Creative Projects for Upcycling Glass Containers

If you’re a long-time reader, you know that this blog has always been about reducing, reusing, and recycling. I pride myself on creating beautiful, useful things for my home without producing excess waste. Some of my favorite pieces have come from recycled materials, including glass. 

 

But how do you repurpose this fragile material into something beautiful and functional? Here are my favorite creative projects for upcycling glass containers.

 

 

Flower vases

Flowers bring life and color to any room in your home and they're compostable. Instead of using one large vase, incorporate recycled glassware into your floral arrangements. Mason jars are always an option, as are vintage pieces, jam jars etc. This is also a great way to turn just a few floral stems into a feature.

You can kick it up a notch by securing glass jars onto reclaimed wood boards, creating a rustic flower vase you can hang on your walls. You don’t need to splurge on fancy vases when you have perfectly good glassware lying around to use.

 

 

Organization and storage

Are you looking for sustainable storage that's also nice to look at? I love using cups, jars, and other forms of glassware as containers to help organize my space, especially my work space.

You can also use small glass jars to organize hair ties and tools on your bathroom counter or keep larger kitchen utensils like wooden spoons and spatulas in large glass vases (easy to find at thrift stores). If you don't want to see the things you're storing, use glass with intricate designs or paint over the surface to customize your containers.

Lanterns

One of the easiest ways to add a little ambience tp your home is with lighting. Rather than purchasing fancy lamps to get that cozy feeling, but did you know that you can make your own beautiful lighting?

This creative project is perfect for upcycling glass containers because lanterns are simple to make and stunning to display! Put tea lights or fairy lights into a glass jar and set them up around your home or install metal wiring around the rim (by upcycling wire hangers) to hang in your backyard for a warm and inviting glow.

 

 

Candles

I love candles, but they aren’t always budget-friendly. Candles can get surprisingly expensive as their containers get more elaborate. Why not cut costs and make your own candles with your favorite scents?

The best part about this DIY project is that you can use almost any glass container to make a unique candle. For example, there are so many easy ways to turn a wine bottle into a candle, so before you toss it, try repurposing it instead. You can use any type of glassware to make decorations that are fun to look at; in fact, the more interesting they are, the better!

I’m always looking for ways to make old things new. Repurposing glassware is just one of many ways you can spruce up your home while reducing waste.