How to Repurpose Empty Wine Bottles Into Christmas Decor

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Easy
Is anybody else excited that the Christmas season is here? It's one of my very favorite times of the year, and as a die-hard DIY-er, I love finding creative ways to use the ordinary or unusual to add to my decor. Hang out with me for a little while and see how I transformed some empty wine bottles into unique and fun Christmas decor - simply and with just a few supplies.
You'll need 3 empty bottles for this project. I had a stash of empty wine bottles that someone had shared with me over the summer, but any tall, slender bottles you have will do just fine - think cooking oil or vinegar, sparkling grape juice, etc. You can also scavenge thrift stores and sometimes find some pretty awesome bottles there.
Start by giving them two coats of white craft paint, allowing them to dry between coats. Tip: I found a paint that was specially labeled for painting glass. It worked wonderfully.
Next, paint a top coat in the color of your choice. I chose a bright gold. Did you notice those little bumps underneath the gold paint? That's crackle medium that didn't work this time. If you care to get the rest of that story, visit the original post on my blog. Not to be beaten, I gave some thought to the whole project and came up with another idea:
Using a medium-grit sandpaper, I gave the bottles a light sanding until I had as much white peeking through as I liked. Not exactly the crackle look I had envisioned, but I decided I liked this even better after all! By the way, these kinds of "mess-ups" used to really get under my skin, but now I look at them as a great opportunity to learn something new. And now I have a new look I likely wouldn't have tried otherwise. :)
Next, I stenciled my favorite Christmas word onto the bottles, one letter each. (Know what it is?)
I covered the threads with some gold glitter tape, tied a ribbon around the necks, and added some berry sprays I bought at Michael's during their 70% off Christmas floral sale. That was a huge win - I got these for just 67 cents each!
And here they are! I couldn't be happier with how they turned out.
This is another very simple, yet creative way to use empty bottles, and add to your holiday decor inexpensively. And...I'm just getting started! I'll be back next week with another Christmas DIY project featuring a thrift store find!
Suggested materials:
  • 3 empty wine bottles   (on hand)
  • White craft paint - for glass   (Michael's)
  • Gold craft paint   (Michael's)
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To Work With My Hands
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  2 questions
  • Vicky Vicky on Nov 29, 2016
    I really like the look of these but when it comes to painting glass the few times I've tried it the paint always ends up getting scraped and/or chipped off pretty easily. Did you seal these after painting and has it helped to stop that problem?
  • Brenda Adams Brenda Adams on Dec 01, 2017

    The easiest way to do a "crackle" is to brush elmer's glue on the bottle. Let dry. Then put on the gold. When all the gold dries the gold will be "Crackled". I use to do this with acrylic paints on ceramics. Worked wonderfully!!!!


    Also, I love these bottles the way you have them done. Simple but elegant.


    What about putting in some string lights on the inside.

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  • Amalia Amalia on Nov 19, 2017

    They are gorgeous. I have empty green glass bottles. Cannot wait to start. Thank you.

  • Barbara Dirkmaat Barbara Dirkmaat on Jan 23, 2023

    Not a question, but I absolutely love the way your JOY bottles turned out. Regarding putting lights inside, I always use wine bottle cork lights, which work great. I purchase them from Amazon, very inexpensive and they come with three button cell batteries in each one. I tried to include some photos but unfortunately, was not able to do so.

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