Materials:
- Wine Bottle
- Lamp Light Kit
- Light Bulb
- Lamp Shade
- Dremel Tool
- ¼" Glass/Tile Dremel Tool Kit with Cutting Oil
- Safety Glasses
- Mask
- Gloves
Directions:
- Soak the bottles in warm, soapy water to clean the bottle of residual wine and remove the label. Let dry completely.
- Use a jig to hold the wine bottle in place while you drill. You can even wrap up two towels and placed them on either side of the bottle to keep it in place while we drill the hole, if you don’t have a jig.
- Be sure to wear safety glasses, a mask, and gloves to protect yourself from any shards of glass. Use a ¼" glass and tile Dremel bit, that you can get at any home improvement store for $25. It comes in a kit with a special cutting oil that keeps the glass from breaking under the heat of the tool. You could use water, but this way you don't need a sink, and the oil already comes with the bit.
- Start with a drop of oil on the spot where you want to drill the hole. Start the Dremel tool on medium speed. If you drill on high speed you'll wear down the bit prematurely or even break the bottle.
- Lean the bit in horizontally until you make contact with the bottle surface to start the hole. Gradually lift the handle until the Dremel is straight. Drill 3 to 4 seconds, stop, and then place another drop of oil on the glass. Repeat the process until the Dremel tool breaks through the other side of the bottle. Once you have broken through, use the Dremel tool to sand the edges of the hole so that no sharp edges remain.
- It's important to let the Dremel tool do the work. If you put too much pressure on the tool, you will break the bottle. Just let the tool do the work and follow it.
- Clean the bottle off of the shards and let dry completely.
- You can buy the parts for the lamp individually, but they do sell "Make-a-Lamp" kits for about $8.50 at home improvement stores. One we suggest is from Westinghouse, and it comes with three different sizes of stoppers, so you can be sure that your kit will fit any bottle.
- Thread the wire through the bottom of the bottle up. Pick the stopper that best fits your bottle.
- Kits can be different, so follow your manufacturer’s instructions. But the main idea is to connect the parts, and thread the wire through them in order to power the bulb.
- Screw in the bulb and then attach the lamp.
- No matter what kit you get, a lampshade will always fit. Chose a lampshade that goes along with your bottle design and you can’t go wrong!
- You can buy lampshades for around $10.00 and you can find them online, hardware stores, and specialty shops, even big box stores, like Target.
SUGGESTED WINE BOTTLE DECORATION IDEAS: Have fun decorating your wine bottle. You can apply polished glass pieces with e6000 to create a mosaic pattern. You can also paint, stencil, Mod Podge, or chalk paint the wine bottle lamps to your liking! If you really love the wine bottle label, you can seal it with any pray on polyurethane sealer. Enjoy your Wine Bottle Lamp!
Wine Bottle Lamps with Tanya Memme
For more Lifestyle by Tanya, visit www.TanyaMemme.com and follow Tanya on Twitter @Tanya_Memme!