apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Hmm...
You could fill the bottles with coloured sand or pebbles or something and put them on a nice shelf.
Or, and this is what I'd do, steam the labels off the bottles and put them in a scrapbook or something so you can leaf through the book and remember the good times without having an enormous collection of bottles standing in the way. If you decorate the cover of the scrapbook (or get one with an already pretty cover, it could make for a nice coffeetable kinda book.

This would take up room, (and cost a little money) but would each fit in an lack or expedit shelf? Each would be framed. I'll keep thinking, I'm still out of it from the time change...

http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/shelving-storage/recycled-shelving-wine-bottles-planks-and-some-ingenuity-065023

You can't see the bottom of the bottles, but maybe you could make the shelves out of some and then use the shelves to display others.

I second both of Tse Moana's ideas.

It's just possible you didn't think this through. I would throw them out and start a different tradition.

I like the idea of just keeping the labels.
But, if you like the bottles, maybe you could hang them with fishing line in front of a window or from a pot rack in the kitchen.
Or, maybe install a shelf high on on the wall and run it around the kitchen and/or dining room.
Or, glue/otherwise secure them together in a circle to form a table base or column.

One good dinner party and this becomes an out-of-control collection. Peel off the labels, put them in a photo album or scrap book, and throw the bottles in the recycle bin.

I am on board with putting them in a scrap book. Take them off, put them in an interesting scrap book, and recycle the bottles.

I agree with ChzPlz. If you don't know what to do with them now, you're going to be overwhelmed in a couple of months.

Maybe just keep the nice/fancy/expensive bottles and put the labels from the rest in a scrapbook.

i'm voting for discarding the bottles after taking a photo of the evening with the friends and the bottle. same sentiment less clutter. you could then display the photos on a wall or in a slide show frame.

if you have a backyard you could do a bottle tree, but the labels will peel and fade unless you treat them. if you have a hugh space i guess you could do one indoors.

http://images.google.com/images?q=bottle tree&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title

a diy chandelier is possible but you better have a tall and strong ceiling:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14754423@N02/2511112356/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/niallkennedy/2932905716/

http://la.eater.com/archives/2008/09/02/two_is_a_trend_wine_bottle_chandeliers.php

lastly, you could stack them on ledge/photo shelves infront of a lightbox for mood lighting or use wall mounted holders like:

http://shop.bellacor.com/p-95077.shtml

I'm with KTG et al. Toss 'em. Toss the labels too. What a burden to carry through life.

I soaked off labels for years, and made a wallpaper of them (and then we moved, SOB!), and it used to be easy, but I must say that whatever glue most bottlers use these days is almost impossible to get off, even after soaking in a hot water/soap/vinegar solution. FOR DAYS. My experience has been that soaking works about 40% of the time.

I agree. This will very quickly take over and become a bit visually nutty. The labels alone would be great. I understand the impulse but I think there's almost no way keeping the bottles won't look college.

i agree with the others, houses with empty alcohol bottles remind me of being in college, where people were proving how much they drank. there is no need to save those things. if you really like wine, you collect it and don't drink it.

be careful not to fall into two traps while starting this collection; a) becoming alcoholic, b) developing Obsessive Compulsive Collecting Disorder

Why don't you just collect the corks instead? Your guest could sign them and you could collect them in a large clear vase (I saw that in a Pottery Barn catalogue once). It would be much more visually pleasing, I think, and less intrusive in your space.

Agreed with most of the above. Please don't keep them.. it just looks like you're collecting your trash. Keep the label or the cork or something but get rid of the bottles.

Do not attempt to just collect the bottles. I have done this before and then moved. Oh my lamb, what a terrible idea, moving 50 bottles out of a kitchen and recycling them from a walk up is a nightmare. Just recycle them after you drink them. Not worth the hassle.

Why don't you sign the corks instead of the labels?

I can see an old apothecary jar of 50 signed corks being a lot more visually insteresting and easier to work with than 100 signed bottles.

*50, not 100 bottles :)

One of the things that I do with wine bottles is to use them as candles on my dining room table. Many websites sell wine light sets. This way you can turn your bottle of wine into a candle. Also there are all kinds other uses. One of my favorite bottles I dropped a string of lights and potpourri into and drilled a hold into the bottom of the bottle to run the cord out of so I could plug in the lights.

After I tire of that particular bottle or find one that I like better I just remove the label and start over.

I am with the people who suggested peeling the labels and putting them into a scrapbook. As you keep having dinners, the number of bottles will only grow, and clutter your space. Plus, wine bottles by themselves are not crazy attractive. If you are into glass, you can get some wonderful colorful art glass bottles or vases from eBay for peanuts; 3-4 of those would really make a statement and look awesome.

These would take up my whole house!!!!! These are not even great bottles of wine? Keep the memories and recycle to bottles~

trash the whole idea.
not cute.

I use my fave bottle of the week as a candle holder until another beauty comes along. There are some pretty cool cast iron candle holders that insert into the mouth of wine bottles that make it pretty darn easy to switch out bottles when it's time for a new one. That way you can keep the clutter down to a minimum.

If you scatter them throughout the house, one thing I use nice/memorable bottles for is to hold bracelets (over the neck). A cluster of three different sized bottles with stacks of different pretty bracelets on them can look nice if that works with your decor...

I did this in college with a friend.
We decorated each bottle we drank by painting them or collaging them with magazine cutouts and other various treasures.
Scrap the autographs I say and go with something more creative and telling of your guests.

It sounds like you have some fun and memorable dinner parties with a great group of friends!

Everyday on the way to work, I drive past an apartment that has wine and other bottles lined up in every window. It doens't look too charming from the street, it looks like a a lot of fraternity guys live there.

I agree with the above. Ditch the bottles and keep the lables, or a group photo w/ the bottle, or the dated corks.

Maybe if you've got a bottle of something really rare, but Barefoot? Steam the labels off, save the corks (but perfectly decent wines use screw caps) or maybe get a guestbook, note the wines consumed and have guests sign it. But don't save this junk.

Save the corks! This makes a lovely display that is fun to look through. I have five or so years worth in a clear glass vase. I put the date on the end of the cork and write in the event, if any, and who shared the bottle with us. It makes me smile every time I see a cork peeking out that reminds me of an event or person I haven't thought of for a while. Every time I clean and dust the shelf it lives on, I stir up the corks to reveal different ones. The corks are easy to store and display, but I can't imagine that many bottles in my house!

Reuse the ones you like for serving olive oil (use a bartender's spigot) and tap water at the dinner table...
...and recycle the rest.

i read of a great idea of just saving the cork, having it signed or dated and the event written on it. wish i could remember what i saw this in...maybe real simple. then you can have a bowl of corks, and you can eventually make one of those sweet corkboards out of all of them. less space but still retains the sentimentality of it.

The wine bottle collection is so college-y to me. They were always on top of the fridge. This will take over your poor kitchen. I save my corks and on special occasions, parties, holidays, etc., we sign them, write a note, or a wish on them, and they get tossed into a glass bottle with all the other corks. :) Much more fun, and prettier than bottles building up everywhere!

Oh ya, and making them into a corkboard is a great option too!

Why don't you put your name and address (or whatever) on a peice of paper, put it in the bottle, cork it and set it out to sea.

How to display empty wine bottles? Don´t!
http://notyourgoddess.blogspot.com/

I like the idea of collecting the signed labels in some sort of scrapbook (a moleskin would work perfectly) and then discarding the bottles. I used to keep a sort of wine journal but found myself writing more about the occasion or the guests than about the wine, which I think is the sentiment you're after. Wine Enthusiast sells label savers but nine times out of ten I'd say packing tape works just as well.

Keep the bottles displayed, but add other garbage such as used coffee filters and empty cereal boxes. Maybe throw up on the floor.

I am with the cork idea, takes up less space and if you collect enough of them you could do that cork-bulletin board thing. I don't like the idea of saving the bottles. After a while it's something a college student would do in lieu of a TV stand.

Don't! Any more than 10 and you got a landfill...

With so many other things to collect, used bottles from cheap wine seems rather silly.

I just started collecting the corks of wine bottles when I moved into my new apt.I'm Planning on putting them in several clear canisters to display, and when I've collected enough create a cork board.. If you do the same maybe later guest can pin cute notes on it as well!

I want more credit for my posting above.

I definitely agree with K T G, JoanneM, and especially thebradseed! I'll add that I also hate seeing displays of unopened bottles of wine, too.

Why are people such wine snobs and haters on here? Obviously this collection is special to Laura and she wants to keep it. So if you don't have a productive suggestion, keep it to yourself!

this is a seriously hilarious thread...

i'm with all those who say junk the bottles!

and don't start collecting the corks...you'll just junk them later...like i did...

just take happy photos of happy dinner guests....



serious ha to thebradseed up there...

i like the idea of keeping the bottles if the bottles are unique. however, if the bottles look ordinary, i dont see the point of keeping them. bottles are nice places to store your change. i store my pennys on a nice wine bottle.

I have some really pretty expensive champagne bottles and used them with some antique photos to decorate a shelf. I just put like groups of colored bottles together and prop the antique photos against them (old photos come with a cardboard framing). I also have a few framed photos that are either framed with the same color in diffrent hues or put the photos near bottles that share similar colors to the subject of the photo. The old photos and postcards only cost 1.50 each and I added some color to my home while keeping the bottles that have such great memories. I also mixed a few bottles in with some really nice silver bar tending tools I have near where I store liquor. When I have fresh flowers I use bottles to display those as well. 3 bottles of like colors in different heights with a few tea lights makes a nice centerpiece indoor or out. Just make sure not to let it get out of control or it will look junky.