How to Make a Hand Painted Bottle Containing Christmas Lights

eHow may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.
Turn an old wine bottle into a glowing decoration.
Image Credit: Roxiller/iStock/GettyImages

Things You'll Need

  • Glass bottle

  • Goggles

  • Leather gloves

  • Masking tape

  • Power drill

  • Glass drill bit

  • Napkin

  • Rubbing alcohol

  • Paint brushes

  • Glass paints or glass paint markers

  • Conventional oven

  • Christmas lights

If you like the festive glow of Christmas lights, you should consider using them in a decorative craft. Make a Christmas, or "fairy lights," in glass bottles and decorate the outsides with paint made especially for glass. You will need to use specific tools and safety precautions to work the glass, as well as follow the correct procedure to make your Christmas lights wine bottle. Find the supplies you need in a craft store or home improvement store.

Advertisement

Step 1: Remove the Label From the Bottle

Soak a wine bottle or other large, clear glass bottle in warm water to remove the label. Clean the inside of the bottle and remove any adhesive left behind from the label. Rinse the bottle and allow it to dry thoroughly.

Video of the Day

Step 2: Prepare to Drill the Bottle

Put on a pair of protective goggles and leather gloves. Place a piece of masking tape on the side of the bottle near the bottom, where you will be drilling the hole. The masking tape helps to keep the drill bit from sliding out of place as you work. Install a 1/2 inch glass drill bit on the end of a standard drill and drill the hole all the way through the glass using gentle pressure as to not break the glass.

Step 3: Clean the Exterior of the Bottle

Wipe the outside of the bottle with a napkin dipped in rubbing alcohol to remove any hand oils that would interfere with the paint.

Step 4: Paint the Bottle

Paint the side of the bottle opposite the side where you drilled the hole. Dip a paintbrush into some glass paint or use glass paint markers to make a design. Paint snowflakes or other winter or holiday images for the holidays or plants and flowers for a summer decoration. Wait 30 minutes for the paint to dry all the way.

Advertisement

Step 5: Bake the Painted Bottle

Place the bottle on the bottom rack of a cool conventional oven. You need to gradually heat and cool the paint as to not crack the glass. Set the oven to the temperature and time indicated on the instructions for your brand of glass paint. When it is done, turn the oven off and wait at least 1 hour before removing the painted glass bottle from the oven.

Advertisement

Step 6: Finish Your Painted Glass Bottle With Lights

Feed the end of a string of Christmas lights, the end without the plug on it, through the hole you drilled. Turn the bottle upside down and give it a shake to help you position the lights evenly as you feed them into the bottle. After you have fed all of the lights into the bottle, place your winter wine bottle painting somewhere to be admired and plug it in.

Tip

If you don't want to freehand paint, you can use flexible stencils to create designs on the surface of the bottle.

Advertisement

Video of the Day

references