Go Green: Up-cycled Bottle Arrangements

Hello again from Kim + Natalie of Geranium Lake Flowers! One of our favorite things to do is to create by re-creating. Not only is it eco-friendly, but it’s also budget friendly and helps us think outside of the “box”! Reusing glass bottles is an adorable and festive way to up-cycle and create a beautiful arrangement.

 
First you will need to collect empty bottles. Some of our favorite bottles are Perrier and Orangina, because of their shape, but we’ve been known to use Coke bottles and even a few beer bottles! Like most things we do, we like to cluster things in odd numbers so try for 3, 5, or even 7 bottles at a time.
 
Once you’ve got your bottles, you are going to want to remove any labels and make sure that the bottles are clean {this is important for looks AND for the life of the flowers that you are going to insert}. For stubborn, sticky labels, we soak our bottles in very hot, soapy water for 10-20 minutes and then scrub the residue off with a wash cloth or other abrasive cloth.
 
More than likely, you will want to arrange your collection of bottles on a platform of sorts. We like to use gold chargers {$5 at Target!} and sometimes miscellaneous water dishes/saucers from old terracotta planters that we have lying around. Use your imagination and scavenging skills… you could use vintage plates, etc.

Next you will want to fill each bottle with water {approximately 2/3 full} and then wipe them dry. We do this before we arrange the bottles on the platform because you’ll want to keep your platform as dry as possible for looks and it’s really hard to wipe drips once they’re all assembled!
Start with the largest or oddest bottle in your collection and find its perfect place on the platform. Use your other bottles to fill in around it.
 
We love to use wire or ribbon around the collection of bottles to keep them sturdy and on the platform.
 
The last step is adding fresh flowers – and it happens to be the easiest part! We love the look of one fresh stem per bottle to create a simple, minimalist look. We also like to go with a monochromatic color palette but use your imagination and do what you love!

PS. If you’re feeling extra creative and are giving this as a gift, insert a vintage post card to complete the look!

photos © erica ann photography