The other day, I wrote about attempting to drill through glass and I finished up the project this weekend. I think it turned out beautifully — I love the idea of bottled light!
These would be pretty by a wintery window or under an entry table. I like the way the gold paint makes the bottom of the bottles look misty and glow-y, even during the daytime.
I’ve got a ton of images and DIY instructions below if you’d like to try this too. For tools and supplies, I started at my local True Value. (Lately, I swear I’m in there every single day.)
I started with these apple juice bottles from Whole Foods. I have long admired these bottles — I love the contrast of the big round barrel and the teeny little handle — and was glad to finally come up with a project where I could use them. The juice is good too! I got impatient waiting for the family to finish up the contents, so I had Ralph pour what was left into another pitcher, then I washed out the inside.
Next, I used my handy scraper tool to take off the label. This tool is basically a straight edge razor blade with a handle. When you’re done using it, you can flip the blade upside down so the sharp part is hidden in the handle. Such a useful tool! I use it to take sticky things off windows and other glass — no chemicals required.
Once the bottle was clean and label free, it was time to drill through the glass. We used a 3/8″ drill bit designed for glass and tile. The drilling takes a little while — maybe 20 minutes — because you can’t go too fast. The drilling will create white dust (I guess it’s technically sand) and as the hole gets bigger, it will smoke a bit from the heat.
Next we painted. I experimented with some old jam and baby food jars first to try different techniques — like paint dripped from plastic spoons. But the kids voted and liked the sponged look best, so that’s what we did for the final project.
I used a disposable sponge brush and Liquid Leaf paint — but any metallic enamel paint should work. The paint is not water-cleanup, so a disposable brush is great for this project. I only needed a little bit of paint to get the coverage I wanted. Instead of brushing the paint on, I was mostly “patting” into place.
Once the paint was dry (it dries very quickly), we started stuffing the lights in. You’ll need a 50 light string that is not made to connect end-to-end. We had the hardest time finding lights like this. We went to 4 stores, but they all carried only end-to-end lights (which are the kind I prefer for my Christmas tree). Finally, I tried to think of who might carry old-school Christmas lights and Big Lots came to mind — because they often carry items from last season. Hooray! They had just what we needed.
The lights fit through one at a time, but it was a bit tight — I would recommend using a slightly larger drill bit and the light stuffing would go much faster. Oscar and Maude loved this part the best. Stuff every light on the string in, and the plus will dangle out the back, ready to find an outlet.
And that’s it! A very satisfying project and a fun addition to our holiday decor. Though really, these don’t have to be holiday at all. We could use these for any sort of event where we want a little glow-y light happening. Maybe we need to have a party where bottled light is the theme. : )
———
This is another project as a True Value Blog Squad Member. It’s been such a great way for me to try new tools and ideas. A big thanks to True Value for helping me make it happen.
{ 94 comments… read them below or add one }
Beautiful! I love the way they look!
Nice! Great job.
I was just talking to my hubs this weekend about drilling through glass- I have never tried it before and am a bit scared- I want to drill through a mirror- have you ever tried drilling through a mirror?
I love keeping pretty glass jars/jugs for the PERFECT project.
My favorite part of this project was that you let your kids vote on the painting technique. Very fun project.
this is such a neat project idea! I love it! They are so festive! You could easily keep these up all winter long!
!*!*!*!*!*! totally bowled over… so worth the wait :) THANK YOU!
i’ve wondered how to do this for years. great, like i need another project to obsess about in december. maybe i’ll scrap the holiday cards for this project–cause i can wear goggles doing this one. i have my own drill and goggles. did you wear goggles? i think you probably should have. i’m quite the safety girl. i’m sure true value sells goggles. :)
great project! I might try it myself! I’m always saving old jars and things thinking I can use them, but I never do. This would be perfect. A helpful hint on drilling the glass – if you take a little sponge and get it wet, hold it near the spot where you are drilling and every so often squeeze it to let a little water run down on the hole, the water will help the bit and the glass not get so hot and it’ll keep that dreaded dust from rising. =)
Oh that’s cool!! Thanks so much for sharing how you did this. I want to make one now.
this is fantastic. I am going to book mark it. I don’t think this is the year but at some point I will do this. I actually think they could just be a cool installation in a room too–bottle with fuchsia light sitting on a side table. oooooo0000!
These look amazing! I think I have some old non-end to end lights that I never use, I totally want to do this with them!
Wow, that looks truly amazing!
These look amazing.. love them…..
xxx
CEO
This has worked so well! Well done. They look absolutely beautiful and looks like it was fun to make as well. xxx
Oh they’re perfect! Well done. May have to try it myself!
That is so gracefully beautiful and it looks like something even a dork like me could pull off! Love the pics!
I love the pool-of-twinkling-light effect. So gorgeous and clever!
Love how they turned out!! I’m definitely going to try this!
HI,
it looks really great, and I hat to come here making remarks, but I just want you, and all your readers, to be aware that you need to be causious when you don’t “unwind” electrical lighting like this – cords are normally always supposed to be somewhat stretched, and not curled up in a ball.
Unwinded cables can, worst case scenario, cause hasard through fires.
Again, I don’t want to come here and take all the fun out of your project, but it could be dangerous.
i.e. this item http://granit.se/?id=3761 clearly states on the box in comes in that you can not connect it to electricity with the item still in the container due to electrical hasard.
Regards
I love them! Love how you put it all together and with such fantastic bottles. And yes, wouldn’t they be lovely on the deck for a summer dinner party too! Charming! Love how handy and courageous you are.
my mom and i have made something similar with glass blocks (the large ones used for shower walls). fill with lights and tie up with a bow like a package. the ones we have purchased have been open on the bottom so no drilling is required.
just search “glass block lights” for lots of ideas.
beautiful! i think it might be fun to empty out wine bottles {i’m just sayin…} and do this. there are several varieties with clear bottles… but i’ve seen the others used to and the pretty ambers and greens are really nice in the fall!
love the project. i’m gonna bookmark this to use next year as i’m already perfecting my holiday lamaze breathing. i’m already lightheaded! ; )
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. Running to empty out my recycling bin NOW.
Gorgeous!!! I am making a special trip to Whole Foods tomorrow! Good to know their apple juice is 100% pasturized too as I am expecting. Did you get the liquid leaf paint from True Value? Thanks for the post Gabby!!!
they came out beautifully.
Oooooo! I think a line of bottled lights would look lovely lining the walk way up to our house.
I love these so much that I did this tonight. I had a glass drill bit from a project several years ago I did with shells, and so my six kids gathered around and watched while I drilled through a wine bottle and then threaded lights through. I love the finished product, but might sponge on some silvery paint for added holiday cheer!
this is a great project! I love the idea of doing a bunch for the holidays in different sizes- not being a fan of “scrapbook” decor- these are grown-up but whimsical. Thanks for sharing:)
This looks so awesome!
Beautiful! I wonder, if you capped the bottle and used outdoor lights, if you could somehow use these outside lining a sidewalk or driveway like luminaries? So much potential!
Also, I wanted to share a variation of this project…A few years ago my mom bought a glass block stuffed with lights at a craft fair. The crafter had “wrapped” the glass block with a lovely Christmas ribbon and my mom usually puts it under her Christmas tree, among other gifts. It is lovely!
I love these. My mom made some a few years ago.
This is absolutely beautiful! Love the outcome! Well done Gabrielle :D
i wish i had the tools to tackle this!
I just LOVE this! What a brilliant idea…
would love to make this
This is so good, i wouldnt even mind going out and buying a drill, cos you will always use it anyhow. You think you could spray paint the lights too?So cute!Just found your blog, its great!!
Ikea sells white battery powered lights that do not connect end to end.
This is so cool. I cannot wait to try this. Thanks for the step-by-step.
Thanks for the inspiration! I have a gallon pickle jar that my aunt used for tea – it has “unsweet” in her handwriting on the lid – and I’ve been keeping baking soda in it though it wants for a better use! I’ll be storing this idea away to make me a “nana lamp”
This was so helpful! Nikki over at http://www.NikkiInStitches.wordpress.com directed me to you after I asked her how to make a glass bottle lamp. Drilling the hole was the biggest question I had in preparation for this project and I loved your easy instructions. Can’t wait to try this.
This is so awesome – and the fact that the kids voted makes it all the better!
Hi The bottle is very nice; I also have drilled out wine bottles, you can also use a Diamond drill hole bit for cutting holes in Glass bottles and blocks, this is what we use to drill the holes! for the wine bottles and glass blocks I use strands of 20 lights in them!
Great source of information and tips. Thanks
This looks like so much fun! Maybe even a heat-resistant paint for the cables to brighten up that green would be a sweet touch, too
My dad helped me with a project much like this last year. I asked him to drill a hole in Bud Light and Coors Light amber colored beer bottles. We put a 20 strand of lights in them and I gave “LIGHT BEER” as gifts to some friends. Then, one night, wanting to display a beautiful strand of white lights without the ugly cords showing, I put them, randomly, in a basket filled with pine cones. It created a lovely effect.
Love your website!
Found your photo on pinterest and followed it to your blog. I shared the blog post on my fb page too. Love this!! It’s so magical. Will be attempting ;) Thanks for the great idea =)))
I often wondered how you got the cord to come out the bottom of the hole in the bottle…now I know…you stuff the lights in…
I have done these but never had the cord come out the bottom…looks much nicer…I want to do some glass blocks like this too…thank you for this tutorial…
I do love your website…have bookmarked it..!
Hi, you really should be dripping a bit of water over the drill bit to keep it cool while drilling..as for the mirror, the silver will chip off some but it’s about the same as the glass bottles..love this idea too!!
Don’t use water……that will break it. You need to build a dam around where you want the hole, with clay, and put some oil, (cooking , motor, olive), in the dam before starting to drill. The oil helps cool the drill. That is the way my husband has drilled all my blocks. Diamond tipped drills are not inexpensive, but that is what you need.
Antifreeze works great to put in the well you make with the clay or window putty works great for making the dam to keep the drill bit cool.
Cool info! I saw these at a local craft show with wine bottles and was wondering how I could make them myself! I’ll be trying it this weekend!
You could also bend a hanger tight enough to fit thru top. Catch some of the lights bring to top of bottle and use a little hot glue to hold the lights in place then the whole bottle glows.
This is so neat! I dis it with a wine bottle along with printing black and white pictures of family and friends! You seal the pictures on the outside of the bottle with the lights on the inside of the bottle! It us a orerty cool thing
Did you/is it possible to drill a large hole in the bottom of a glass vase without it breaking.
Interesting! I just saw the same thing at a craft show.
They were selling the bottles for $25.00 each – CRAZY!!!.
Of course I right away thought I could do it myself and was wondering how to drill the hole. Thanks for sharing the steps. I’ll be sure to try this weekend.
J’adore! I absolutely love this! What if you sprayed the lights with some sort of paint, maybe spray paint with a white or maybe gold paint! Give the lights and jar more of a glowing effect?! Just a thought!
These are incredibly gorgeous, and I had no idea that was how they were done until now! Thanks for the tutorial.
Something I picked up about cutting / drilling glass, though, is that I really don’t want to inhale that dust, on account of it being glass and all – what kind of mask for mouth and nose should be worn for this project?
The “sand” that you get from drilling through the glass is GLASS!! Ground up small , pieces of glass that would be extremely dangerous to inhale or ingest.
ok–for those of you who have done this…I drilled a 1/2 in hole (bigger than DesignMom) but still have trouble getting the lights in…maybe I need more mini-lights but what is the trick?? Know it takes awhile to push in but but between the width of the cord plus the width of the light, it is still too big. Maybe my lights are too big??!
those are fantastic… when I saw a tutorial for drilling glass I cringed… but then saw the bit…
I love this idea and what would finish off the glow of the lights would be fiberglass angel hair in the bottle or large container as well. or perhaps drop very small ornaments (slide down at an angle) in with the lights. Perfect idea as entry lighting to greet your guests……Thanks for posting your instructions .
I’ve made this project before, but with potpourri added, and as the lights warm up, its lets out the lovely scent. I kept mine in the bathroom, but I never liked the cord coming out the top, but drilling through the bottom of the container is genius! Thanks for sharing.
I too wondered how to cut a hole thru glass without it breaking!…This was a great step-by-step!…Thank You!
I have found the bit you used does not work as well as a diamond coated bit. I use a drill press to put holes in dishes or canning jars, keep the glass wet and you want get the dust or heat. When I saw you photo I was wondering how many people had trouble drilling like you showed, easier with a drill press , not everyone has one but they probably have a friend that does. A lot safer.
You’ve got the right idea. My husband always uses his drill press. The oil used while drilling holds down the dust and cools the bit. This is a project that could be dangerous, and if the jug or bottle breaks while drilling, one could be cut severely. Not something children should be around while attempting this.
I have tried this but when the lights have been turned on for awhile..it causes the bottle to collect sweat inside which makes it wet..Does anyone know how this happens or a way I could fix it. PLEASE HELP!!!! Im using wine bottles..does that make a difference????
oh what a brilliant idea!! thanks for sharing the DIY tips:)
hi! great project! been looking for a cool solstice type decoration, i’m not a big decorator fan… but the kids are!! this looks great!
i didn’t read all the comments so i don’t know if someone told you this already, i’ve worked with glass a lot, (i technically have a glass degree! imagine that…) anyway the dust you get from drilling glass is silica dust, if you breathe enough of it over time you can get silicosis, silica dust never clears from your lungs so it will build up over time. you should use water when drilling to keep it down you can even set it up in the sink and make a slow drip. if you find you are getting lots of dust from glass or you find yourself spending a really long time on lots of glass drilling or sanding projects, you should get a good quality particulate respirator to wear, for the kids too, these have to fit really well so that is seals all else out and should be stored in a ziplock plastic bag so it’s not filtering when you’re not wearing it.
good luck and thanks!!
Hi, Tara With A Glass Degree :)…How do I keep the drill bit from ‘dancing around’ on the glass. I tried this yesterday, but couldn’t keep the drill bit in one spot due to the smooth glass. Any suggestions?
An acquaintance gave me one of these a few years ago as a gift. She painted her’s with a frosted look paint and also used some stencils such as holly leaves. Was very beautiful with the clear lights.
Really like this idea. I like your scraping tool – planning to look for one.
I have a question, do you know what I can use to get the screen-printing off plastic yogurt and butter containers?
25 years ago my Mother was going through a sad time in her life and put little lights in a glass jar on the kitchen counter like your picture and called them her “Happy Lights”… They became a family tradition and we all have them…
My thoughts on the commenter who thought it was a fire hazard…it is in a jar… so probably would be difficult for the fire to get out of control before it went out from lack of oxygen, if that happened. Or you noticed it was smoking, ha. Beautiful!! Love it! Great tutorial! :)
went to whole food and bought the cider. consumed the cider. bored hole in glass and *poof* broke bottom off jar in the process. going back to whole foods…
Reply to Cara above. place a piece of masking tape on bottle then x mark the spot and go slowly at first to ‘start’ a divot to be your guide.
Thank you, Linda :)
have you seen the beautiful olive jars at Costco?
Look soon, i think they are discontinuing them.
i like your idea of light in a bottle.
Joanne
Adding potpourri will make the room smell great! I have one with pinecones and potpourri in a vase, sits on my dresser for that warm glow and nice aroma. I like the gold paint idea. Thanks!
Drilling hole…..Place bottle in shallow pan fill to about 1/4 of an inch above the bottle when submerged, fill bottle with water put drill bit an an angle and start to drill then move the drill over the bottle so it is perpendicular to the bottle level.
NO, Dust…… bottle will not break……Joe
This is fun project thanks for sharing! A friend gave me a glass block done in a similar way. She used a glass block left over from a project done in her home and she “frosted” it with some kind of spray, which gave it a beautiful look and then added a bow around the outside. I really love mine, but reusing the glass jugs is a wonderful idea and much less expensive. Thank you!
I love this Idea My son is getting married in July and I have been looking for a table Idea , they are getting married at our lake and I’m putting on the Grooms supper,I think this would really dress up the tables. Thanks for the wonderful Idea.
It is so much easier to drill a hole in glass with a dremel
It is so much easier to drill a hole with a Dremel drill. Hold the bottle under the faucet and let the water just dribble over the bottle where you want the hole. Don’t let the water hit anything on the drill but the bit. This keeps it cool. I use a 1/4 glass and tile bit. If the hole needs to be bigger, I use a bigger bit with a normal drill because that is the biggest bit that I can find for the Dremel! It easier to start it with the Dremel because it is a fast little drill. The whole process takes me less than 5 minutes!
I love this! I was wondering, what do you do when the light strand goes out & you need to replace it? Can you get the old ones out??
yes, just pull them out the same way you put them in.
Loved this – Had another idea for you – have you seen how to make the mercury glass using the Krylon Mirror spray paint? That project + your project = Brilliance! Thanks for posting!
If you can’t find the lights without the plug at the other end you can cut the plug off. When it you cut it you just need to be careful to not let the wires touch after you cut them. Keep them separated and tape the ends with electrical tape.
I am going to start this tomorrow. I have decided that it will make a super cute night light in my daughters room. I will post pictures when completed!!
You can use wine bottles too. I have a green one with colored lights in it. Then it has a decorative wine bottle beads over the glass and an inexpensive bottle stopper on the top. I keep it on all year in my bar. It is so pretty. Thanks for the tips on how to cut the glass.
When drilling a hole in glass use a cordless drill and put the glass under a slow running fawcet to keep the glass cool, if the glass doesn’t stay cool it will break, this is much faster than the 20 minutes recommended. I can usually drill a hole in glass in about 5 min.
One thing I don’t see mentioned in this How-To is that you should always wear breathing (and eye) protection. Once glass dust gets in your lungs it can only be removed through surgery.
A good dust mask and some safetly glasses will protect you and you can drill away without worry.
I love this idea and I’m pinning it. Cool!
First of all this is a nice idea BUT by drilling like you are putting the drillers and any other person in proximity of the drilling in DANGER! Silica sand is cancerous it not as simple as you make it out to be! Furthermore, anyone with glass knowledge will tell you Silica sand is life threatening and that any glass that is drilled is supposed to be in water….which unless you are a PROFESSIONAL you are putting them in danger of being shocked by electricity and water combo. I just hope you don’t get sued over this being on Pinterest and connecting to your site!
Couldn’t you just use battery powered lights and avoid drilling the hole in the glass? Love this look!
TIP for drilling glass. Submerg the drilling area in water. This will keep the glass cool while drilling. No smoking and it will keep the shards of glass confined in the water. Use a sink size tub for small projects or for larger projects let water run over the drilling area with a hose.
Love this idea. I have a very old glass jug simular to the one your using. Been wondering what to do with it. PERFECT
Hi great minds think alike! i use wine bottles for a project similar to this….i decorate them with stones and grape leaves or i paint on them….game some away for Christmas!:)