Upcycled Glass Bottle Fall Decor

Rumor has it that Starbucks will be rolling out the Pumpkin Spice Latte at the end of August. So naturally, that spurred my brain into action with coming up with something autumnal to decorate my mantel. I created some upcycled glass bottle fall decor to make an easy, yet perfectly in season, project.

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Typically, I start putting up my fall decorations right after Labor Day, since that is when we go back to school in my area. I then add in the Halloween decorations after October 1. Once November rolls around, I take down the Halloween items but leave up the fall decorations until Thanksgiving. The fall decorations are more muted tones of rust, champagne, and burgundy, so they are not as bold as the Halloween colors of orange, purple, and black.

I have a rotating collection of painted glass Ningxia Red juice bottles. Ningxia Red is a wolfberry juice made by Young Living and is infused with essential oils. (If you would like to join Young Living to get a wholesale discount, click here. Disclosure: This is my Distributor link.) I don’t want to just throw out these uniquely shaped bottles, so I have used them to make Patriotic 4th of July bottles and Beachy Bottles.

The Ningxia Red juice bottles are about the same size as a typical wine bottle, so this craft can also be made with those bottles too. You could even do this with mason jars if you prefer a shorter arrangement.

Since my bottles have labels that are painted on, rather than adhesive labels, they are not removable. But if you are using wine bottles, you can soak off the adhesive labels first. I wanted to make sure my labels were completely covered, so I began by using two coats of Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch 2X Ultra Cover Paint + Primer in Gloss White on two bottles and Gloss Real Orange on one bottle. Then I used two coats of Krylon Color Master Paint + Primer in Caramel Latte Satin on the white bottles and Krylon Shimmer Metallic in Candy Corn on the orange bottle.

The metallic paints have a beautiful, smooth sheen to them. These are different than the paints labeled as glitter, which leave more of a gritty texture. It is best to use multiple thin coats, instead of fewer thicker coats, because thick coats are bound to leave drips. You only have to wait a few minutes between coats. Therefore, all four coats can be done in less than half an hour.

When I was at the store looking for rust-colored spray paint, I could not find one, so I went with the “Candy Corn” color. However, as you can see in the photo below, the paint came out a much deeper, richer shade of rust, which is exactly what I had wanted in the first place. I don’t know if I just got an “off” batch of paint, but I was very happy with the results.

Even with a few coats of paint on each bottle, the cans of spray paint are still almost full. So they can definitely be used for future projects. (Stay tuned for when the Candy Corn paint will make another appearance in some Halloween decorations!)

To decorate the bottles, I used fall ribbon that I found at Michael’s last year. The sunflowers and mums are also from Michael’s.

These bottles also make a great fall centerpiece. They would look lovely at a casual outdoor fall wedding, filled with fresh flowers that coordinate with the bride’s bouquet. Not only that, but they make great favors for guests use in their own homes.

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5 from 1 vote

Fall Decor Painted Glass Bottles

Spray paint glass bottles in autumnal colors for an easy seasonal decoration.

Active Time40 minutes mins

Drying Time1 day d

Total Time1 day d 40 minutes mins

Materials

• 3 Glass Bottles
• 1 Trifold board or cardboard box to use as a spray box
• Newspaper or drop cloth
• 2 cans Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover Paint + Primer Gloss White and Gloss Real Orange
• 1 can Krylon Color Master Paint + Primer Brushed Metallic Caramel Latte Satin
• 1 can Krylon Shimmer Metallic Spray Paint Candy Corn
• Rubber gloves and a mask
• 1 roll 2 1/2 inch wide Burlap Ribbon Fall Pattern
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• 1 bunch Rust Sunflowers
• 1 bunch Fall Mum Bush
• Shears or Wire Cutters

Instructions

Painting

• Wear rubber gloves and a mask. Even with no breeze, you are bound to inhale some of the fine overspray, so masks are very helpful. Also, wear old clothes and shoes just in case the overspray lands on you.
• Wash and dry the bottles well. If you are using wine bottles, you can soak off the labels and then use an adhesive remover such as lemongrass oil or Goo Gone to create a smooth surface.
• Set up a “spray booth” by using a cardboard tri-fold board and newspapers. It is best to do this in a well-ventilated area that is protected from the wind, such as in a garage.
  
• Follow the directions on the can, which generally say to shake the can for 60 seconds. Spray from a distance of about a foot away. Spray on just a light first coat, no matter how tempting it might be to try to cover everything with a thick coat. A thick coat is bound to run, which will leave unsightly lumps on your finished product.

  Make sure that you move your freshly painted bottle far enough away so that when you spray a different color on the next bottle, the overspray won’t reach the other bottles. (Move them by sticking your pointer finger in the neck of the bottle.)

  Spray two coats of the Paint + Primer, and then two coats of the metallic colors. You only have to wait a couple of minutes between coats.
• Let dry for 24 hours.

Decorating

• Put a stripe of glue along one short edge of the ribbon and carefully hold it against the bottle for about 10 seconds until it is set. Then wrap the ribbon around, cut it so it slightly overlaps, and fold over the short edge for a neat appearance. Glue the folded edge, and hold it down for about 10 seconds.
  
• Use the wire cutters or shears to cut blooms from the sprays. Arrange an assortment of sunflowers and mums in each bottle.
  

Notes

• If you are lucky enough to have fresh sunflowers and mums, you can definitely use those since the glass bottles can be filled with water.
• You can also use corks rather than flowers.
• You can wrap twine around the neck of the bottle, using hot glue to attach the beginning and end of the strand to the bottle.

What other types of upcycled bottle decor would you like to see? Let me know in the comment section below.

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