I don’t know where you live, but where we are they’ve ended glass recycling, which means lots of glass waste. If you’d rather not chuck gobs of glass bottles into a trash or recycling bin, there are ways you can upcycle them instead.

Put on your smock and get ready to make wine bottles the DIY project all-stars this time. Some cool ideas from Household Hacker can you help you turn those crates of empty wine bottles into something new. In this video, you’ll be surprised to see how versatile an empty bottle can be.

Household Hacker rolls out six ingenious ways to flip those old bottles. Here, we’ll highlight a handful of projects below that you can undertake to light these babies up, rescuing them from an afterlife of shattered pieces.

Tiki Torches

You’ll need some torch fuel, a ½-inch-by-3/8-inch copper coupling, wicking, and some thread seal tape. Pour the torch fuel into an empty bottle. Wrap the tape around the bottom of the coupling so it can fit snugly inside the bottle’s opening. Insert the coupling and then thread the wick through.

Cap it with a copper cap. Using fuel with citronella in it will help to repel insects. Keep outdoors! If you want to, you can also remove the label and decorate the bottle.

Lamp Base

A unique lamp that would make a great gift or look cool in your living room, man cave, or bedroom! There are bottle lamp kits available to help you make one from scratch.  Use a glass drill bit to drill a hole into the bottle to conceal the cord. Feed the wires in from the bottom up, and assemble the shell and socket. Secure it to the top of the bottle and add your bulb and shade!

Some people like to add their own creative touches to these by using glass etching tools or wrapping the bottle in twine or fabric. Dress yours as you like!

Fairy Lights

Craft a whimsical light fixture with an empty bottle and string lights, because who doesn’t love light in a bottle? Battery-operated LED lights can be purchased in stores that sell hardware, craft supplies, or general merch. As shown in the video, you just tuck the lights inside the bottle and tape the switch to the bottle cap. Pretty!

Hang them on the wall or use them to accent tabletops, porches, or mantelpieces. If you don’t have a bottle topper, you can buy cork bottle plugs online.

 

For detailed instructions on how to make these projects and more, including a shoe rack, watch the video below. They range from functional to decorative, and require minimal supplies. With all the different sizes and colors that wine bottles come in, your imagination’s the limit. Follow your own design intuition to add your own style to these ideas.

Crack open a bottle of wine and get to work on these nifty crafts! Just don’t forget to save the top. Have you ever seen upcycled wine bottles before? What else would you make with empty bottles? Tell us in the comments!