12 Creative Ways To Repurpose Empty Paint Bottles As Home Decor

Don't toss out your acrylic paint jars when you run out of paint. Those adorable tiny jars are easy to repurpose into a wide range of home decor items that add both style and function to your space. Upcycling empty paint jars is not only sustainable, but also provides storage solutions for crafts, potting solutions, decorative wind chimes, candles, and so much more.

Before you get started with any empty paint bottle DIYs, take some time to fully clean the bottles. Small, glass acrylic paint bottles work best, but these projects can work with any small paint bottles. To remove the paint from the inside, soak the jars in dish soap and water until they are clean. Then, use a cleaning solution or heat to remove stickers from the glass. If you are going to use paint for your project, make sure you select a glass paint that will hold up without chipping.

To build a tiny snowman with empty paint bottles, you can choose to keep them in a single layer or to stack two bottles on top of each other. Paint the cleaned bottles with white paint. If you are stacking the snowman, use hot glue or a glass adhesive to glue one jar on top of the other. Then, add googly eyes or paint eyes for the snowman. Select your buttons and cut a strip of fabric for a scarf. Wrap the scarf around the stacked snowmen to hide the joint where the two jars were glued.

If you are the type of person who loves having indoor plants in every room of your house, you may want to repurpose your empty paint bottles into propagation jars. You can propagate some houseplants in water, even with tiny jars. Clean the paint bottles thoroughly and choose a decoration for the outside. You can paint a design, or use clay or crafting materials to decorate it. Then, fill with water and add your most recent cuttings and watch them thrive. 

If you have enough empty paint jars hanging around (about 10 will do), you can create a stunning lawn ornament or wind chime with just some string and an embroidery hoop. If you want, you can paint the jars before assembling or leave them clear to be filled with greenery or lights. Cut a string twice as long as you want the first jar to hang and tie it in a loop. Attach the string to the jar and the embroidery hoop. Repeat the process with a slightly larger string all the way around the hoop. That's it!

Empty paint jars make the perfect containers for miniature candles, and they're so easy to make. Using a clean jar, you will need wax or gel wax, essential oils, and wicks. Place the wick in the empty jar so the tip extends beyond the top of the jar. Melt the wax and add your essential oils. Then, pour the wax around the wick, making sure not to cover the tip completely. You can also add decorative inserts into the candle, like dried flowers or wax shapes, for a unique design.

A scent jar is a mixture of deodorizing ingredients covered in cloth to absorb odors while freshening the air. You can place them in closets, bathrooms, or even in your car. To make the deodorizer, combine baking soda, pink Himalayan salt, and essential oils. Or, try making Epsom salt DIY potpourri. Fill the empty paint bottle with the mixture. Cut a small cloth large enough to cover the top of the jar with extra space. Use a nail to puncture holes in the top of the paint lid and screw it on over the fabric. Enjoy!

Want the style of potted plants without all the upkeep? Turn old paint bottles into fake plant decor to hang on your wall. This is one paint bottle DIY you can really get creative with. Start by painting the bottle with a design that fits your space. Then, add miniature fake plants. You can place them on shelves or hang them on the wall on a frame.

Similar to the wind chime, you can make hanging light-up decor from old paint bottles for indoor use. Paint the jars with whatever design you like. Then, attach string to the bottle. You can use the same method with a looped string from the wind chime project, or you can just tie the string to the bottle around the neck. Tie the other end of the string to a pole or stick. Repeat the process until you have the desired number of hanging bottles. Add fairy lights or LEDs.

Instead of refilling your old paint bottles with paint, fill them with other craft supplies. Whether you are a sewing fan, a scrapbooker, a cosplayer, or anything in between, there are always small projects that need tiny storage solutions. From buttons to safety pins, these little bottles are the perfect solution for miniature craft storage. Decorate or paint the bottles to match your crafting space.

If you only have one or two empty paint bottles lying around, try using clay to make a cute figurine holding it. Start by selecting a clay that will bond with the glass. Create your figurine and use sculpting tools as necessary to refine it. Attach the sculpture to the jar. Allow the clay to dry fully before painting. Once you have painted it, finish it off with any cute details or fillers for the jar.

Finding miniature containers around the house for small gifts like jewelry can be a chore, but if you have some empty paint bottles on hand, you're in luck. For a sparkly gift jar, apply double-sided tape or spray-on adhesive to the outside of the jar. Shake glitter over the jar, rotating as you go. Once the adhesive is completely covered, shake off the excess glitter and allow it to set. Decorate the lid, and you're left with a unique, adorable, tiny gift solution.

Another fun sculpture idea that uses clay is to turn empty paint bottles into tiny teeth that hold toothbrushes. To make sure the base is heavy enough to hold the toothbrush, start by surrounding the outside of the jar with newspaper. Coat with adhesive and cover in clay. Form the clay into a rounded shape that resembles a tooth. Use clay to make feet for the jar that look like roots. Finish it off by painting a face for the happy tooth holder.

A fairy garden is a whimsical garden decor trend that uses upcycled items to create fairy garden ideas that are downright magical. From fairy homes to garden gnomes, miniature garden decor comes in all shapes and sizes, and empty paint bottles are perfect for your next fairy garden addition. Similar to the tooth project, cover the bottle in clay, but leave the top open. Shape the clay-covered glass into a white mushroom stalk and paint a fairy door. Make a mushroom top from clay and attach it to the lid.