Recycled Crafts

Rainbow Recycled Wine Bottle Chandelier

Hi there, recycled wine bottle decor lovers! Today I am sharing a project that will add color to and illuminate any space. Get your rainbow on with this wine bottle chandelier or match it to your style. You can make this light to go with your home decor using your favorite Mod Podge Sheer color, or use as many as you can get your hands on, like I did. The project involves cutting wine bottles, which is easier than you may think, so let’s get started!

SUPPLIES:

Wine bottles cut to the size you want (I have showed you how to cut them HERE: How to Cut Wine Bottles)

Mod Podge Sheer Colors

Wax paper or non stick craft mat

Craft Knife

Pendant light kits (I used these 12′ Hanging Lantern Cords I found on Amazon)

TUTORIAL:

Coloring the cut wine bottles

Squeeze a generous amount of Mod Podge Sheer Colors into the cut end of your bottle.

Twirl Bottle to disperse color all over the inside of the bottle.

If you are having a hard time getting it to flow, you can tap the bottle against your wrist as shown.

Let the excess Mod Podge drip into back into the product bottle to save as much as possible for your next project!

I placed my bottles on my kitchen table, on a non stick craft sheet, with the ceiling fan on. Place them with the mouth down so they dry faster. This will be an overnight process.

Wiring the lights

For this project I used a standard E27 base pendant light kit available at almost any Walmart or big DIY store. The one I used actually had an in-line switch between the plug and the socket base. I didn’t have a need for the switch or the plug since I was going to be direct wiring it to an existing switched circuit.

Step 1

I cut the wire using wire cutters at the socket side of the switch. I left about 2 ft. of wire to the socket base but you should test and see what distance looks best in your application.

Step 2

Run the cut end up through bottle and out the neck of each of the six colored bottle shades. The sockets will fit snuggly up in the taper of the neck of the shade.

Step 3

Bare the ends of each of the wires using your wire cutters to peel away the plastic coating (there will be 12 wires, hot and a neutral for each lamp or 18 if the kit is wired for a ground).

Step 4

I chose a room that already had a simple ceiling light on a wall switch. This made it easy to take down and I just used the existing junction box and cover plate from the old light.

Step 5

With wall switch OFF ( throw the service breaker for extra safety) take down the old ceiling light and find the white(neutral), black(hot), and green (ground) wires. Pull them down out of the box and make sure you have enough room to go back with the new wire bundle you’re going to create.

Step 6

Combine all the neutral wires from the lamp kits together into one pigtail. DO the same for the hot and the ground if present. Use some electrical tape to help hold them all together while you get ready to connect them to the junction box.

Step 7

Using an appropriately sized wire nut, connect the white pigtail of the lamp kit to the white (neutral) wire from the ceiling. DO the same with the Black (hot) and ground( green, if present).

Step 8

Carefully push the wires up into the junction box and allow the weight of the lamps to be carried by the bundled lamp cords over the junction box support bar.

Step 9

Slide the fixture cover you used from the old light up into place to cover everything.

Step 10

Flip the breaker and the switch on. Put bulbs in the lamps. Let there be light !!!

***Extra tip: Use Mod Podge Rocks Adhesive Stencils and Glitter Spouncers to add your favorite pattern for added sparkly goodness, like I did with this Upcycled Bottle Lamp:

Not up for electrical wiring? Use your colored bottles to create Upcycled Rainbow Lanterns:

DIY Butcher’s Chart Cow Vintage Kitchen Art With Free Graphic

by Johnnie Collier

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Vintage kitchen art in the form of the butcher’s beef chart is tops in the design world these days. That is why I was thrilled to score a cookbook from 1898 with the perfect image for such a piece! I scanned it in, cleaned it up in Photoshop and enlarged it to fit a 28 in x 14 in piece of art scored from a garage sale. This tutorial shows you how to transfer a large image to a chalky finish surface, and provides the butcher beef chart cow art for you to download for use in your own projects!

SUPPLIES:

Vintage Butcher’s Beef Chart Image (Click link for image download page)

Paint brush

Chalky Finish Paint by DecoArt in Whisper

Image Transfer Medium

Clear Wax DecoArt

Laser Printer and Photoshop or other editing software

Painter’s Tape

Spray bottle with water or cup of water

TUTORIAL:

Prepare the surface for the image transfer by painting with Chalky Finish in your choice of color. I used Whisper. It took 3 light coats with 15 minutes of drying in between to cover the image on the garage sale art.

While that is drying, prepare your image. I resized mine in Photoshop to fit the 28×14 inch recipient surface.

Make sure you reverse the image before printing it so the numbers won’t be backwards in the transfer!

If you are making art larger than your printer will print, you will need to print it in sections and tape it together like I showed you in the video found here:

DIY Rustic Sign Tutorial Using DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint

Print the sections, align them and tape together on the back with painter’s tape.

Paint the surface with a thin layer of Americana Image Transfer Medium, and paint the ink side of the image to be transferred with the medium too. For more detail on using this product, see my Vintage Image Transfer Coaster Tutorial shared at Printable Decor.

Spray water on the back of the printed image and let soak for 3-5 minutes.

Rub paper backing away with your finger tips (there are detailed pictures of this in the graphic coaster tutorial linked above).

Seal the piece with clear wax and you are all set!

Check out more cool ideas in our 50+ Image Transfer Projects

50 Plus Clothespin Crafts To Make

by Johnnie Collier

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How have we gone this long without sharing a collection of clothespin crafts? It is a mystery. Whether you have the one piece wooden peg, or the two piece wood or plastic version held together with a spring, you can use these simple laundry inventions to make some cool stuff. From home decor, to jewelry, to toys and games for kids, we are all sure to find something we can enjoy in this gallery of things to make from clothespins.

My personal favorite? This headphone cord organizer found at Buzzfeed.

Are you with me on this?

What are your favorite clothespin crafts? Do you have one we missed? If so, let us know!

ENJOY!!

Recycled Wine Bottle Tiered Veggie Stand

by Johnnie Collier

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Do you love Dollar Store Crafts? How about making things from recycled materials? Make an all occasion display in just a few simple steps, using dollar store dishes and cut wine bottles! This project is perfect for displaying your garden harvest, letting tomatoes ripen in a window sill, filling with holiday themed candies and filler, or for storing your favorite jewelry in a fashionable way.

MATERIALS

-2 wine bottles and bottle cutting supplies – See How I Cut Wine Bottles

-E6000 or other industrial adhesive

-3 plates or dishes in varying sizes

DIRECTIONS

1. Place largest plate or dish on a flat surface and glue a wine bottle top to it as shown.

2. Glue the top of the same bottle and place middle sized dish on top of that. Continue in this fashion until your stand is constructed.

3. Let dry 24 hours before using!

Do you love it?

What are your favorite wine bottle crafts?

Would you like to see more?

VISIT OUR 50+ Dollar Store Crafts:

And our 50+ Glass Bottle Crafts:

DIY Image Transfer Recycled Glass Bottles

by Johnnie Collier

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Bring a touch of vintage chic into your décor with this chalk finish image transfer technique. This project works particularly well on bottles with texture, as you can sand after painting to remove the paint from raised areas for a chippy, old world feel. Head to The Graphics Fairy for thousands of free images to transfer to your bottles with this simple tissue paper transfer technique I am sharing today!

MATERIALS:

-Textured glass liquor bottles
-Chalk paint in several colors
-Printer (inkjet or laserjet is fine)
-White Tissue Paper
-Decopauge medium
-Medium Grit Sandpaper
-Flat paint brush
-Wax brush or lint free cloth
-Rubbing alcohol or glass cleaner and towel
-Clear wax or other sealer
-Images for transfer (I got all the images used in this post from www.graphicsfairy.com)
-masking tape
-cardstock or photo paper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Remove any labels from the bottles and clean the glass with hot soapy water or use Krylon Spray Adhesive Remover. This stuff works great!

2. Paint on chalk paint layer. This can be cross hatched and messy since we are going for a distressed look. Do several layers in different colors if you want different the sanding in a later step to reveal base colors. It is also fine to just do one layer.

3. Prepare image transfer by using masking tape to adhere tissue paper to a piece of cardstock or photo paper sized for your printer and image.

4. Print images, making sure you have sized them to fit your bottles.

5. Cut out image and apply a thin layer of decoupage medium to the back of it with your flat brush or sponge brush. Be careful not to rip the tissue. If the medium is too thick, you may need to thin it with a small amount of water.

6. Apply a thin layer of decoupage medium to the painted bottle and carefully place your image, ink side up. Smooth out any wrinkles with your fingers and apply a thin layer of the medium over the top of the image.

7. Once the decoupage medium is dry, lightly sand distress the texture areas of the bottle until you are happy with the degree of distressing.

8. Wipe away the sanding debris with a lint free cloth and seal entire bottle with clear wax using your wax brush. Another option is to seal the piece with the decoupage medium. I prefer clear wax with chalk paint. I love the unique shine it brings, and the fact that you can buff it to a shine when it dulls.

EXTRA TIPS

￮ Use antiquing wax after clear wax to create more of an aged look. This project would be great with photos of family made to look aged in photo editing software, like I showed you in the “Photo in a Bottle” project.

For more inspiration, visit our 50+ Wine Bottle Upcycle Projects and 50+ Image Transfer Techniques!

Spray Paint Mason Jar Chandelier Update

by Johnnie Collier

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Do you have an outdated brass chandelier that makes you sad every time you look at it? I did. It was even worse hanging over that sweet DIY farmhouse table and benches I shared with you last week. Finding a replacement for that light has been a priority since moving here, and it has happened! Find out how I made this beautiful mason jar chandelier for $10!

SUPPLIES:

Chandelier

Cut mason jars (See How to Cut Mason Jars) with lids

Vintage Light Bulbs

Scissors for cutting metal (I use Tim Holtz Tonic)

Sharpie or other permanent marker

Krylon Dual Oil Rubbed Bronze

TUTORIAL:

Just to show you what we are replacing!

I found this guy for just $10!

I removed the lamp shades that came with it and unscrewed this white circular piece.

I used the white piece smaller side to trace for cutting a hole in the mason jar canning lid insert.

As you can see, this doesn’t have to be pretty. It will be covered. So long as it fits over the socket and the white piece will hold it in place.

Here you can see the outer ring of the canning lid, then the inner part with the hole we cut and slid over the socket, then the white ring screwed back into place to hold it all together.

I started to spray without attaching the jar lids, but then realized that was just silly. Attach everything except the jars and bulbs, then spray paint! If you can suspend the chandelier somehow, to get the underneath side good, that is best. We used a bungee cord and hung it in our garage (annoyed husband and suspended chandelier not pictured). Let this dry overnight.

Now we just screw the cut jar onto the lid and insert the light bulbs!

Soooo much better, don’t you think?

Reclaimed Wood Display Shelf For Upcycled Old Book Letters

by Johnnie Collier

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I am obsessed with old books, well old things in general, but when I saw these words from old book letters I was sold! There is a cute store in Nashville called Island Cowgirl that we stumbled upon while looking for Archeology Antiques. The couple just opened the store 12 days before we wondered in, and they know how to do it! Such rusty, wonderful upcycled home decor and jewelry filled the industrial space. The prices were what got me. See, I don’t usually buy handmade things because of the whole “I can make that for like 1/100th of the price tag” thing that happens in my brain. Not so in this shop. I left with my arms full, contemplating where I would display my new found treasures when I got home.

Did you happen to see my recent DIY Kitchen Cabinet Upgrade with Crown Molding and Chalky Paint post? It was quite the transformation if I do say so myself. The kitchen is coming along great, but there was this sad space between the regal cabinets above the window. It has been begging me to decorate it. Enter words made up of letters cut from old books. Yes please! I bought “Faith”. Now, where would I put such a special accent? That is when I decided to attach a narrow display shelf to those cabinets to fill the desolate space above the windows.

First, I ripped the pallet wood to about 2.5 inches with the table saw. I used the miter saw to cut the wood to length for the space in between the cabinets. I used my Kreg Jig to drill a pocket hole on each end for attaching to the cabinets. If you haven’t used this tool, you are in for a treat. I use it in nearly every woodworking project for joining pieces together. The joins are super strong, and the jig takes out all of the guesswork. I showed you how to use a Kreg Jig in this Easy DIY Pallet Sign Tutorial. Next I painted it using two coats of Deco Art Chalky Finish Paint in “Everlasting”, the same color I used on the cabinets. A coat of wax sealed the deal, then I attached the shelf with 1.25 inch pocket hole screws.

Wanna have a little fun?

Guess how much I paid for “FAITH” from old books. Leave your anser in the comments. If you are right, I will send you an andvanced copy of my upcoming ebook, with 5 upcycled wine bottle home decor project tutorials you are going to love!

*By the way, if you want to make some yourself, check out this great tutorial from The Merry Thought; DIY Book Letters. Pretty easy to do with a printer and a scroll saw.

Upcycle Wine Bottles to Terrarium Wonderlands

by Johnnie Collier

Do you love eco-friendly crafts? How about succulent plants? Combine the two by creating your own whimsical land of tiny garden fairies, mushrooms, moss and more with this DIY terrarium wine bottle world. This project is simple is completed using artificial moss and succulents for those of us with less than a green thumb. What great gifts, home décor and centerpieces for your woodland themed birthday party these would make!

SUPPLIES:

-Cut wine bottles with varying heights (See How to Cut Wine Bottles)

-Artificial Moss

-Various artificial succulents

-Hot glue gun and sticks

-mini mushrooms, fairies and gnomes (found in most hobby stores for doll houses and miniature trains)

-Glass knobs or big glass prism or crystal beads

-E6000

-Latex or nylon gloves are optional

-Various round objects for the base of your wine bottle cloches; jar lids, candle lids, etc.

TUTORIAL:

Clean the surface of your cloche base and begin hot gluing your moss and filler.

Build with layers, adding miniatures and succulents.

When you are satisfied with your scene, place your cut wine bottle cloche top over the tiny world you created. You can glue this if you would like. I left mine removable so I could change things later.

To add a special touch, use E6000 to glue a knob or glass bead to the top.

EXTRA TIPS

￮ Cut the metal threading off of antique flea market drawer pull using bolt cutters, for a flat surface you can glue onto the top of your cloche.

If you like this post, you don’t want to miss:

50+ Wine Bottle Crafts to Make

50+DIY Terrarium Projects to Make

DIY Wine Bottle Craft Coat Rack

by Johnnie Collier

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Scrap Wood Shelf With Wine Bottle Hooks

This project involves building a simple shelf from scrap wood and adding cut wine bottle tops to act as “hooks”. It is perfect for the entryway or mudroom, as the ultimate upcycle and conversation piece.

MATERIALS

– Scrap wood in lengths and widths you want for your shelf

-One of the following; Table Saw, chop saw, miter saw, circular saw

-Jig saw

-Hammer

-Pencil

-Tape Measurer

-Wood Glue

-1 ½ inch finishing nails

-Medium grit sandpaper

-Glass Cutting Supplies (see techniques page )

-Rubbing Alcohol

-Lint Free Cloth

-3 Wine Bottles

-E6000

-2 Sawtooth hangers

-Chalky finish paint or paint of your choice

-Sealant such as wax or polyurethane

DIRECTIONS

This was a project I made up as I went along, based on the scrap wood I had on hand. You can adjust the plan according to your materials. For most of the cuts I used a table mount chop saw but a handheld circular saw would be fine to.

The only cut that isn’t a straight cut is the one used to cut the shelf brackets. For this I used a scroll saw: I drew a shelf bracket shape sized to fit my shelf onto a piece of wood, cut out the bracket and traced it onto another piece of wood as a template for cutting out the second bracket. This is covered in step 2.

1. Cut board for shelf surface. For this I used an old piece of barn wood I had that measured 1 X 6.5 by 55 inches. I cut it to one 46 inch long piece and one 9 inch long piece. The 46 inch piece will be for the top and the 9 inch piece will later be used to cut the two shelf brackets.

2. Cut shelf rails. There are three of them (see pic). They are 1 x 3 inch boards cut to 40 inches in length.

3. Cut shelf brackets. Taking the 9 inch long piece of the old barn wood from above ( 1 X 6.5 X 9 inch ) I free handed a pattern onto the board that looked somewhat decorative but had fairly simple curves. I included the drawing I used as a template. Using the scroll saw I cut out the two identical shelf bracket pieces. Tracing one line for two pieces was easier than trying to make two identical individual pieces.

Sand all rough edges. Medium grit sanding by hand or with an orbital sander will do.

*Clamping the two shelf brackets together while sanding them ensures that they will remain identical to one another.

5. Using wood glue and 1 ½ inch finishing nails attach the shelf rails to the shelf bracket on the inside face (see pic). This made the over-all length of the shelf support unit 42 inches. (40 inch rails plus the thickness of the two 1 inch brackets).

6. Mount the shelf support unit on the 46 inch top board, centering it along the length dimension ( 4 inch overhang on each end) and flush at the back edge of the top board. Use 1.5 inch wood screws and wood glue to attach the top to the support rails. Make sure to square the support unit as best you can before you attach to the top( a quick check to make sure the long diagonal measurements are equal will tell you).

7. The last addition to the unit is for the back board. I used 1/8 inch hard board that has one side grooved. You can purchase a 4 x 4 ft piece that will be much easier to handle than a full 4 x 8. I laid the shelf unit onto the board and traced the outline. I positioned the unit on the board so that the grooves run vertically. Cut the back out using a jig saw, table saw or circular saw. The cut is hidden so just be sure to cut a little inside the line so that you don’t have any over-lap and you don’t see the back hanging over the edges. I attached using 1/2 brads and wood glue. Make another quick check of the diagonals to verify the square of the unit before you attach the back.

8. Allow the glue to set for 24 hours and then caulk all the seams using standard white caulk.

9. Sand any rough spots and paint. I went with chalk paint in antique white for the entire shelf except for the top surface board. I like the weathered wood with the chalk finish.

10. Seal with Wax or desired sealant. I applied clear wax with a lint free cloth. Let cure per instructions before handling.

11. Measure your shelf and mark with a pencil where your bottles will go so that they are evenly spaced.

12. Attach cut wine bottles tops (see How to Cut Wine Bottles) by placing a generous amount of industrial strength glue such as E6000 around the cut rim where it will contact the shelf

13. Attach a sawtooth hanger on the back with hammer, a couple of inches in from the edge of the shelf top.

EXTRA TIPS

￮ Power tools can be intimidating. They don’t need to be though! I started at ana-white.com and found everything I needed to know to be successful and safe. You can too!

Check out craigslist for used tools, or see if your town has a makerspace where you can pay a small membership fee and have access to the tools you want to try.

Vote for SBLC – Bob Vila Thumbs Up Blogger Contest

by Johnnie Collier

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Remember that one time, when Bob Vila gave me a thumbs up? Ok, well, my mason jar chimes are in the running with 5 amazing DIY mason jar projects for the grand prize in the Bob Vila Thums Up DIY Competition.

You have to know that I use to religiously wake up at 6 a.m. every Saturday to watch this guy on This Old House. Love the man, so just being noticed by him is winning, but I still wanna win… you know, for real win. You can help by clicking the link and voting for me. Everyday. Between now and July 31st. Please? Thanks!

Rainbow Recycled Wine Bottle Chandelier

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

Coloring the cut wine bottles

Wiring the lights

DIY Butcher’s Chart Cow Vintage Kitchen Art With Free Graphic

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

Check out more cool ideas in our 50+ Image Transfer Projects

50 Plus Clothespin Crafts To Make

What are your favorite clothespin crafts? Do you have one we missed? If so, let us know!

ENJOY!!

Recycled Wine Bottle Tiered Veggie Stand

MATERIALS

DIRECTIONS

Do you love it?

What are your favorite wine bottle crafts?

VISIT OUR 50+ Dollar Store Crafts:

And our 50+ Glass Bottle Crafts:

DIY Image Transfer Recycled Glass Bottles

MATERIALS:

DIRECTIONS:

For more inspiration, visit our 50+ Wine Bottle Upcycle Projects and 50+ Image Transfer Techniques!

Spray Paint Mason Jar Chandelier Update

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

Reclaimed Wood Display Shelf For Upcycled Old Book Letters

Wanna have a little fun?

Guess how much I paid for “FAITH” from old books. Leave your anser in the comments. If you are right, I will send you an andvanced copy of my upcoming ebook, with 5 upcycled wine bottle home decor project tutorials you are going to love!

Upcycle Wine Bottles to Terrarium Wonderlands

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

DIY Wine Bottle Craft Coat Rack

Vote for SBLC – Bob Vila Thumbs Up Blogger Contest

Meet Johnnie

Categories

Recent Printables

50+ Roundups

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

Coloring the cut wine bottles

Wiring the lights

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

Check out more cool ideas in our 50+ Image Transfer Projects

What are your favorite clothespin crafts? Do you have one we missed? If so, let us know!

ENJOY!!

MATERIALS

DIRECTIONS

Do you love it?

What are your favorite wine bottle crafts?

VISIT OUR 50+ Dollar Store Crafts:

And our 50+ Glass Bottle Crafts:

MATERIALS:

DIRECTIONS:

For more inspiration, visit our 50+ Wine Bottle Upcycle Projects and 50+ Image Transfer Techniques!

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

Wanna have a little fun?

Guess how much I paid for “FAITH” from old books. Leave your anser in the comments. If you are right, I will send you an andvanced copy of my upcoming ebook, with 5 upcycled wine bottle home decor project tutorials you are going to love!

SUPPLIES:

TUTORIAL:

Meet Johnnie

Categories

SBLC Topics