Glass bottles can be recycled and used as stunning decorative pieces, indoors as well as outdoors.

There is much that can be done to brighten up your home with not much apart from a little creativity. Of the many things that are usually available in a home and can be recycled and used for decor purposes, glass bottles are the most versatile. They can brighten up a space with hardly any expense. If one looks carefully, there are bottles of wine, perfumes, jams, coffee, pickle and so on, which can easily be reused creatively with imagination. Instead of chucking the used glass bottles and jars, you can recycle them. You could either opt for a DIY project or for the more elaborate projects, you could take a little help from a neighbouring glass store.

One can make lovely tea light holders, vases, pen stands or trinket holders. In fact, a bottle as a base for a bedside lampshade looks simply amazing.

Decorating the bottles can be done in various ways like spray painting, or stencilling designs onto them. One can add photos, messages, dried flowers or stick embellishments like lace, satin ribbon, glitter, beads, coloured threads and sequins. Paint them or mosaic them with broken pieces of tiles and grout or simply decoupage the bottle and jars yourself a home and add a sparkle to your interiors.

“The most simple and beautiful way to decorate a bottle is to decoupage it. Decoupage is the art of decorating a surface with paper cut-outs, using a varnish (or glue) to cover the surface. Coloured papers or old magazines pages, good quality glue and a flat brush, are all that one needs to create a stunning bottle which can be used as a decor item. Mosaic with broken tiles or coloured bottles and grout that is readily available at the hardware store, is also a great DIY project,” says Saarus Nirhali, a stained glass artist and founder, Glass hopper.

“One can make a set of drinking glasses by cutting used bottles of same size into half or in whatever height you prefer. Re member to polish the edges to make them super smooth. Just grinding the edges won’t help.

Take them to a glass shop to get polished for a better finish,” adds Nirhali.

Before reusing a bottle, soak it in lukewarm water to peel off the labels.”Glass is a versatile medium and it’s fun to recycle it into decorative items.

Reuse and recycle of waste material needs to be done on a larger scale to make the world a better place,” says Rajashri Tondawlkar who along with husband Sameer Tondawlkar, founded UNME 3r’s, which recycles glass bottles to create beautiful platters, lamps, coasters, clocks, candle stands, and much more.

“To experiment at home with glass bottles, one needs a glass cutter, sand paper and lot of patience. At certain levels where you want to cut, make a mark with a glass cutter then pour hot water inside at the level little above the mark and from outside pour cold water. Continue the process till you hear a crackling sound and glass is cut accurately,” says Tondawlkar.

“Cut the neck of a bottle and drill a hole at the bottom of the bottle. To drill a hole, use a drilling machine or get assistance from a hardware shop. Insert string lights and use an old wire hanger to spread the lights evenly in the bottle. When you turn the lights on, you’ll have a stunning lamp created at home,” adds Tondawlkar.

Recycled bottles add sparkle to interiors -be it the living room, garden, or the bar area. As money plant holders, one can keep them on the table or hang them on windows or create a terrarium. Ideal bottles for this are wide-mouthed ones and ones with a lid. A terrarium is for plants that like humidity and are small like ferns and moss. It is easy to add warmth and a sparkle to your home by recycling glass bottles with just some basic craft skills.

Purnima Goswami Sharma, Times Property, The Times of India, Chennai

SOURCE: http://content.magicbricks.com/industry-news/chennai-real-estate-news/a-glass-apart/88315.html