by Molly Carter

Created on: December 18, 2008   Last Updated: September 20, 2011

How to Make a Mosaic Wine Bottle Light

Need a crafty and cute idea for a gift? Spending countless hours catering and grimacing as bartenders threw so many bottles into the trash, I began collecting them for recycling. When Christmas time rolled around, short on money, I thought I'd get creative with what I had.

I'd seen wine bottle lights with grapes at the top filled with Christmas lights and I thought it was a cute idea, but as always, I needed to put my own spin on things. Spending hours walking up and down craft aisles, here is what I came up with.

A mosaic lamp made out of a wine bottle would cast magnificent light.

What you will need:

• Empty wine bottle
• Drill gun (if you so choose)
• Drill and diamond or glass bit (if you so choose)
• Glue gun
• Plenty of glue sticks
• Marble accents
• Mini Christmas lights (I used 35 count - be sure they do NOT have a plug on both ends)

Rinse your wine bottles thoroughly. To get the label off, use rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab. The alcohol should dissolve the glue. Allow the bottle to dry.

If you so choose, you can drill a hole into the back of the bottle so the cord for your light is at the bottom, like any lamp in your home. To do so, you will need a drill gun with a special diamond chip bit or bit designed for cutting glass. Wet the glass or spray it with WD-40 so it doesn't shatter. Carefully cut a hole.

Pick a color theme. Since this was a Christmas gift, I choose red, green and clear marble accents. Heat your glue gun. Dollop glue onto the bottle, and place your accents. Beware, as soon as the marble accent touches, it is on for good. Choose wisely. Be careful of the hot glue - a throbbing thumb a huge blister later, I respect the glue gun!

Line the marble accents up and down the entire bottle.

String the Christmas lights either through the hole you drilled into the wine bottle, or right into the opening at the top. Since it has mosaic all around, no one will see the cord on the other end anyway.

Be careful when you purchase Christmas lights. The first batch I got had adjoining plugs on both ends, which will not work. The second batch was 100 count mini lights and wouldn't fit in the bottle. DO NOT try to rewire it to use fewer bulbs. The only place I could find 35 count mini Christmas lights was at Joanne Fabrics.

Plug in your creation. The mosaic glass will make the entire room aglow with light. It has a really neat effect and sets a festive mood.

Good luck!

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