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DIY Wine Bottle Luminaries

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A simple and thrifty DIY wine bottle luminary

wine bottles with lights inside a fireplace

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Hey, friends! Have you started thinking about decorating for Christmas yet? I’ve thought about it but that’s all so far. Today I’m sharing a super simple and thrifty project that’s perfect for the holidays or any time of the year, really.

And all of my friends from the Thrifty Style Team are sharing thrifty Christmas ideas for you too! Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page to see them all.

wine bottles with fairy lights inside a fireplace

This project isn’t only simple and thrifty, is also environmentally friendly! We’re big recyclers in this house and recycled all of our glass bottles for years. But unfortunately our local recycling place stopped accepting glass in August of this year, so now I’m trying to find ways to re-use our glass items.

wine bottle lights inside a fireplace

We don’t drink a ton of wine, but like to have it when we have guests. So we’ve accumulated a few bottles since August. 

various bottles with lights inside a fireplace

When I was trying to think of an idea to share for this month’s thrifty style post, I knew this would be perfect. I mean, the bottles were free so you can’t get any thriftier than that!

Also, do you see the little vintage glass Christmas trees? I snagged those at a thrift store a couple of years ago for a steal. I thought they looked great with the luminaries.

wine bottles with lights and glass Christmas trees inside a fireplace

Here’s the simple tutorial for you.

How to Make a Wine Bottle Luminary

Supplies Needed:

You really only need two things for this simple project:

Note: If you don’t drink wine, you can use any bottle that has the same size opening at the top. Or you can ask your wine drinking friends to save some empty bottles for you. Or I’d be willing to bet  that if you asked nicely at a local restaurant, they’d give you some for free.

Optional tools needed if you decide to remove the collars:

  • Strong scissors or utility knife
  • Pliers or wire cutters

Here’s a comparison of the bottles with and without the collars:

fairy lights inside of wine bottles

⇧  Without collars  

  With collars (some of them)  

wine bottle lights inside a fireplace

There’s not a whole lot of difference, so it’s totally up to you.

How to remove paper labels from bottles:

glass Christmas tree and bottles with lights

Some of my bottles have labels and some don’t. If you want to remove your labels, here’s all you need to do:

  1. Soak a paper towel in cold water and then place it over the label. 
  2. Let it set for about 30 minutes and the label and adhesive should come off easily. 
  3. If any adhesive residue is left, you can use this adhesive and gunk remover to take it off. 

Instructions for making the wine bottle luminaries:

Note – if you prefer a video tutorial I’ve added one on my new Youtube channel here → DIY Wine Bottle Luminaries Video

1. Empty the contents of the bottles. Once the bottles are empty, simply rinse them out and allow them to dry. 

2. Remove the tab from the cork lights and unwind the string of lights.

3. Gently push the lights down into the bottle. If they all gather at the bottom, pull them out and gently bend them in a few areas to keep them closer to the top of the bottles. 

I used these wine bottle lights and like them because they came with a tiny screwdriver to use when you need to change the batteries on the corks. They also came with extra batteries! 

Such a great project for less than $12! Don’t you agree?

painted brick fireplace with wine bottle lights

Where to use them:

These would look great in so many places. We don’t use our living room fireplace since we added gas logs to the den fireplace, so I put the wine bottle luminaries in here to mimic the glow of a fire. 

You could also use them in these areas:

  • Mantel
  • Shelf
  • Cabinet
  • Bookshelves
  • Kitchen counters
  • Dining table centerpiece

Where would you use them?

diy wine bottle lights and glass Christmas trees

And now here are all of this month’s thrifty style decor projects! Be sure to visit everyone and get some great ideas!

DIY FELTED ACORN GARLAND from Chatfield Court

DRIED ALLIUM CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS from The Creek Line House

DIY UPCYCLED SNOW GLOBE from The How-To Home

DIY WINE BOTTLE LUMINARIES from Postcards from the Ridge

FROSTED CHRISTMAS LUMINARIES from DIY Beautify

EASY DIY PERSONALIZED CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS from 2 Bees in a Pod

THRIFTY HOLIDAY DECORATING IDEAS from Bliss Ranch

REPURPOSED PILLOWCASE SCARF from Redhead Can Decorate

EASY HOLIDAY HOOPS from I Should Be Mopping the Floor

DECOUPAGE AND FRAMED CHRISTMAS CARD ON CANVAS from What Meegan Makes

DIY BIRCH LOG CHRISTMAS TREE CANDLE HOLDER from Unskinny Boppy

PERFECTLY FLOCKED PINE CONES

from Duke Manor Farm

MERCURY GLASS PUMPKIN TABLESCAPE from Jennifer Rizzo

TERRACOTTA CHRISTMAS TREES from Salvage Sister and Mister

CANNING RING SNOWMAN from Cottage at the Crossroads

25 Comments

  1. Angie this is completely gorgeous!! Perfect for us Southerners where it's too hot to light a real fire for most of the year. 🙂

    1. Thanks so much, Beth. Yes, we usually don't need a fire until January or February so these are great any time!

  2. Those wine cork lights are awesome! I have a box of really old (and dirty) bottles. If I get the ambition to clean them this would be perfect!

  3. I love this thrifty recycle Angie, and especially how you made a large display in your fireplace! So twinkly and inviting!

  4. Love the way these look in your fireplace! I had no idea wine cork lights were a thing, but now I think I need some! 🙂

    1. Thanks Courtenay! They really liven up the fireplace, for sure. The lights are so simple to use!

  5. Angie-
    This is such a beautiful idea. We may drink a bit more wine that you 😜and we always have empty bottles. BTW – our area quit taking glass as well. Anyway…thank you for also introducing us to these mini lights!

    1. Lol, we always have empty bottles too and this is a fun way to upcycle them. I hate that we can't recycle them any longer. At least I know what to do with them now!

  6. What a gorgeous way to light up your space for any event or just for fun. I love the ambiance of lights on a cozy evening.
    I haven't ever heard of these lights. So thanks for the information.
    I hope you have an amazing weekend.

    1. Thanks, Meegan! They definitely have a nice, cozy ambiance. The lights are very inexpensive and easy to use. Have a great week!!

  7. Wow! These are beautiful, Angie! These are such a wonderful way to give any room that warm and cozy ambiance! Thank you for sharing with us all! xoxo

  8. Oh my gosh, this is so smart! We don't drink a lot of wine either but I always want to save the bottles but can't think of anything to do with them and now I know. AND, those wine cork lights are so smart. Before I read the details, I was wondering where the battery pack was..now I know! Thanks so much for sharing and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

    1. Yes, I've seen some projects where they drilled a hole in the bottles and used a different type of light. But this way is so much easier!!

  9. angie- this is so pretty. I love the various sizes and shapes of the bottles and such a good alternative for candles.

  10. Everything looks better with twinkle lights. This is so cool Angie, and I love that you used your empty bottles.

  11. I love that there is such a thing as cork LED lights. That's brilliant, and they look so pretty in your fireplace! What a fun way to decorate for the season!

  12. I think this is a "brilliant" idea! We don't drink wine, but use it for cooking, and I love glass bottles. So looking forward to making some of these. Thanks so much for sharing. Have a lovely Thanksgiving!

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