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Turn your leftover wine bottles into beautiful backyard DIY wine bottle Tiki torches. They are a perfect way to recycle those old bottles and keep away the bugs from your backyard entertaining area.

Even though it’s just the beginning of August, school is about to start for our kiddos. We have been soaking up the last few days of summer break and enjoying the company of friends and neighbors. I love that we live in a small neighborhood where spontaneous get-togethers can happen just by walking out your front door. Every year towards the end of summer, we celebrate the end of the season with a neighborhood block party. These have been known to last from late afternoon until well after the sun goes down. And like any good neighborhood party, everyone brings something to eat and drink and share.

Here in the South we love to be outside. But, we also have to deal with a crazy amount of bugs buzzing around and landing on our food and wine glasses! Don’t these bugs know better than to mess with a mother of three’s wine glass?  Jay has been lighting our large Tiki torches in the backyard to try and keep them away. This sparked an idea – for our block party I decided to make portable citronella Tiki torches out of recycled wine bottles. I always have some Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi on hand for any of the aforementioned spontaneous gatherings. What better way to bring neighbors together than opening up a nice bottle to share?

Ok, back to the Tiki torches, not only did they keep those pesky bugs away from our block party spread, they also made pretty centerpieces and kept the party lit throughout the evening.

Supplies:

For this project you will need:

1. An empty, clean wine bottle. I used a sponge to scrub off the label under warm water. For this torch I used Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Chardonnay. The medium body pairs so well with appetizers (one of my favorite food groups) and is so refreshing during the summer, plus the clear green bottle really shows off the marbles.
2. Teflon tape
3. 1/2 inch copper cap
4. 1/2 x 3/8 copper coupling
5. Tiki replacement wick
6. Jute (optional)
7. Marbles or small rocks/gravel
8. Tiki torch fuel (I used one with citronella)

First step is pour yourself and your friends a glass of wine so you will have an empty bottle 🙂 This is probably…no, definitely my favorite step. Next, wash the bottle out and scrub off the label using a sponge under warm water, then dry the bottle completely.

With a hot glue gun, wrap the jute around the middle of the wine bottle, securing the jute with hot glue. This part is optional but I feel it dresses up the torch.

Next add some marbles or small rocks to the wine bottle, filling 1/4 to 1/2 way up the bottle. Word of caution, the first time I made one of these, I had the bottle standing up and just plunked the marbles in the bottle. This resulted in the bottle breaking. I suggest turning the bottle on it’s side and gently rolling the marbles into the bottle.

To prepare the wick, wrap the 1/2 inch end of the copper coupling with Teflon tape. Keep wrapping to build up the tape enough so it fits in the top of the bottle without falling into the bottle. Insert the wick in the coupling until it sticks out about 1/4 inch.

Use a funnel to fill the bottle with fuel and then insert the wick and coupling. Make sure to let the wick absorb the oil for 5-10 minutes and then light.