DIY Candles out of Wine Bottles

I have a new obsession - turning my favorite wine bottles into candles!

Beautiful DIY Wine Candles

Wine bottle candles are a fun activity to create cute decor for your home, or to give as a gift to a wine lover. If you recently experienced a special occasion like a wedding, new job or a new home and you celebrated with a good bottle of wine, turn that bottle in to a special symbol that commemorates that celebration!

Watch our step-by-step guide on instagram on how to cut wine bottles at home or scroll to the bottom for quick instructions and links to products I have used.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Wine Bottle Cutter (We used the California Home Goods Glass Bottle Cutter Kit: This kit comes gloves, and sandpaper and is fairly easy to use.)

• Gloves

• Boiling Hot Water

• Ice Cold Water

• Double Boiler

• Wax (We like unscented soy wax… it’s important for us winos to smell our wines not our candles!

• Wicks

• Glass Sandpaper

Broken glass from uneven score lines

WARNING: BURNS & BROKEN GLASS CAN HAPPEN! BE SMART AND DON’T DRINK TO MUCH WHILE DOING THIS!

Step 1: Prepare your wax! Pour desired amount of wax into a double boiler. Place in a bath of boiling water and heat over the stove until completely melted. The wax should be clear!

Step 2: Prepare your boiling water! We found it easy to use a tea kettle to control where the water hit on the bottle!

Step 3: Adjust your glass cutter to fit your bottle per the instructions that came with your cutter.

Using a Glass Cutter to make DIY Wine Candles

Step 4: Spin the bottle along the glass cutter to score the bottle. If you do it right you will get a continuous white line around the whole bottle. If you did not properly score the whole thing, the bottle will break unevenly. It took me three bottles to get it right! So, do NOT use your special bottles first. Practice!

Step 5: Once you have a good line, place a soft towel at the bottom of your sink. The bottle breaks fast and can drop.

Step 6: Hold the bottle of the sink with one hand and spin the bottle at the same time you pour boiling water over the score line. Try to evenly heat the line for 30 seconds.

Step 7: Quickly run cold water in your sink and rotate your bottle under it trying to cool down the score line as quickly as possible.

Step 8: Sometimes, you will get a smooth cut after step 7. If you don’t, don’t worry! Just repeat into in breaks!

Step 9: Once you have a nice break on a bottle sand the edges, fill with hot wax and place your wick in!

Step 10: Allow the candle to fully harden before lighting it. You may want to check on the wick to make sure it doesn’t fall or become off center!

TIPS! If you cannot get your bottle to break chances are your water is not hot or cold enough. You can also try to rotate the bottle over a lit flame like a candle and rub with ice.