bbb craft sisters by Grace Bonney 20

diy project: oil and vinegar bottles


in a bout of spring cleaning energy, we attacked our cluttered mess of cooking oils and vinegars in the kitchen. we love to have inspiration while cooking, and now that we’ve re-bottled and relabeled these, they are an attractive arrangement pretty enough to sit out on the counter! this took almost no time, no money, and very little effort for totally satisfying results! -bbbcraft sisters

CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!

what you need:

an assortment of bottles you think are striking (we used oil and vinegar, wine and sparkling cider bottles)

a funnel

an assortment of corks and stoppers

various labels and stickers

biokleen low voc citrus soy cleaner or goo gone

what you do:

1. start by selecting an assortment of pretty bottles you want to use, and assign each oil and vinegar in your kitchen to a bottle. we looked beyond just the vessels that the oils and vinegars came in and used shapely wine bottles and even a pretty sparkling cider bottle. if you want to reuse a bottle that is already full of oil or vinegar, simply pour the liquid into a large class measuring cup while you work on cleaning the bottle.


2. fill up your sink with hot soapy water and submerge all of the bottles. let soak until the labels start to peel off with ease.

3. for sticky residue and tougher labels, use a degreaser. we love biokleen’s low voc citrus soy solvent, a greener alternative (that smells really good!) to goo gone.

4. once your bottles are clean and dry, use a funnel to fill each with oil or vinegar.

5. label each bottle—we used labels and tags we already had, but you can find an array of good ones at paper source or even an office supply store. we were simple with our designations, but feel free to note the brand, date purchased or any other relevant info.

6. assign each bottle a cork stopper or spout. we found these at bed, bath and beyond.

7. enjoy your beautiful bottles and cook something delicious!

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20 Comments

carolyn

this is great, i can just see the bottles arranged on a shelf in the kitchen-easy access and lovely to look at.

Tanya

At the risk of sounds like a wine-o…I have a million bottle I had no idea what to do with…until now! Thank you!!!

M.

I love this idea! functional and decorative…really pretty.

Amy

One tip—if you use paper labels or tags, cover them with a piece of clear packaging tape to keep them clean. Either neatly wrap the tape around the bottle to cover the label, or apply the tape to the label after writing the name and before sticking to the bottle and trim off the excess to make a waterproof sticker.

Otherwise, drips, spatters, and handling will make them dingy and unattractive in fairly short order!

Lauren

this is just perfect for all the pretty bottles that end up in my recycling bin, thanks for the inspiration!

gina

fun!

btw – do you know anything about the tray on which the bottles are pictured? it looks JUST like some i found at a flea market… about which i’d love to know more!

J.

Vinegar or rubbing alcohol also work perfectly for removing labels

kat

straight eucalyptus oil also gets rid of sticky labels easily. Too cute!

Home with Mandy

I’ve been saving my empty olive oil bottles so that I can “one day” make my own infused olive oils and give them as gifts. I love the labels you made, great DIY!

lauri

I love this. I just found an old wood and iron spice rack with really nice thick bubbled glass. I am going to do the little metal ringed tags with some rustic twine.

I would love to know what was in the bottle that has the small spout. I need that! I am awful when it comes to buying a product based on what it comes in. I also like the labels with the trim. Where did you get them?

Thanks!

joy

nice to know there are people who share this eccentricity…”buying a product based on what it comes in.”

thanks for these ideas.

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