Liquor Bottle Repurpose--Coastal Candle

Terry
by Terry
I'd seen old liquor bottle candles out in California on a recent trip and knew I could make one at home. I can't bear to throw out some of the really cool bottles from wine and liquor when we're finished. So, with just a few things from around the house, and maybe a quick trip to a big box store, you can have your very own Coastal Candle.
Some of the items I started with...
I started with an empty, clean liquor bottle, some twine, some gems and shells, dried sea grass or something similar from an old dried flower arrangement, and a cabinet knob and wicking. You can purchase the wicking and cabinet knobs at Home Depot or a bottle wick at a craft store.You'll also need some sand (purchased or collected from the beach).
I happen to live near the beach so I collected some sand and took a funnel and layered about an inch or so in the bottom of the bottle.
Then I placed the gems and the shells in on top of the sand and dropped in the dried sea grass/flowers for some height. Next, I carefully poured in some clear tiki-torch fluid. I did not buy a bottle wick at a craft store, choosing to make my own using wicking and a cabinet knob. I removed the screw from the knob, stuck the wicking through the knob hole and fed it down into the bottle. You can use chopsticks to move things around either before adding the liquid fuel or after. The last step was to wind some twine around the neck of the bottle. You can tie it off or glue gun the twine to finish it.
This is a great way to re-purpose those cool bottles usually thrown out or saved for some other purpose (I keep dish detergent in one by my sink too!). It's an easy project that can be tailored to your own decorating style.
Frequently asked questions
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3 of 20 questions
  • Nancy Nancy on Oct 31, 2019

    How did you remove the label from the bottle?

  • Carol Maestas Romero Carol Maestas Romero on Jun 20, 2021

    I want to use my seashells and sand but don’t really want to make a tiki torch. What liquid could I use instead? Any suggestions?

  • Quark Quark on Jun 21, 2021

    Will the cabinet knob or bottleneck crack from the heat of the flame?

Comments
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4 of 88 comments
  • Debbie Debbie on Jun 20, 2021

    Love this, thanjs

  • Kathy Niesen Kathy Niesen on Dec 02, 2021

    I think this is real pretty. I would also like to know what else could be used inside the bottle besides the tiki torch liquid. Thank you ❤ 💙 💜 💖 💗

    • See 1 previous
    • Suzanne Suzi Soulier Suzanne Suzi Soulier on Jun 03, 2022

      This stuff is great......even if it happens to spill over the flame goes out! It's called 'Lamplight', Ultra-Pure Paraffin Lamp Oil. It's sold on Amazon and Walmart. Use a fiberglass wick, about 1/4". Good luck.

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