Don’t let your old wine bottles go to waste! Learn how to turn them into adorable self-watering planters with the help of lifestyle expert Leigh-Ann Allaire Perrault’s guide to cutting and styling glass bottles.
Does the sound of cutting glass make you nervous? Don’t worry—Leigh-Ann has a solution that is simple and safe, so keep on reading to find out more. From cutting the bottles, to constructing the planter, and crafting your own hand-stamped plant markers, this guide takes you through the entire process step-by-step. Get ready to DIY!
What you’ll need:
- Empty glass wine bottles
- Sticky label remover
- Bottle cutter contraption
- Plastic bins
- Hot water
- Ice water
- Sandpaper
- Cotton rope
- Black pantyhose
- Metal cutlery
- Hammer
- Metal stamp set
- Black marker or paint pen
- Herbs or plants (of your choice)
Bottle cutting
- Collect a bunch of glass wine bottles. If you don’t have enough empties of your own, you can buy them here.
- Start by soaking bottles in water to remove paper labels.
- Use a sticky label remover to remove the adhesive. (Check out this adhesive remover from Amazon here).
- Once bottles are clean, score each on a bottle cutter contraption. (Find a bottle cutter from Amazon here).
- Place scored bottle in plastic bin and pour hot water on the seam.
- Immediately move bottle into ice bath to break the glass along the score line.
- Sand the bottle edges to make them smooth.
Safety tip: Don’t forget to wear safety glasses and gloves when you’re cutting glass.
Constructing the self-watering planter
- Cut a piece of cotton rope and tie a knot in one end.
- Using black pantyhose, cut a 2” round piece and make a small hole in the middle to pull rope through.
- Place the rope through the neck of the wine bottle so it hangs out of the bottle mouth and the pantyhose and knot sit inside the bottle neck.
- Plant the herb of your choice inside the bottle neck half, and fill the bottom half of the vase with water.
- Allow the rope to absorb water and travel up to the plant.
Plant markers
- Using cutlery from the thrift or dollar store, hammer spoons and forks flat.
- Using a metal stamp set, hammer letters into the face or handle of the spoon. (Get your own metal stamp set from Amazon here).
- Using a black paint pen, cover the stamped letters, then immediately wipe off to darken the font.