I’m not ashamed to admit that I suddenly find myself spending a lot of time on Pinterest.  Waiting for my morning coffee to finish brewing?  Pinterest.  In the waiting room at the orthodontist?  Pinterest.  Walking up the stairs at work?  Um, not yet, but it could happen!

One project that caught my eye was the repurposing of a wine bottle into a herb planter.  I like to drink wine.  I like to cook with fresh herbs.  It seemed like two perfect worlds colliding.  It took some trial and error, but I got it to work!

Here are five lessons learned, followed by some photographs.

1. Not everything you read on the Internet (or see pinned on Pinterest) is true.  Don’t believe the posts about breaking wine bottles with a string, acetone, and a candle.  I tried several variations and am now convinced that only MacGyver can pull that off.  If you really want to do this, spend $20-$30 and buy a bottle cutter.  Follow the directions that come with your bottle cutter, but essentially you make a score line and then alternate the bottle between simmering hot and ice cold water until it breaks into two, even pieces.
2. Don’t worry about removing labels.  If you want to, great, but it won’t impact the outcome of your project if you plan on breaking the bottle above or below the label.  I left mine on and am glad I did!
3. More is better.  The bottle cutter I purchased came with directions that said to only score the bottle one time.  After a bit of trial and error (thankfully I had plenty of wine bottles saved up), I found it worked better for me when I went around the score line two to three times.
4. Steady, even pressure is key.  When you hold the bottle in the alternating hot and cold water, be sure to keep equal pressure by putting the bottle all the way to the bottom and holding it there firmly.  The times I didn’t do this, I ended up with a jagged edge rather than a nice, smooth edge.
5. More is better, part deux.  I also found it worked better to hold the bottle in the hot and cold water containers for 10-15 seconds, not the 5 seconds as outlined in the directions that came with my bottle cutter.

What about you?  Have you had success with a project that repurposes wine bottles?  

Interested in more wine bottle projects?  Check out the Wine Collectionary.

And now some photos…

Wine Bottle Planter Photo #1.  Making a score line.

Wine Bottle Planter Photo #2.  Several planters ready for dirt and seeds.

Wine Bottle Planter Photo #3.  Mint and sage rockin’ their new planters.

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