Get crafty with your empty bottles
After the festive season is over, we're often left with empty bottles—sometimes beautiful labels keep us from throwing those away. But often we just want to reuse something for its functional value; it feels good when you can make something useful out of waste!
So instead of simply throwing out your old wine or spirits bottles, upcycle them into something new and beautiful!
TABLE CENTREPIECE
Wine bottles make excellent centerpieces for tables when filled with an abundance of winter flowers and foliage such as red hydrangeas, holly and nordman fir. Keep your newly upcycled vase all year, and change the flowers seasonally—in spring use daffodils or tulips; in summer roses or lilies; in autumn rudbeckia or dahlias.
Or why not reuse your bottle as a candleholder. It’s an easy way to add a creative touch to dinner parties or other special occasions. Simply pop a tapered dinner candle in the top to give your table setting some extra flair!
Be sure that the flame is out before you place another candle in the bottle. Melt some wax onto an old stick and then press it firmly into position on top of this new one (this will help to keep your candles stable).
NOT JUST FOR WINE…
When you have washed your bottle out, fill it up with water and keep it in the fridge. That way, you'll always have a nice cold water bottle at hand.
Or if you’re a fan of cooking, soak of the label and pop a pourer in the top and you have yourself a sleek new oil bottle to hold all sorts of kitchen treats. Fill with olive oil and herbs from the garden to make your own flavoured oils, make a batch of salad dressing and pop it in the fridge or why not have a bash at making a red or white wine vinegar with any leftover wine.
GREEN FINGERED?
On the plant theme... glass bottles also make great self-waterers for your larger indoor pot plants. Gravity will slowly release the water into your soil and keep it well hydrated. Just make sure you check on how much water is needed beforehand!
DON’T FORGET THE CORKS!
Not only can you recycle the bottle, but you can also reuse corks. Corks are a great fire starter if your wood burner needs some extra help to stay lit this winter.
Decorative pin boards are the perfect way to display family photographs or treasured keepsakes. Why not get creative, and use some of your cork collection to make one?