7 DIY wine bottle projects

If you’re crafty, throwing your empty wine bottles in the recycling bin is not your only option. You can create beautiful, useful decorations for your home from them.

Wed, Mar 16 2011 at 8:55 AM EST

photo: niceness/Flickr

Earlier this month I wrote about items you can buy made from recycled wine bottles like tumblers and jewelry. One reader, djandra, said, “i would be interested in unique ways to recycle used wine bottles urself at home. without being a professional glass cutter or having a kiln to melt the glass.”

That sounded like a great idea, and I found several projects that I think are quite attractive and useful. So, here you go djandra, 10 ways to reuse your wine bottles without risk of personal injury or fire (except perhaps from the Tiki project).

Garden border. Re-nest has several photos of wine bottles that have been turned into garden borders. The bottles are turned upside down and buried so that the bottoms are evenly lined up. Not recommended if you have kids that accidently throw baseballs into your garden frequently, but if your garden is an area where a baseball crashing into your border is not likely to happen, it could be pretty if you chose complementary bottles, removed the labels, and buried them all evenly.
Chandelier. I saw several chandelier projects that were creative, but not particularly attractive. This one from Oregon Live is one that I think is so attractive, I’d even put it in my own house. Eleven wine bottles hang in a row at varying heights. Very creative.
Halloween decorations. Wine bottles are turned into clever decorations that look like jack-o-lanterns, witches, ghosts in these easy projects from Woman’s Day. These would be nice, inexpensive decorations for a party for older kids or adults.
Outdoor torch. Using empty wine bottles and items found at the hardware store, Tiki-type torches can be made that are a lot better looking than those cheap bamboo ones. Design Sponge has detailed instructions and warnings.
Hanging bud vase. Similar to the torch, without the risk of burning down the house, The Fun Times Guide has directions on how to make a pretty hanging bud vase. A few of these hung in a row make will rival any expensive piece of wall art.
Hummingbird feeder – This hummingbird feeder from What Allie’s Making Now will look pretty hanging in the back yard. She creates her own feeder tube from copper wire, but you can also purchase one from Amazon that will fit into a wine bottle.
Wine cork place card holders. If you have enough wine bottles to make something like a garden border, chances are a lot of corks came out of those bottles. Easily turn them into place card holders with clever concealed magnets to keep them held down.