Glass Bottle Crafts and Upcycling Ideas

Glass Bottle Crafts and Upcycling Ideas
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In the time when I lived in Greenville, SC, our county stopped recycling glass. While we adjusted our shopping habits to accommodate that, it wasn’t easy to avoid glass bottles and jars. Which meant I am ALWAYS trying to think of different glass bottle crafts and ideas to upcycle the glass in our recycling bin.

The thing about glass bottles is, though, they’re not just found in your recycling bin…which is how this whole post idea got started.

bottles and cans in a recycling bin

Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.

There are always pretty bottles at the thrift store (and antique mall), too.

pretty glass bottle at goodwill

Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.

Which means there’s an entire spectrum of bottle crafts- from total makeovers and brand new purposes, to simple embellishments and decorating ideas.

But back to the local recycling issue. Wine bottle crafts became far more common in my project arsenal as a result. For instance, you may remember these painted wine bottles for coastal decor:

Sea glass bottles as wine bottle crafts for coastal decor

Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.

Or these decorative glass bottles that resemble pumpkins and gourds that I made from empty bourbon bottles.

liquor bottle painting for fall pumpkin decor

Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.

Thankfully, there’s really no shortage of ideas when it comes to crafting with glass bottles (and jars, etc.). Whether they’re pretty wine bottles (like these cobalt numbers, perfect for fairy lights), or plain squat clear glass bottles.

wine bottles with bottle lights

Image credit: My Repurposed Life.

Several of my subscribers also told me that glass recycling disappeared from their hometowns, as well. It’s a growing problem across the United States; per this article, only 33% of waste glass gets recycled in the US.

Vintage bottles as bud vases

Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.

With so many of us facing this issue, I decided it was high time I put together a collection of upcycling ideas for your empty wine bottles (or whatever glass bottles and jars you have on hand). I’m positive that somewhere in this collection, there’s an upcycling idea that will speak to you.

Like how this painted bottle craft idea speaks to me…have mercy!

painting glass bottles with alcohol inks

Image credit: The Navage Patch.

Glass Bottle Crafts

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Moral of the story? There are a LOT of upcycling ideas for glass bottle crafts out there! Whether you paint them or cut them or just display them in new and exciting ways.

spray painting glass vases with terracotta spray paint

Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.

And there are plenty of non-painted glass bottle crafts out there, too. Sometimes they just need to be artfully embellished, like these blinged-out versions…

bling bottles with jewelry

Image credit: Petticoat Junktion.

 Whether your eye goes to painted wine bottles or to decorative glass jars, you can create a lot of home decor pieces straight from your recycling bin.

Thrifty Christmas decor with vintage ornaments as bottle toppers

Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.

Or, unfortunately, your garbage can if the glass recycling problem has come to your locale, too.

Even just finding unusual or vintage glass bottles at a thrift store can make a huge difference in your home decor. For instance, check out these Lego flowers in my thrifted glass bottles!

lego flowers in vintage glass bottles

Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.

I hope you enjoyed these different glass bottle crafts and upcycling ideas. I’ve always had a penchant for collecting bottles for some reason- and I never grew out of that. And if you’re reading this, then I’m guessing you feel the same way. 

Craft on!

S

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bottle crafts and upcycle ideas

Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.

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Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.

Comments

  1. There are so many great ideas here! I have been on the lookout for a spice rack like the one you used for the same purpose for awhile now but surprisingly I haven’t found one yet… I used to see them all the time! Fortunately we still have glass recycling… for now.

    Tania

  2. Hello Sadie, I love your ideas, just need that clear space to try them out on:-)

    I’m surprised (horrified really) that you can’t recycle glass in your area – and, that it is a growing problem. In the UK where I live, there are more, not fewer recycling places. That’s not to say we are brilliant at it, we aren’t, but the idea of more landfill is awful – apart from which we live on a crowded little island, so land use has to be more thoughtful. I wonder why some enterprising person hasn’t come up with a super efficient glass recycling unit – jobs, kudos and profits to be made:-)

    Very best wishes for 2020.
    Ruth in Brum (THE original Birmingham in England.)

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      Thank you so much, Ruth – and YES, it is absolutely awful about the glass. The best thing I can do is shop more mindfully – looking for local and/or limited packaging whenever possible!

  3. I am alarmed that glass is not allowed to be recycled in so many areas! Glass turns back into sand whereas the replacement for glass (I assume is plastic) NEVER biodegrades. It will turn into our soil and become part of our water, air and food sources. I wonder if getting a rock polisher, you could keep buying things in glass, smash when you are done, and then polish the glass shards to look like sea glass. You could sell by the bag for crafts? It just seems so horrible that we are forced to contribute to our own destruction. I feel like we are being forced to eat microdots of poison that will one day kill us.

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      It’s so awful, Deborah! But it’s a matter of economics – cheaper to create new glass than recycle the old. (Which doesn’t make me feel any better, but it’s just how it is.). The best thing I can do is be a mindful consumer and just look for products with as little packaging as possible!

  4. I’ve used several of your ideas and was glad to see them “all in one place.” Our transfer station (I still call it the dump!) now recycles glass again; I have been using a lot of my bottles for small craft supply storage, i.e., beads, wiggle eyes, etc. At least I can see what I have in the container! They also now take egg cartons and #5 plastic (in addition to #2), etc. which is encouraging to see! Al hates to take me with him–I’ve come home with too many treasures!

  5. Hi Sarah! What a fun round-up, and so timely as you explained. I appreciate you including two of my bottle posts (collecting amber bottles and how to clean antique ones) in your round-up 🙂 Happy New Year friend!

  6. They still accept glass at the recycling center in Dacusville (Pickens County) where my daughter lives, so if you happen to know anyone there, maybe they can help you recycle yours too? Just a thought. I hate that Greenville Co. stopped taking glass.

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      Hi, Bev! I have gone to the Pickens one a few times with some glass (secretly). It’s quite a drive for me, so I worry that I’m doing more environmental damage by driving 45 minutes one way to recycle the glass. BUT I’m sure I’ll do it again as long as I have a lot of glass saved up and it make sense to go. Thank you for letting me know that they still accept it!

  7. You have lots of great ideas for repurposing glass bottles and jars here. We can still recycle glass here, but I still repurpose what I can.

  8. It ou have so many beautiful bottle ideas love recycling bottles and jars ! I have accumulated so many my husband has no room for his tools in the garage. My latest one is using Starbucks bottles for vintage stile vases .

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