Go Green and Reduce Waste
Recycling plastic is good, but finding ways to reuse it yourself is even better. Start collecting your plastic bottles and try out one of these super creative and fun ideas to keep them out of landfills for good!A Lotion Bottle Phone Charger
Fashion a phone charger pocket out of an empty lotion bottle. It just requires a bit of scissor work and some decoupage. Make It Love It has step-by-step photos that show you how to cut the bottle so that it can be hung from an electrical outlet.Plastic Bottle Phone Charger Holder from Make It Love ItWind Spirals
These wind spirals are a cinch to make, and they'll look fantastic hanging in your yard. To make a set, just remove the labels from some plastic water bottles. Then, use permanent markers to color every inch of the bottles and cut them into strips.Water Bottle Wind Spirals from CBC ParentA Bird Feeder
Use two wooden spoons and a plastic soda bottle to make this simple bird feeder. Here Comes the Sun has a step-by-step tutorial to take you through the full process.Soda Bottle Bird Feeder from Here Comes the SunA No-Sew Zipper Case
Turn an empty soda bottle or water bottle into a case for colored pencils, markers, or anything else you don't currently have a case for! The best part about this project: even though this clever case has a zipper, there's absolutely no sewing involved.No-Sew Zipper Case from Make It Love ItFloral String Lights
Dress up a cheap set of string lights by creating colorful flowers to fit around the lights. All you need is a bunch of plastic bottles and their caps. While this project may look like it requires a lot of skill, it's really nothing more than some cutting and spray painting.DIY Outdoor Lighting from Bob VilaA Water Bottle Sprinkler
Poke some holes in a plastic two-liter soda bottle, and you have an instant sprinkler for the kids to run through. Clever Crafty Cookin Mama has all the details on the hardware you'll need to connect this sprinkler to your garden hose.DIY Sprinkler from Clever, Crafty, Cookin' MamaFlower Curtains
Cut the bottoms off of a bunch of clear soda or water bottles; then, string them together to create these dramatic curtains.DIY Curtains From Plastic Bottles from International DecorA Juice Bottle Watering Can
Punch some holes in the cap of a juice bottle, and you have a great, makeshift watering can. As Cutout and Keep It points out, these are ideal for mixing up fertilizer for your plants, because it's something you can throw away when you're done.Juice Bottle Watering Can from Cut Out + KeepSoda Bottle Easter Baskets
Transform some soda bottles into these cute Easter baskets. They're the perfect size for a few trinkets and some candy. Use a pipe cleaner or a piece of ribbon to create the handle. Then, snazz them up with permanent marker flourishes, foam stickers, or other seasonal embellishments.Plastic Bottle DIY Easter Baskets from Craft Your HappinessWoven Baskets
Here's another fun basket made from plastic bottles, only this one is woven. Just cut slits in the side of a bottle; then, use plarn—that's yarn made from plastic bags—to weave a pattern into the sides. For the best results, use brightly-colored bags.Woven Recycled Bottle Basket from Creative Jewish MomA Hanging Milk Jug Garden
Cut up some milk jugs to create flower pots for your herbs. Then, use the handles to hang them. Save enough milk jugs, and you can do a whole vertical garden wall on your porch or patio.DIY Plastic Bottle Herb Garden from Grillo DesignsA Terrarium
Use an empty soda bottle to make a terrarium. This is the perfect project to tackle with kids. Since the bottles are plastic, you won't have to worry about breakage, and since there's a lid that you can screw on when you're done, you won't have to worry about soil spills.DIY Recycled Soda Bottle Terrarium from Soul FlowerA Hummingbird Feeder
Attract hummingbirds to your yard with this homemade hummingbird feeder made from water bottles, drinking straws, and a few other odds and ends. Kids Activities has a quick and easy tutorial to show you how to assemble one. This project would be ideal for a class or scout project.Recycled Bottle Hummingbird Feeder from Kids' ActivitiesA Wind Spinner
Grab a utility knife, and turn a soda bottle into a wind spinner. You can even embellish them with colorful duct tape.Recycled Plastic Bottle Wind Spinner from Crafts by AmandaA Plastic Bag Dispenser
Upcycle a plastic, two-liter bottle into a dispenser for your plastic bags. It can be hung on the wall, in the pantry, or on the inside of a cabinet door. Craft Your Happiness has everything you need to make this, including a Silhouette file that you can use to make the cool, vinyl decal on the front.Plastic Bag Holder from Craft Your HappinessA Fairy House
Make a fairy garden with your kids. These little fairy houses are easy to create from soda bottles. Just grab some paint, fake flowers, and a few other embellishments, and let your imagination run wild.Plastic Bottle Fair House Night Lights from Crafts by AmandaA Drip Irrigation System
Put your plants on autopilot when you're on vacation by creating a drip irrigation system out of empty two-liter bottles.DIY Irrigation System from Fine Craft GuildFlower Hair Planters
Cut some plastic bottles down to turn them into planters. Then, use pom poms and googly eyes to give them faces. Once you add flowers, your planters will look like they also have hair. Make these with your kids to get them excited about gardening.DIY Flower Hair Planters from Dip FeedRainbow Snakes
Use an empty water bottle, a sock, some bubbles, and a bit of food coloring to create a device that's capable of making these cool rainbow snakes. This is the perfect summer boredom buster for kids.Rainbow Bubble Snakes from Housing a ForestA Mobile
Make this dramatic mobile out of plastic bottles. Just cut the tops off a bunch of bottles, fashion them into flowers, and string them together. Creative Jewish Mom has a complete tutorial, including a simple way to add color to the flowers. Spoiler alert: it's decoupaged tissue paper!Recycled Plastic Bottle Flower Mobile Tutorial from Creative Jewish Mom
Pre-1900 Antique Collectible Bottles
A number of different types of bottles were manufactured before 1900, including those made for food, drinks, and household items. Most of these antique bottles were made by pouring melted glass into a mold, but a few were made by glassblowers. In some cases, companies had their own containers made; however, many companies used generic ones, making it difficult for today’s collectors to know the exact purpose of many early glass bottles.
Oct 29, 2015- Explore evart's board 'Bottle ideas', followed by 1522 people on Pinterest. See more ideas about Bottle, Bottle crafts and Wine bottle crafts. Empty wine bottles make great candleholders. And you, the proud mama, can show off your kids’ designs at your next summer bash by lining the garden walkway with these glowing bottles of goodness. Place them close together for best lighting, which will require extra bottles—oh well, more wine!
What were some common types of antique bottles for drinks?One of the most common types of glass bottles made for drinks was the Hutchinson bottle, which had a top that would pop off when pushed, making a popping sound and giving the world the term 'soda pop.' Whiskey decanters are a favorite of many collectors because figural whiskey ones shaped like Indians, pigs, cabins, barrels, and cigars are typically in demand, and rare fiddle-shaped vessels often command a premium. Black glass beer bottles that featured well-known brands and promotional messages, made around 1860, are of particular interest to collectors, as are nearly any green glass porter, ale, or lager beer bottles. Thatcher's Common Sense Milk Jar became the industry standard after being introduced by Doctor Thatcher in 1864. Some enthusiasts focus on collecting milk jars bearing the names of local companies.
What were common types of antique bottles for food?Many types of food came in clear glass vessels. Bottle collectors put a premium on square and hexagonal antique bottles for food because of the ornate panels near the top and the wide mouths, which made them useful for repurposing. Rare sauce glass bottles made to look like beehives are also collectible, as are ones with horizontal, vertical, or spiral lines. Clear antique bottles for ketchup, with double or triple-ring necks, are collectible, especially if they were made by Allen and Lewis. Antique bottles for mustard that were shaped like a barrel are highly prized. The same style container was used to sell snuff.
What household items came in these old bottles?A variety of items were put in bottles that are now antiques. Inkwells often contained a pontil scar from the manufacturer, with those containing a pontil scar from Owens-Illinois Glass Company being very collectible. Yellow and purple vessels also command a premium. Poisons typically came in cobalt blue, inky black, or dark green vessels with embossed lettering saying 'poison' or 'death' accompanied by a skull and crossbones, introduced in 1874. Special lightbulb-shaped fire grenades with their own special brackets were used to put out fires before the invention of modern fire extinguishers. Also a favorite of many enthusiasts are circular target balls that were the precursor of clay pigeons.
How do you start a bottle collection?
If you want to start your own collection, then concentrate on collecting examples with some of the following traits:
- Original labels – The label should be intact and legible.
- Original wrapping – If it came with special papers, those should accompany the relic.
- Original box or container – Ones that have boxes or containers in mint condition are worth more.
- Original contents – Except for alcohol, ones with contents still in them are considered more valuable.