bottle with either character and/or meaning. This bottle will be possibly used as a centerpiece or be on display in your home so find a bottle you love.
- Drink the wine (responsibly) and clean out bottle. Fill the bottle with warm water and mild dish soap. Allow it to soak and then rinse and air dry.
- Choose a long taper candle. Check the bottom of the candle to make sure it fits snuggly inside the top of your wine bottle. You may also want to color coordinate your bottle with your candle.
- Wrap double sided, invisible tape around the bottom of the candle so it adheres to the top. Even if the candle fits nicely inside the bottle top, wrap a ring of double sided tape around the bottom of the candle for insurance. The last thing you want is for the lit candle to tumble from the bottle opening onto your floor or table.
- Place candle in the top of the bottle, pushing down gently, but firmly to ensure it fits snuggly. Don’t be too aggressive as you could break the candle.
- Light candle and allow the drippings to fall down the sides of the bottle. Consider placing a coaster or small plate underneath the bottle to avoid having hot wax drip on your furniture.
- Use wine bottles to hold spices, rices and pastas. You can also use it as an olive oil or hand soap dispenser as well.
- Imbibe wine and then clean bottle with warm water and mild dish detergent. Make sure bottle is completely dry before using as you will be filling it with dried goods. Clean and then save the cork or screw top.
- Create labels for each bottle or you could paint a large square on the front of the bottle with chalk board paint to generate the label du jour. If you prefer to create a hand-crafted label, visit the office supply store for different types of labels that you could use in your printer or for hand writing. You may also want to purchase self-adhesive laminate to cover the label after you’ve created it for bottles filled with a liquid (like hand soap or olive oil).
- Fill bottle with desired spice or dried good. Make sure you can easily pour or retrieve the spice or dried good once the bottle has been filled (through pouring etc.).
- Cork the top or screw on the lid. Make sure the lid or cork has been cleaned and dried so you don’t mingle wine with new food.
- Consider using a stout bottle to hold bulk rice etc. Luckily wine bottles come in a variety of shapes and sizes--this may mean you will need to try different wines to retain the bottle.
- Design a lit centerpiece for your table. Out of ideas for a cool, illuminated centerpiece? Invite an old, previously enjoyed bottle of wine to the table filled with lights.
- Empty and clean two or three different sized wine bottles. If you want to create an off-beat tablescape consider using multiple bottles of various colors too.
- Purchase enough sets of battery powered LED holiday lights to fill each bottle. Although you may have the holiday lights that plug into a wall socket, consider stepping it up by springing for the battery powered lights. That way you won’t have a cord strewn across your table and dangling by your guest’s feet.
- Drop light sets into each bottle. Don’t stuff lights tightly, but instead allow them to descend on their own, creating a light pattern. Make sure the “on/off” switch is easy to access at the top of the bottle.
- Arrange on the center of a table, along with other pieces such as candles or other decorative items. Light each wine bottle for a glowy effect.
- Smash and create mosaic art. This will require some finesse and lots of adult supervision (if you are a kid), but could provide the perfect outlet for the inner-artist inside you.
- Assemble your collection of clean, empty wine bottles. Don't choose bottles that hold meaning or sentimental value as you will be breaking and smashing them.
- Find an area outside where you can break the glass. Preferably away from children or pets, find an area that will allow you to carefully break the glass without having it get lost in furniture or within cracks in the floor. For example, while you may think doing this project in a grassy area might be a good notion, it may be tougher to find errant pieces of glass in the grass.
- Lay out painter’s tarp, don safety glasses and heavy gloves. Be sure you are also wearing shoes, preferably closed toe work boots.
- Use a ball pin hammer to lightly tap the first bottle. Don’t smash the bottles like an insane person as you will most likely just make a huge mess, with glass flying everywhere. Tap the middle of the bottle until it begins to break and then forcefully pull the pieces apart.
- Repeat this step until all bottles have been broken. Try to keep order to your smash process to avoid having glass fly throughout the area, making clean up a tough job.
- Prepare your surface, canvass or area. Clean the surface if you plan to place pieces on top of an outdoor table or wall, for example,
- Lay out your design using broken glass pieces. Continue to wear your work gloves so you don’t cut your hands.
- Brush clear glass adhesive on the back of each piece of glass and affix it to the surface.
- Brush at least one coat of clear epoxy over the finished piece to ensure smoothness and to seal your artwork.
In this video, you'll learn how to create a wine bottle centerpiece is easy to create and looks stunning - using old wine bottles you may have around the house. AsktheDecorator.com host Meghan Carter shows you how to throw together a quick centerpiece using a few wine bottles and some creativity.
Tips
- Consider re-using old wine bottles to hold homemade wine.
Warnings
- It's not a good idea to drink excessively just to recycle your bottles. Always drink responsibly.
- Before using a wine bottle as an everyday item, make sure it located in an area away from small children or pets who could break it. Some crafters like to reuse their wine bottle as a border for a garden. Although this could be a creative way to repurpose the bottles, this craft should not be used in homes with children (as they could break the bottles and get cut).
Related Articles
- Recycle Candles
- Acquire the Taste for Wine
- Use Wine Bottle Labels As Art
- Host a Wine Tasting Party
- Dispose of Glass
- Reuse Broken Stemware As Garden Candle Holders
