For this week’s DI-Friday, we’ll be looking at projects and inspirations with everyday items you probably have sitting around your home right now!

After I finished the set of decoupage jars I wrote about last week, I realized that if I kept making the jars and assorted craft projects I had in mind, this fun hobby would get mighty expensive mighty quickly. But then it occurred to me that I had a wealth of supplies already sitting around my place – I just had to finish the assortment of jams and sauces that they were holding!
And thus my affinity for upcycling was born! From wine bottles to sauce jars, we buy glass containers in all sorts of shapes and sizes every day and casually recycle them when we’re finished. What I really love about upcycling for my craft supplies is being able to take something I already purchased and would have recycled away without a second thought and turning it into something that can be admired and cherished for some time to come!
I had actually made a few crafts out of wine bottles in the past since I had them laying around and wanted to do something creative with them. What was really fun about these wine bottle crafts was that I went into both of them without any concrete ideas on where they would wind up. I just went to the craft store and waited to see what inspiration would strike!
The idea I had for the one pictured here was centered around an overgrown, secret garden. I wrapped the bottle in craft moss with an adhesive on the back to easily cover the whole thing. Pro Tip: If you’re using this, or something similar, work with it outside as much as you can because the craft moss shreds and will get all over your workspace!
From there, I took a wire ribbon I’d found that reminded me of tree branches and roots wrapped it around the middle of the bottle. To finish the project off, I attached a pendant that made me think of a water fountain at the center of the garden I was picturing for inspiration. For not having much of an idea of what I wanted to do with this one going in, I was very happy with how it turned out!
For my next wine bottle project, I decided I wanted to do something decidedly spookier. I found a great supply of gem stickers in the paper crafting section of the craft store that would set a perfect Halloween scene around the entire bottle. I also found the witch cutout that I knew would look great at the mouth of the bottle, flying above the whole scene.
I started by painting the bottle purple, and that took a few coats to fully cover. After that, I applied the gem stickers to set the scene, adding the additional pumpkin and star stickers throughout. After painting the witch black and attaching her to the top, I felt like the bottle was missing something, so I grabbed a small chain of moon charms I had in my craft bin and draped it over the top, using a spiral paperclip to hold it in place. To finish the bottle, I painted the bottom black to include a ground beneath the scene.
Some time later, I decided I wanted to add a floral arrangement to this bottle. I scoped out a few options at the craft store and settled on a few fall leaves and some whimsical picks. What I really love about the overall effect of the arrangement with this bottle is that it feels like there is autumnal magic sprouting from the witch and covering the whole scene. This bottle more than any other I’ve made tells a story and I absolutely love it!
When I was thinking about doing an upcycling project for the blog, I knew I wanted to do something new and unlike anything I’d done before. I had an idea for a monster bottle and, as often happens, inspiration hit the second I saw the perfect fuzzy fur at the craft store!
For this monster bottle craft, you’ll need a bottle (this was originally a bottle of Mediterranean Lemon vinaigrette salad dressing, in case you were wondering), a sheet of white felt, fuzzy craft fur, and styrofoam eyes. I first cut trianges out of the felt sheet and glued them together to make the monster’s teeth. Next, I cut two styrofoam eyeballs in half so that I could attach them flat against the bottle and repainted them to match the color scheme of the fur. This is totally optional, and you can feel free to use whatever eyeballs you find, but if you’re repainting them, don’t forget to include dark lines in the iris and small reflections in the pupil to enhance the realism.
From there, I wrapped the bottle in layer after layer of the craft fur, occasionally hot gluing the fur tracks to the bottle to anchor them in place. It was a little tricky at first, but Devin and I eventually devised a system where one of us held the bottle and the other helped feed the fur onto it, taking care to make sure the fuzzies weren’t tied down. After the bottle was covered, I glued the mouth and eyes on and the monster bottle was complete!
Feisty little thing, isn’t he? I actually bought a second color of fur, too, so eventually he’ll probably have a buddy to get into some mischief with!
And these are just a few of the ways you can craft with upcycled materials! From bottles and jars, to boxes and bags, there is so often a wealth of supplies right in front of you that are waiting for you to get crafty with them – the only limits are your own creativity. Happy crafting!
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