Tuesday's Top 5 - What to do with old wine bottles

When the DH and I moved to our new house in the 'burbs, I was excited to have curbside recycling. The first week I filled our blue bin with cardboard, newspapers, milk jugs, cans and a few wine bottles. Imagine my surprise when I returned home from work to find my wine bottles lined up on the curb. Aparently my county does not recycle glass, and the trash man wanted all my new neighbors to think I was a drunk. Sweet. So, we have been in the house almost 2 years and I now have quite a little stash of wine bottles sitting in the garage, waiting to be used or taken someplace that does not discriminate against them.

All this got me thinking, isn't there something crafty I can do with these bottles? I hate for them to go to waste. So, after searching the web, here is what I came up with. I do have to say, some of the ideas are pretty crafty!

1. Use the bottles as home decor - from one of my favorite blogs, This Young House, comes this pretty grouping of bottles on their sunporch:

They gathered up some old wine bottles and a few glass vases (and even an old blue soap dispenser minus the pump) and grouped them on a tray. They’re like 3-D stained glass when the sun streams through the window. And a couple of starfish keep things interesting.

2. Turn water into wine - or the other way around. I have been using a large, empty wine bottle to serve water from at bookclub and at dinner parties. The other day I saw Giada De Laurentiis doing the same thing, she must have stolen it from me! Another idea, if you or a friend are getting married soon, collect enough bottles to put one on each table so guests can refill their water glasses easily. You could even etch your new monogram onto the bottles with these steps I posted last week!

3. Wine Cork Board - I have seen a few of these before, and one of my friends actually made one herself, so I know it is possible! Start saving those corks and maybe in a few years (or after hosting a few Book Club meetings) you will have enough!

4. Wine Cork Garland - I have been wanting to make one of these for the Christmas Tree for years so I googled it to see what came up and what do you know, other people have been thinking about it too! Just follow these steps and you too can be a wino at the holidays!

5. As a candle centerpiece - just use some taper candles for this easy, festive centerpiece. Change out your spring/summer group of bottles from the first suggestion and use this one in the fall and winter months:

Now I realize that lately, lots of my posts have envolved wine, so don't be getting the wrong idea about me! I do enjoy a good glass of wine on the patio though, and now that I have some things I can do with all those old wine bottles I may be motived to drink some more!