While life may seem a bit topsy-turvy at the moment, there are many upsides to staying at home. Extra time to spend with your family, no more excuses to put off that new hobby, and best of all, uninterrupted relaxation with a cold craft beer in hand. But, if the cabin fever is starting to set in, we’ve got a few crafty ideas to keep you busy. You can even get the kids involved, with supervision, of course. All you need is to drink a few brews (you, not the kids) and keep your bottles. Whether you’ve only got one beer bottle or a whole collection, we have plenty of ways you can upcycle your empties into something creative and useful. Ready to be inspired?
If you have an empty beer bottle and a string of battery operated LED lights, you can create a simple, yet charming lamp. The perfect craft to give your home bar or dinner table a magical ambience. It’s ridiculously easy to put together, too. Once you’ve finished drinking your favourite 1000 Hills Brew, wash out the bottle and remove the label. When it’s dry, all that’s left to do is feed the string lights through the bottle top and flick the switch. Easy! With our brown bottles, you’ll have a gorgeous warm glow, so don’t be shy, make a whole collection.
These days, we’re all trying to be less wasteful. But, with the current situation, the empty soap bottles are piling up. That’s a lot of plastic waste. Don’t worry. This next craft provides a handy and eco-friendly solution. All you need is a soap dispenser pump to fit on your empty beer bottle and voilà. Instead of making more waste, you’ve turned your empty into a reusable soap bottle. You will probably save some money too, buying your liquid soap in bulk.
Of all the things you could do with an empty beer bottle, did you think watering the plants would be one of them? That’s right. This nifty craft will keep your flower pots blooming. It’s another straightforward upcycle, and so useful. Besides removing the label, you don’t need to do too much to prepare the bottle. However, your pot plant will need a little bit of prep.
Start by wetting your soil thoroughly – this will create a seal when you put in your bottle, allowing the water to draw out naturally. Next, dig a narrow hole in the soil, just big enough to insert the neck of your bottle. All that’s left is to fill your beer bottle with water, and then quickly flip it over, pushing the neck firmly and fully into the soil. Repeat these steps when the bottle runs dry, and you’ll never have to worry about your plant wilting. (Only use a watering globe for plants needing a lot of water.)
With a little dressing up, you’ll be able to place your bottles all over. Whether you’re DIY-ing decor for your home or an event, there’s plenty you can do with an empty beer bottle or two (or twenty). Use them as vases, candleholders, or just on their own – your options are endless. There are plenty of ways to dress up your bottles, too. Below are a few of our favourite methods (feel free to mix and match):
For every beer bottle, there’s a bottle cap – and there’s plenty you can do with a collection of popped tops.
Once you’ve gathered a substantial hoard of beer bottle tops, create crafty coasters for your bar. There’s no right or wrong way to make your coasters, either. You could divide your bottle tops into sets of nine, lay them in a square and join them all together using wire. Or, still using nine per coaster, stick the caps onto squares of cork. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could even set your bottle caps in resin. Whichever way you choose, they’ll definitely be a talking point when you’re finally able to invite guests over.
A quick and easy craft, this a fantastic, homemade alternative to tealight candles – and these one-hit wonders will never go to waste. Lay your bottle tops upside down, place a mini wick in each one and pour in melted wax. Next time you need to dim the lights and up the romantic atmosphere, whip these guys out and light ‘em up.
If you’re running out of games to keep the kids busy, use your spent bottle caps to make your own checkers board. You’ll need 24 bottle caps and a square board. Checkers uses an 8×8 board, so mark out your squares and colour every alternate square. Divide your 24 caps in two and paint each set a different colour. Once they’ve all dried, Google the rules and start playing.
Have we given you enough beer bottle crafts to keep busy? If you’re running out of bottles, you can find our school of beers at selected local stockists (when they re-open). Check out our flavours to decide which of our brews is right for you.