Old Prescription Bottles + A Little Creativity = Cute Home Decor With Vintage Charm

The next time you're cleaning out your medicine cabinet, think twice before tossing anything. Your recycling bin is already full, and there are plenty of clever ways to repurpose prescription bottles that you probably never even considered. In fact, with some TLC and a bit of unconventional thinking, you can upcycle these seemingly drab containers into a decorative statement. The creator at YouTube channel Loli Ds Creations shows crafters just how easy it is, transforming the basic amber bottles into winter-themed candlesticks with rustic, antique undertones in a few accessible steps.    

A holiday DIY project to add to your list, this candlestick transformation only requires a handful of inexpensive items to get cooking and makes for a fun way to spend an afternoon. To get started, gather the tools you'll need to assemble the candlesticks: a sander, miter shears or a handsaw, a glue gun, wood glue, a soldering iron, chalk paint, antique wax, and paint brushes. Of course, you'll need the prescription bottles, as well as a decorative ribbon, small wood rounds (such as these VKIZA Wood Slices), and a collection of wood dowels like the Crafter's Square Wood Dowels from Dollar Tree. You'll appreciate the creative liberty and budget-friendly finds, considering quality candlesticks retail anywhere between $20 to $70, if not more. Plus, there are plenty of ways to style the items once all is said and done, creating perfect decor for the mantle, the dining room table, and beyond.

Before you start crafting, remove the labels from the empty prescription bottles and clean them thoroughly. For authenticity, the creator went in with a sanding block to enhance the final brushed metal appearance. Be sure to sand in one direction to get the best brushed texture possible. Dust them off before applying a base coat of black or charcoal chalk paint. Then, cut your dowels to various lengths to give the candleholders an attractive staggered appearance when grouped together. 

Glue each dowel to the center of a wood round with wood glue so the posts stick straight up. Using your soldering iron — and wearing a protective face mask — melt a small hole in the bottom of a prescription bottle. While still hot and melted, fit the hole over the other end of the dowel. If you don't have a soldering iron, you can drill a hole and use a heavy-duty glue, like two-part epoxy or E6000, to glue the bottle to the dowel. A coat of dark-colored chalk paint followed by antique metallic wax and a ribbon to tie it together results in rustic farmhouse accents with a genuine vintage appeal.

When crafting this project, feel free to choose any finishes you'd like. Mix orange, brown, and black paints to create "rust" marks, or experiment with a false patina by applying a copper-colored base coat and turquoise chalk paint on top. Have fun with decorative candles as well, be it funky shapes, bold colors, or cute motifs. Regardless of what you choose, do make sure to only use fake candles to avoid any safety hazards. Style your candles alongside faux or real florals, wooden accents, and complementary artwork in earth tones and seasonal scenes to achieve a bucolic aesthetic.