2. Wine Bottle Torches
Wine bottle torches are one of those projects that look far more impressive than the effort they actually require. If you’ve got empty wine bottles lying around (or can pick some up from a local recycling center), you can turn them into tiki-style torches that produce a real, flickering flame. Perfect for summer evenings and backyard dinners.
Materials: Empty glass wine bottles, copper torch kit with wick and cap (available online or at hardware stores), tiki torch fuel, optional copper paint or decorative tape.
How to make them: Clean the bottles thoroughly and remove any labels. A soak in warm soapy water followed by a scrub with a bit of cooking oil usually does the trick. Insert the torch kit into the mouth of the bottle according to the package directions. Fill with torch fuel, let the wick soak for about an hour, and light.
Time: 1 to 2 hours (mostly waiting for bottles to soak and dry)
Difficulty: Beginner to intermediate
Customization: Use colored glass bottles for a fun twist. Blue or green bottles cast a gorgeous glow. You can also wrap the neck with jute twine for a coastal feel.
These are wonderful for lining a patio edge or garden path, and they double as a natural bug deterrent since torch fuel helps keep mosquitoes at bay.