20+ Upcycled Glass Bottle Ideas That Are Simple

Upcycled glass bottle ideas are endless. I will give you 20+ fun ideas to repurpose your glass.

Glass is a great item to upcycle. Every household gets at least some type of glass product from their normal grocery run. Look in your refrigerator or in your pantry. How many glass items do you have in there? How many will be tossed out in the recycle bin when empty? Hopefully, you do recycle them.

Do you know that it takes about a million years or more for a glass bottle to decompose in the landfill/dump? So, we all really need to do our part and recycle them. When the glass is recycled it can be melted down and made into new glass products. Why not upcycle them and get some more use out of them before recycling?

What is upcycle you may ask? Upcycle is where you take a product like glass, cardboard, paper, or plastic and change it into something useful or new for you or with a higher purpose and value. For example a glass wine bottle as a wind chime or vase. Cardboard box into a kids’ play kitchen or toy. A plastic water bottle into a pencil container/paint brush holder. Or paper cereal boxes into a divider or box for magazine storage.

What is the difference between upcycling and recycling? When you upcycle, you are using that same product but using it in a different way. Or creating something with it and giving it a different purpose. This usually creates that item into a higher value item or more desirable item. Like the saying “trash to treasure”. When you recycle you are throwing the object away in a recycle facility where it gets broken down into useful materials and then can be used for something ultimately different. The actual product is not the same anymore. Such as plastic bottles are broken down and turned into clothing or shoes.

Let me give you some easy and fun upcycled glass bottle ideas

Some of these ideas with glass bottles can be used how the bottle/jar is now. Of course, though after washing and drying it thoroughly.

Other ideas require more work, and some only require decorating it however you choose. Either way, you can create or use these upcycled glass bottle ideas.

• Glass bottle wind chime – This is one of the most complex of all the ideas I will share with you but is also one of my favorites. I think this wind chime made from a glass wine bottle, glass beer bottle, or other glass bottle turns out nice.

This can be made for just you, your family, or they make really nice gifts. My family members and friends all love them.

I won’t go into the long process of making these on this blog as I have an entire blog on how to make one from start to finish. Please read this blog so you can make this pretty and fun wind chime. How to make a wine bottle wind chime.

• Candle holders – tall candle stick holders and medium size candle holders – These are very easy if you have a jar or bottle with a wide enough opening. Put sand, rocks, glass stones, or whatever you want to help hold the candlestick in the jar. If you have a medium to small candle you can put it in the glass jar or glass leftover from your wine bottle. You can use the bottom of a wine bottle if you are cutting them.

Turn over for another way that can fit a candle nicely on the bottom. Using a beer bottle or wine bottle with the bottom cut off you can simply place a candle down and then put the wine bottle or beer bottle over the candle. Feel free to decorate the glass as well.

• Tea light candle holder – You can either use a small glass jar to fit a tea light in or you can make one by using a small part of the beer bottle after cutting it.

• Vase – Wine bottles, milk bottles, and even beer bottles can make nice vases for your flowers. You can paint, decorate, and create some pretty vases or just keep them plain how the bottle currently is.

• Candy jar – Wide mouth glass jars with lids are great to use to put your yummy candy in for when that sweet tooth is calling. Storing your candy in it tightly can keep it fresh for a long while. This can be a cute way to store M&M’s, skittles, gumballs, or other colorful goodies.

• Organization jars – Use a mason jar or jelly jar to keep items in. These can be used for sewing items such as buttons, sewing needles, or other small sewing supplies.

Or for craft supplies like rhinestones, pom poms, beads, and other small fun supplies.

And what about School/office supplies like push pins, rubber bands, erasers, or glue sticks? You can use a tall jar for storing pencils, pens, markers, and pencil colors.

Don’t forget your fur babies. You can store their treats in glass jars with lids and that might help them stay fresh longer. That is if your fur baby doesn’t eat them all fast.

• Bath Salt Jar – If you enjoy taking baths and like bath salts this can be a great way to store your salt. This can also be a pretty decoration for your bathroom. If you put different colored salts in it, you can create some pretty designs and would look nice as a decoration while being stored.

• Message in a bottle decoration/Nick knack – This is a fun way to remember a special vacation. On your next beach vacation bring back a little sand with you. Buy a cheap or cute key chain to be able to use with this idea. Get an empty wine bottle and put some or all your sand in there. Use a small piece of paper and write what you most enjoyed on your vacation, roll it up, and tie it. Put the paper inside and plug the bottle back up with a cork. Use the cute key chain to put over the cork for a cute decoration.

Another fun way to do this craft is to do this for New Year’s and write a message in it to read the next New Year. You could write your New Year resolution, a wish, or a goal for the New Year.

• Glass magnets – These are fun to create with your kids. So, these really aren’t glass bottle ideas but they are ways to upcycle glass stones if you have them around the house.

Gather the glass stones you may have around the house. Your kids can put stickers on the front of the stone or glue them on the back where you can see them through the clear stone. Then glue a magnet on the back. Or you can get rub-off stickers and use those. They turn out cute and your kids could give them as gifts.

• Book Ends – use two wine bottles filled with sand or tiny rocks to make it heavy. You can just find nice wine bottles in the color you prefer and use them that way. Or you can get rub-on decals, use nice paper or napkins to decoupage the bottles, or glue on rhinestones to decorate your bottles.

• Wine bottle tiki torch – Any wine bottle will work. Depending on your preference you can leave the label on or take it off. If you have a cool label or one that might look nice on your patio or porch, then leave it on. I have a cute one with a butterfly on it, so I chose to leave that label on. You do want to wash out the inside of the wine bottle before using it. Feel free to paint your bottle if you’d like. I did paint some to match the color scheme I have on my patio.
  • I bought a kit from Amazon that makes it easy to turn your wine bottle into a tiki torch. It comes with 4 long wicks, 4 ribbed brass connectors, 2 rubber O rings for each tiki torch (a total of 8 in all), and 4 tiki torch toppers with a chain.
    • An instruction sheet is included and is very simple to put together. Once you have followed the directions you will have a cute tiki torch ready to ward off mosquitos.
  • The other items needed besides the wine bottle and the tiki torch kit are citronella oil for tiki torches and a lighter.
    • When pouring the citronella oil into the wine bottle be careful as you can make a big mess. Using a funnel could help. Make sure that you pour some citronella over the wick and let it soak in for a while before lighting.

• Fragrance Bulbs into diffusers and strawberry decorations – Fragrance bulbs are the glass bulbs or bottles that you put into fragrance plugins. These bulbs contain fragrance oils. They can really make a room smell nice. The only problem with these is that once the oil is gone, they are of no use anymore. Well, I have a solution to that. Instead of recycling them, which I hope you do, you can upcycle them first.
  • When your bulb is empty you can take out the wick and use it in another way
    • 1. If your bulb has a rounded bottom and cannot sit on a table/counter then you can create another item with it such as a strawberry. As seen in the picture above you can paint the bulb red, use a permanent marker to make black seeds, and then paint a white artificial flower green and glue it to the bulb. There you have a strawberry that you can use in your spring decorations, for a party, or in your kitchen decor.
    • 2. If your bulb has a flat base and can sit on a table/countertop then you can create a diffuser. To make the diffuser simply take out the wick, add in some fragrance oil that you like, and add in 3 short diffusers or bamboo sticks. I used some thin bamboo skewers that I cut in half.
      • When pouring the oil into the bulb a funnel will help you out. Make sure that you put your new diffuser in a safe place that won’t be knocked over. The oil will spill out. But this is a cool idea as you can put these around the house to make rooms smell nice.
        • Plug in fragrance oil bulbs are great but at times when you will be on vacation it may be great to use these homemade ones. Plug in ones shouldn’t be left plugged in while on vacation because they could be a fire hazard. The small diffusers that you make can sit out while you are out of town with no problem.
      • Feel free to paint your bulbs or decorate them to give them a cute look.

• Utensil holder – A tall enough jar with a wide-open top can be great to use as a utensil holder. Put these out when you have a big dinner or gathering for utensils. If it is a big enough/tall enough jar you might use it by your stove top with your cooking utensils.

• Wine Bottle Lights/Decorations – Get empty wine bottles and put string lights in them. These can look cute as decorations and lights around the house. There are so many different types of lights that can be put into the bottles. Use Christmas lights that are very tiny, lights that are battery operated, cork lights, wine bottle lights, or any other that will fit in the bottle.

• Hanging Glass Light – A wine glass can turn into a cute light. You will need to buy a light kit to use with your wine bottle/bottles.

More upcycled glass bottle ideas: For the bottom portion of a wine bottle or jar.

These items below can be made using the bottom portion of the bottle that you will not be using for the wine bottle wind chime if you plan to make that. It’s the leftover parts of the bottle. If you aren’t making a wind chime, then you can still create these items by scoring and cutting the bottle. If you want more detailed information on how to do that read my blog on wine bottle wind chime.

• Container for Makeup brush and other self-care items – These small parts of a wine bottle work good to store your Q-tips, cotton balls, clippers, and any other self-care items you have.

• Shot glass/low ball glass/rocks glass – Can be made from a beer bottle, wine bottle or other glass bottle you have. Use the glass cutter/scorer and make it the right size. You can make your own unique set. Just make sure that you sand down the edges well before using them.

• Drinking glasses – To make these you want to move the scorer part on the glass cuter so that you can make a tall glass. Unless making juice glasses then you should make them a little shorter. And the item to score the bottles really does help and comes in handy to create these glasses. So read more about cutting/scoring glasses on my wine bottle blog.

• Ring dish – A little ring dish by your kitchen or bathroom sink is useful to have. It’s a great place to store your ring when washing dishes, putting on lotion, or just a place to keep them safely in.

• Plant container – This might work with any leftover pieces if making a wine bottle wind chime or find another glass container to use that isn’t too tall. But this will only work with small plants since the glass jar will be small.

There are tons of ways you can decorate your glass jar or bottle without cutting or doing too much with it.

These Upcycled glass bottle ideas are fun and can be made in your own special way.

• Glass jar decorations for different holidays – Find any glass bottles around your house or in your recycle bin. Take the labels off and then you can paint or decorate them however you want. It can be fun to decorate your house with themed items like a jar with hearts for Valentine’s Day. Shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day. Eggs, chicks, or crosses for Easter. Flags, stars, and stripes for the 4th of July. Pumpkins, bats, and ghosts for Halloween. Turkeys, cornucopias, or thankful words for Thanksgiving. And trees, ornaments, candy canes, and presents for Christmas.

• Paint them – You can use pretty much any type of paint. Paint with a paint brush, sponge, or spray paint. Using spray paint is quick and easy and fun to create different patterns with multiple colors. If you spray heavily and let the colors run it can create quite pretty designs. It can also give your bottles a textured look.

Rhinestones or other decorations – Decorations can add a lot to a glass item. Gluing on rhinestones in patterns or randomly can be pretty. When working with kids they could even use sequins, beads, or even stickers.

Decoupage – Find a pretty napkin or paper that you can use to decoupage the glass bottle or jar.

This can be a project on your own, a project with the family, or a project your kids could do on their own if old enough.

Glass is a hard object to work with small kids. You really don’t want to take the risk of toddlers breaking the glass and cutting themselves. Older kids can do some of these ideas with help but should not be the ones cutting the glass. When I say cutting, I mean scoring it and using extremely hot and cold water to break it at the cutting line.

Feel free to read my blog on how to make a wine bottle wind chime as there are directions on how to cut glass bottles on it. If you want to do those projects with your kids make sure you do the hard part and then let them decorate the glass with supervision.

Enjoy the upcycled glass bottles that you create and remember to recycle glass that you don’t upcycle.

Of course, you can get very creative and come up with some unique ideas of your own. Enjoy your new glass bottle upcycle ideas. Feel free to share other ideas in the comments below. Or comment on how your items turned out.

Have some family fun time making and creating some fun glass masterpieces.