Wine bottles come in all shapes, sizes and colors. It always seems to be such a shame to throw them in the recycling bin. Recently, upcylcing wine bottles has become a growing trend. I decided to take a few wine bottles and create a centerpiece for my dining room table by painting my apartment number on them.

Materials used

• empty wine bottles
• painter’s tape
• plastic or paper stencils
• Any paint that will stick to glass
• sponge or brush
• goo gone, or adhesive remover

Other than the wine bottles and stencils, these products can be found at your local hardware store.

Getting started

After finishing three bottles of wine—not all at one time of course—I filled my kitchen sink up with hot, soapy water and let them soak label-side down for at least an hour. I then used my fingernails or scouring pad to get as much of the label off as I could. If there was any residue left, I tried soaking it for a little longer and repeating the process. For any glue or piece of label that doesn’t want to come off, I took a little goo gone or adhesive remover and removed the last bits of label. I then washed the bottles and let them dry completely.

Applying the stencil

I laid some old craft paper or newspaper down on my dining room table to make sure no paint would damage my furniture. I then tore off four pieces of painter’s tape just a little longer than the sides of my stencil and stuck them on the edge of the table for easy access. I placed my paper stencil where i wanted it on the glass and bent it to fit the curve of the bottle. I placed my pieces of tape on the edges of the stencil to secure it in place. I noticed that some letters and numbers may still have some trouble sticking to the bottle just by taping the outside—for example the inside corner of my number 1 did not want to stick—so I placed a little piece of tape their as well. When I removed the stencil later on, I can free-handed that part.

Painting the bottle

After my letters are secured in place, I began painting over my stencils. I had some extra fabric paint so that’s what I used. You can use any paint that will stick to glass. I didn’t use a brush or sponge, but I think it would have looked better if i did. After the paint set in place for a little bit I removed the stencil and used my fingernail to remove any paint that may have bled under the stencil. I had a little chunk of the number 1 that wasn’t painted because I placed the tape to hold it down. So I took a small brush and some paint and drew in the part that was missing.

After I let the bottles dry for a few hours, they were ready to use!