The life of a glass bottle doesn’t end when its content is emptied out. In fact, for some lucky bottles, life barely starts there because that’s when they get transformed into something else. One of the most common ways for a bottle to continue being useful is by being upcycled into a flower vase. Of course, it would be very simple just to fill it with water, put a flower in it and call it a vase but what we have in mind for this article is a little bit more complex.

Let’s see what could happen to a glass bottle after it lost its original function. One option is to turn it into a vase by using the decoupage technique. For that you’re going to need a few things such as mod podge, a paint brush or a sponge, scissors and some patterned or colored paper. Cut the paper into strips or squares. Cover their back side with mod podge and apply them to the bottle one by one. After you cover the entire surface of the bottle, seal the paper with a layer of glue. {found on goinghometoroost}.

A different option is to paint the bottles. There are numerous different techniques and designs which use this technique. One example is offered on homeyohmy. To get the striped pattern you need some painter’s tape. Decide how many stripes you want and how big you want them to be and position the tape accordingly. Then paint the exposed areas. Remove the tape and let the paint dry.

A similar design is featured on threadsandblooms. This time, however, the stripes patterned was obtained using a paint marker. You might need to apply two coats to get the right look. Allow the paint to dry and then remove the tape. The paint will stay on when you wash the vases so this will be a permanent look.

If you’re not happy with the way wine or beer bottles look like, then you can try finding something different. A perfume bottle can be just the thing you need. They usually have gracious and beautiful shapes and colors and they’d made lovely mini vases. This idea comes from diy-decorator.

Milk bottles are great as vases because they have a wide opening which lets you put in more than just one flower stem. You can make the bottles look a bit more interesting and even give them a rustic look by using chalk paint and sandpaper. After cleaning the bottles, apply a coat of chalk paint to the outside, let it dry and then apply a second one. Once this one is dry as well, use sandpaper to distress the bottles. For addition details on the project, visit littleredwindow.

You also have the option to cut off the top of a glass bottle in order to turn it into a more practical vase. For this transformation to be a successful one, you’ll need a glass cutter, sandpaper, a utility razor and a sponge. Score the glass around the circumference of the bottle using a basic glass bottle cutter. Then go to the sink and pour streams of hot and cold water over this line until the glass separates. Alternate between hot and cold and be patient. Then twist the rim over a sheet of sandpaper to make it smooth. Check out here top bottle cutter kits!

You can choose to simply use the bottles as they are. This way they’ll become single flower vases. It would be interesting to collect bottles with interesting shapes and labels and to preserve them as such. This way your new flower vases will also have a special meaning and history. {found on thefreespirited}.

Glass bottles aren’t your only option. Plastic bottles can be turned into beautiful vases as well with a little bit of help from you. On theseamanmomyou can find a simple tutorial regarding this transformation. The supplies needed include primer, spray paint, scissors and tape. First you clean the bottle and then you cut off the top. Out tape around the rim and prep the bottle for painting. Apply primer and let it dry. Then apply spray paint (as many oats as you need to get the right color) and let it dry as well.

The way in which you choose to display your glass bottle vases is important as well. Of course, a shelf or table would be a nice option but, in case you prefer something different, have a look at the macrame hanger featured on craftingfingers. For this project you’ll need clean and dry bottles, jute or twine and scissors.

Another way of displaying glass bottle vases involves creating a garland. The idea comes from gardenmatter. All you need is a few bottles and some wire or twine. Make a loop of wire around the neck of each bottle. Wrap the wire around three or four times and leave some space between the bottles. You can display this garland in front of a window so the flowers can also get the light they need.