Wine bottles are great at what they do – they hold the elixir of love, laughter and life and I wouldn’t change a thing about that. And wine bottle crafts bring new meaning to these sacred vessels.

But, as we all know, wine can have a huge turnover rate in the household and the recycle bin fills up with bottles that could otherwise be reused around the house in both a functional and aesthetic way. The following 3 wine bottle crafts will bring new meaning to being a “wino.”

3 DIY Wine Bottle Crafts

1. Candle Holder

There are two ways to go about turning a wine bottle into a candle holder. The first is quite easy. The second requires a bit more effort and is not the most failproof.

Method one: Wash the bottle and slide a candle into the wine bottle hole. You can carve the candle so that its diameter is fitting. As you light the candle and let the wax drip, it creates a trail of wax along all sides of the wine bottle’s throat. It looks very rustic and adds a unique charm to any setting.

Method two: This method requires some elbow grease, and in my experience, slight uncertainty. Either way, it’s worth a shot, and you will be quite proud of the resulting candle holder. Using the entire length of a bottle as the base to a candle is quite high and a bit inconvenient. To remedy this, it helps to cut the bottle in half, or at any particular area so as to reduce its height to your liking. To do this, score a consistent line around the bottle at the height you desire to cut the bottle. Do this repetitively, applying deep pressure. Next, apply heat to the scored lines. Hold a candle light to the scored lines or pour boiling water over them. Concentrate the heat around the line, only. After about 10-15 minutes of applied head, immediately put the bottle under cold running water, turning it so the entire scored line is covered. Continue to do so until you hear a “pop”. The bottle will split into two pieces. The top portion can be used as a smaller candle holder to that mentioned in method one, or you could use the top as a pedestal for the bottom half, fit for holder larger candles – simply glue the tip of the top of the wine bottle in the indent at the bottom of most wine bottles.

2. Vase or Cup

The bottom of the split wine bottle can be used as a vase for flowers or a growing space herbs. Fill them up with soil and watch seeds grow. The bottom also makes for a solid cup – just make sure the edges are smoothed and sealed and not in the position to harm your mouth while drinking. You could also just use the entire wine bottle as a vase for long-stem flowers, such as roses. Paint the bottles to your liking to add an affect that complement the décor of your home.

3. Grain & Spices Storage Decoration

It may seem odd to fill wine bottles up with grains, especially when the hole is quite narrow, but it actually works quite well and helps to decorate a room at the same time. Fill grains, spices and even olive oil in used and washed wine bottles. Display them in your kitchen so that they have both a functional and an aesthetic purpose.

Related on EcoSalon

10 Green Wine and Food Pairings, Plus 5 Do’s and Don’ts

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7 Bottles of Sparkling, White and Rose Wines Perfect for Summer

Photo Credit: Angelo Amboldi, Jordan Johnson, Christine Majul, Baynham Goredema

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Looking for home decorating ideas? You might not think to rummage through the trash. But that’s where Berlin-based WesternTrash finds 100 percent of the materials for designer glassware and light fixtures.

Spring is on the way, and before we know it, summer will be hanging around. If you’re looking for some eco-friendly furnishings to spruce up your kitchen or outdoor entertaining areas, a new start-up out of Berlin, Germany might be worth a peek.

WesternTrash is a designer lighting and glassware company operating under the motto “Something out of nothing.” Although the gorgeous glasses, carafes, vases, and pendant light fixtures they produce rival the wares of any boutique studio, there’s something that makes WesternTrash unique: the raw materials for their products come directly from the streets outside their door.

“Every WesternTrash item is handcrafted with care and precision, explain the designers. “We source recycled bottles from some best Berlin restaurants, carefully selecting our glass by size, color and quality.”

First, the discarded bottles are soaked to remove any labels, then cut to size with a diamond saw. The cut edge is ground until smooth and consistent. Each product is then triple-polished for a brilliant shine, then sandblasted with the company’s logo, the WesternTrash Star (symbolizing a broken window from one of Kreuzberg’s frequent riots). Finally the glass pieces are put through an industrial-grade dishwasher, so they’re ready to face the world–and your kitchen. The finished product is packaged by hand in unbranded, reusable boxes.

“Our handmade glasses pay homage to the defiant spirit of Berlin’s most vibrant district. Think differently and follow your own path – that’s the WesternTrash philosophy,” the designers said.

There’s something especially beguiling about the sleek simplicity of WesternTrash products. They’re unique, yet classic enough to fit in with many different home decorating ideas.

Here are some of our favorites. Use them to inspire your own upcycled home decorating ideas!

The Festi Carafe (pictured with glass) – Easy to hold and easy to pour, this is the ideal jug for casual parties or communal meals on a warm summer day.

Dahme Vase –  With a deep green tint to complement any flower or plant, this vase will impress your guests and add some serious wow-factor to your floral arrangements.

Burgundi Pendant Lamp – Burgundi lives in design studios, coworking offices and the homes of inspired people. Edgy and expressive, it’s the kind of lamp that illuminates creative spaces.

Bordo Pendant Lamp – Bordo’s neutral shape and soft curves will make friends with any interior design. Crafted from a reclaimed bottle, it’s equally at home in a city apartment, bohemian cafe, or rustic old house in the countryside.

Related on Ecosalon

Upcycled Fashion Explores Designer Imagination

Glass Not Dismissed!

Freitag: Creating Sustainable & Upcycled Bags That RIP

Images via WesternTrash

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Here are two clever ways to incorporate upcycled wine bottles into your home. The Wine Sphere Chandelier from Wildflower Organics is a delicate glass globe dangling from heavy gauge wire. The Antiqued Mercury Demijohn Wine Bottles from Mothology add a bit of gleam and glamor to any space.

Looking for an excuse to imbibe a ridiculous amount of spirits? Enjoy the pleasure of at least twenty bottles of wine, add handfuls of taper candles, and you have everything you need for a sultry and flickering centerpiece. It isn’t often that preparing for a gathering is as amusing as the dinner itself. Cheers!

(These last images are by Tom Mannion for Elle Decoration – as seen on This Is Glamorous).

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Each week here at EcoSalon, I beg my favorite bloggers and designers to hand select a beloved green product, whether it’s a finish, furnishing, or accessory. The end result? An endless anthology of aesthetically perfect products for your perusal.

This week Coryanne Ettiene, of Housewife Bliss glory, is here to share her love of Antique Mercury Demijohn Wine Bottles. Coryanne adores how these antiquities are an amalgamation of her three passions – texture, light, and design, “I can see myself enjoying these in every room of the house and never tiring of them.” Coryanne’s lust for these antique wine bottles is woven with her imagination of sunlight and candlelight and gracefully bouncing off the metallic sheen of each curve.

Housewife Bliss is a bundle of domestic knowledge cleverly embellished with the wildly informative and unabashed wit of Mrs. Bliss (as Coryanne is known to Housewife Bliss followers). Don’t let your fear of “˜domestic’ keep you from visiting Housewife Bliss. Housewife I am not, Housewife Bliss follower I am. If you are female – a wife, a mother, or breathing – you will find a little bliss. Devour Mrs.Bliss’ helpful hints on stress management or peruse her store brimming with everyday function. If you have a hankering for acquiring new skills, you will love the tutorial session occurring now on Housewife Bliss (each week an expert gives a light lesson on everything from sewing, herb gardens, décor, needle point, jam making, etc.).

Catch Mrs. Bliss on her blog, Facebook, and Twitter – tell her EcoSalon sent you.

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