45 Charming DIY Art Projects Using Upcycled Plastic Bottles

Plastic bottles have acquired a pretty bad name due to the recent focus on sustainability. Many of us have switched to reusable bottles and mugs but haven’t graduated to making our own laundry detergent. But what if you didn’t need to throw the containers away and could find some other use for them? Maybe they are important in other parts of our lives, and we just hadn’t realized it yet. Shocked? Well, we were too, but then we let our imaginations run wild after seeing these ideas. We might not be ready to make our own soap, but we can certainly make use of the containers and bottles we buy. Below are 45 new ways you can reuse your plastic bottles that will surprise you but also make perfect sense. So, let us get started.

1. Flower Paint Stamp

Have you ever seen a beautiful painting and asked yourself why can’t you paint as beautifully? Maybe it is a rose that you saw or a pretty sunflower. But don’t you worry anymore, because we have a solution right here.

All you have to do is take an empty plastic bottle and turn it upside down. Now you take a sufficient amount of paint in a bowl and dip the bottle’s bottom in the bowl so that the bottom is covered with paint. Now just stamp that on a piece of paper, and you have yourself a pretty flower.

2. Boating Purposes

This one might be a bit tricky, but we are adding it here because it is possible and, quite frankly, genius. We are sure you see different boats on TV and want one for yourself, but they are hella expensive. Now you can make one with materials stashed in your house!

You start by gathering all those plastic bottles you haven’t recycled yet, and when you have a couple hundred of them, you glue them together and make yourself a boat. Their buoyancy will keep the boat afloat, and you go on a nice river ride!!

3. Dog Feeding Machine

This one is cute, although it might take some good engineering. But at the end of the day, it would surely make your doggo very happy. All you have to do is take a couple of plastic bottles and stick them on a wooden rod so that they are hanging upright.

Then you fill them up with some delicious dog treats and put them in your backyard. We are sure the moment your dogs catch on, they will happily run towards it and have themselves a small snack from time to time!

4. Beach Buckets!

Don’t worry, not all our tricks are as complicated as the last two. This one is straightforward and will help you have a fun time at the beach! We know we got your attention. Grab an empty detergent bottle, and you are set.

Cut the bottle so that it looks like the picture above. Use the top as a scoop and the other half as your bucket. Now you can make a perfect sandcastle. Keep the lid closed so that the sand doesn’t flow out from the other end!

5. Measuring the Rain

Is your child miserable because it is raining outside and they can’t go out and play? We have an engaging way to make the gloomy day bright for your child! And it gets the gears of their brains turning too.

Just take your average plastic bottle and start labeling them with measurements. Place the bottle outside under the open sky so it can collect the rain. Your kids can measure the amount of rain they have collected in the bottle every couple of hours.

6. Plastic Spring Mobile

This one can be used to provide a toy for your kids as well as a creative way to decorate your house. And it is easy too! All you need are bottles, paint, brushes, a wooden stick, scissors, strings, and imagination!

Cut your plastic bottles in a spiral and paint them with some pretty, vibrant colors. Hook them to a wooden rod, and all you have to do next is hang these springy trinkets around your home and see how it makes your house more lively!

7. Food Storage

This one is easy as well. We all have to go to the store from time to time to buy items that come in plastic jars. We often store our ingredients in different plastic containers. But have you ever realized that you could reuse the ones used to store your oil and barley?

Just pick up an empty plastic bottle (large or small) and start filling them up with your kitchen ingredients like flour, rice, lentils, sugar, etc. and save some money and space in your recycling bin. This one is super easy to implement!

8. Cap Lip Balms

Now this one is cute and fun. We are sure your lips get chapped during the harsh winter months, and all you want is to buy lip balm from the store so that you can get some relief. With this hack, you may not need to spend that money.

All you have to do is take the small caps from your plastic bottles and fill them with natural moisturizers like coconut oil and Vaseline and use them to help your cracked lips look plump and soft during cold, dry weather.

9. Jewelry Stand

This one sparks joy and will make your life easier. Did you know that you could use the bottom of your plastic bottle to make a beautiful jewelry stand where you could hang your necklaces and at the same time store your rings and earrings as well?

You need to take a couple of plastic bottles, depending on the levels you want and cut the bottom part off. Then you pass a steel rod through them, as shown above. This beautiful jewelry stand won’t cost anything but 5 minutes of your time.

10. Christmas Tree!

Now this one will really get your creative juices flowing. We are sure you love Christmas like any other person and want to decorate your house to the fullest whenever the snowy holiday is around the corner. We got you covered!

Just take any green plastic bottle that you have and cut them up in the shape of leaves. We know it might be a bit tough to perfectly layer the “leaves,” but trust us. The result will definitely be worth it!

11. Pencil Holders

This one is plenty creative too. All of us are usually thinking about how to liven up our kids’ rooms and make them smile when they see the setup of their rooms. Moreover, it would be pretty cool if we could make studying more fun for them.

This is a solution we wouldn’t have guessed on our own! Just take your empty shampoo bottle and cut them into funny shapes. Then, add some googly eyes and a funny smile, and there you have it! A fun and quirky pencil holder.

12. Animal Planters

This one will surely make you incredibly happy and brighten up your house at the same time. We all have that little someone inside us who wants to grow plants and put those little pots throughout the house to add more greenery.

Cut off the upper part of your bottle in creative designs – maybe in the shape of a pair of long ears. Draw some cute animals, or whatever you want. After that, you’re ready to start planting to your heart’s desire.

13. Bird Feeder

This one will give you something to do with your plastic bottle and also help the birds at the same time. Birds are always flying around looking for yumminess. You can help them by making a bird feeder and feed them whenever you can.

Fill a bottle with birdseed. Then attach some wooden spoons or rods to it so that the birds can stand on it. Hang the bird feeder outside your house and watch as birds crowd around it to have a nice meal!

14. Bottle Cap Mosaic

We are back to using plastic bottles in a tricky and complicated way. This one will definitely require a person with a creative edge but trust us when we tell you that it will be more than worth it in the end.

Assemble a bunch of bottle caps on the wall or a board. You can take inspiration from this picture, or you can design something else. The plastic caps will find a permanent home and also make your walls look prettier!

15. Plastic Bottle Toy

Impressing your cat is pretty hard, especially when it prefers to lounge around your house all day doing nothing. Being the royal animals that they are, we usually wonder how to keep them occupied with some toy or the other.

You don’t need to think about it anymore because we know exactly how to handle such a situation. You can take a used plastic bottle and put small objects inside, and roll it around. The object inside the bottle will jingle and immediately incite your cat’s curiosity.

16. Plastic Bottle Keychain

Are you tired of juggling your multiple keys and don’t know how to arrange them? Or are you on the lookout for a pretty key chain that you want to organize your keys in? Just grab your plastic bottle and get to work then!

This might need some patience, but if you have the passion, you might end up with a pretty keychain that you can use yourself or gift to a special someone. We are sure the person will be touched when they receive a handmade gift.

17. Plastic Bottle Cake Jar

Have you seen those pretty cakes in a jar in the confectionery store? You might want to buy those jars, but who can afford that all the time? Now you can because you can make them right at home and enjoy all the cake you want!

Fill your container or bottle with cake! You will have cake in a jar. Okay, so you want to cut it if need be and add a ribbon and a bow to make it prettier as well. You can save it for dessert, or you can take it over to your friend’s house the next time you are invited over.

18. Bottle lights

You can use bottles to create beautiful light designs that will give your house a gorgeous glow. You can also place them in your bedrooms and living rooms and watch your guest’s eyes widen as they take in the beauty!

You can design your bottles as in the picture above. Cover your bottles with beautiful thread and just place small fairy lights inside them and hang them in your house. If you want, you can forego the thread and opt for paint.

19. Plastic Bottle Bowling Match

This is a fun one and pretty easy as well. Maybe it is raining outside, and your kid can’t play with their friends. Or maybe he is sick and doesn’t feel like going to the park. What do you do then to keep them occupied and entertained?

Arrange those empty bottles in a triangle. After that, encourage your child to play a bowling match with you. You’ll both have fun, and you get to spend some quality time with them. Maybe you can invite some of their friends too.

20. Plastic Bottle Broom

This one can save you some money, even if it will take a lot of patience. Who would have thought you could make a broom from old bottles?! Instead of buying one, you can use the plastic in your house to clean your house.

You can follow the picture above and make yourself a broom. It will be innovative and at the same time help you do something creative. And the irony that the plastic that damages the environment can actually clean your house is too delicious to ignore.

21. Piggy Bank

How did we all learn to save money? Yup, you remembered it right; we are talking about a piggy bank. Kids love that they can put their pocket money or gift money into them and take it out later to buy something fun!

All you have to do is cut a slit on one side. You can cover it with pretty colors and also add in a pair of ears. The cap is the nose, and there you have it! A personalized, homemade piggy bank.

22. Cup and Ball

Who doesn’t love a good cup-and-ball game? With the use of technology, the next generation may never know the joys of playing such an enjoyable game. But don’t worry, we have a way for you to interest your kids in this classic.

Color a bottle any way you want. We love the shark design shown above. Then attach a thread to it and connect it to a small ball (here, a small fish plushy). You can design it a million ways; the goal is to have fun!

23. Plant Wall

This one can be a group project for your kids and can even be encouraged in schools. You provide the children with a few bottles and ask them to turn them into tiny pots for your plants. But wait, that is not the end.

Then, ask the kids to hang the bottle planters on the wall of your house or the school in an orderly fashion. Soon, the wall will turn green with plants, and your wall will look that much fresher and prettier. Best of all? They will learn how to take care of plants as well!

24. Plastic Baskets

We have another DIY home accessory for you. This one can be used in multiple ways. You can take a number of plastic bottles and cut them in such a way that you can weave them into a basket. Use different bottle colors to jazz it up.

Make your basket as big as you want and keep your children’s toys, your clothes, kitchen utensils, and any other knick-knacks that you can think of tucked away. You can put these baskets all around the house and make your home more colorful!

25. Hanging Garden

We come back to you with another garden DIY made from bottles. Indeed, we have no shortage of sustainable gardening ideas that we love. This one doesn’t need a whole wall in the house, and you can hang it anywhere.

Like any planter, including the ones we’ve shown you, you get to choose the plants. But this time, don’t glue the planters to the wall; instead, string them up in several ways and hang them on your porch or the backyard.

26. Plastic Music Shakers

We all have a little performer inside of us who wants to break out into a song in the middle of the day. Some of us have a dancer within us as well who wants to dance their hearts out. It is fun to have an instrument in hand to make the experience better in situations like this.

Well, now you can have an instrument of your own. All you have to do is take a plastic bottle and fill it up with some small hard objects like buttons, beads, etc. and close the bottle close. Then when you shake them, you will have your own maracas! Or a baby rattle.

27. Plastic Bottle Bin

This one is really, really useful. And you can do it quite quickly as well. Make a giant (or medium-sized) trash can by gluing bottles together. Then you can dump all your garbage there. Also, try them out as laundry hampers.

If you want to use it for your own house, you can make it small, but if you want to perform service for your community, you can make a giant bin so that people from the neighborhood can throw their trash there as well.

28. Plastic Ottoman

This one might sound difficult, but it will bring you tons of comfort. You can use plastic bottles to make an ottoman! Yes, you can. We’re serious! Glue your bottles together and then cover them up with a cloth, so it makes a perfect ottoman, as shown below.

We can place the ottoman anywhere in your house but make sure that it is made with closely tied plastic bottles. We don’t want the ottoman to collapse when someone sits on it. Ensure you put something soft on top, like a cushion or package padding.

29. Watering Can

We are back to the gardening tricks, and this time, we have an easy one for you. We are sure you have plastic bottles or those huge detergent bottles in your house, and after you are done using them, you usually throw them away.

Make tiny holes on the cap, and then fill the bottle with water. After closing the lid, simply squeeze the water over your garden bed, and the small holes will help the water drizzle down like a mild spring rain.

30. Planter

Man, plastic bottles have a lot of uses in the garden department. For this one, you will grow a plant inside your bottle. You wouldn’t need to throw away the cut pieces or anything; we encourage you to use ’em all!

As shown in the picture above, you take a plastic bottle and cut them into two parts. After you put the soil and everything, you cover the upper part with the bottle and bam! You will have yourself a mini terrarium.

31. Plastic Jetpack

This one is for costume purposes only. Every year, we wonder what new costumes we can provide for our kids during Halloween or even the once in a while fancy dress competition at school. Well, now you can add another costume to the pile.

You can take two huge plastic water bottles and paint them silver. Then, you can stick them together and gift your kid the perfect fake jet-pack. Cut out fire made of felt to make it look real. Happy kids, happy you!

32. Plastic Vase

And the garden is calling us back again, but this time we are talking about making vases out of the plastic bottles or cups you have lying around your house. Refrain from tossing them out! This is our favorite hack on this list.

As you can see in the picture above, you can glue two cups together and wrap them in paper. Paint the whole thing in beautiful colors and you will have the prettiest vase. You can do it with a plastic bottle as well.

33. Cat Feeder

We have already talked about turning plastic bottles into a snack station for your dogs. Why should your cat be left behind? Cat lovers, we got you. We also have a way to feed your cat easily, and all you require are plastic bottles.

You will need two large plastic bottles for this project, and as shown, you can make a cheap and easy cat feeder. Your pet can eat anytime she wants, and we are sure you will get lots of cuddles for that.

34. Hanging Lights

This one is pretty similar to the lights we had mentioned somewhere above, but the lights’ setting might be a bit different. Taking a plastic bottle, you can hang them individually and treat them as overhead lamps. Sounds fancy, amiright?

This restaurant used plastic bottles as their light fixtures and covered each one with beautiful designs that give it a very chic but cozy look. You can recreate this look with wicker, twine, yarn – whatever you fancy. We dig it!!

35. Christmas Decorations

We have another Christmas-themed DIY for you. We have already shown you how you can make Christmas trees out of plastic bottles, but now we will show you how you can make beautiful Christmas decorations out of the bubbly bottoms!

Cut the bottoms off and paint them so that they look like flowers or pretty snowflakes. Then, attach some tiny rings to them, and you will have pretty snowflake/flower decorations to hang on your Christmas tree made of upcycled plastic.

36. Garage Storage

Some of us have dads who are obsessed with their garages. They do different things in there, ranging from woodwork to electrical work. It is their own personal space. But with their hobbies come different supplies that they always need handy.

In such a case, why don’t you surprise your dad by building him garage storage where he can store all the supplies that he requires for his work? All you need are a nice stash of plastic containers, and you can easily make your dad’s life a lot easier!

37. Utensil Holder

If you can make storage for your father, then you certainly can’t leave your mom behind! For those of us whose mothers love cooking, they are usually so busy running around the kitchen that they might misplace their most-needed utensils.

We have the solution. You can take a plastic bottle and cut the upper part off. Hang it from a hook in your kitchen, and your mother can very easily put her utensils in the bottle, knowing where she can find them if she needs them!

38. Plastic Watering Containers

Suppose you need to go on a holiday or out of town in an emergency and you can’t find anyone to water your plants while you are gone. No need to worry because now your old bottles will come to your rescue and help keep your plants alive.

Fill as many water bottles as you have planters with water. Place them in the soil as shown, and your plants will remain hydrated until you come back from your vacation or trip. An easy solution to an otherwise worrisome situation!

39. Plastic Garden Hedgehogs

This one is cute as heck and will make your garden so unique. Yes, we are back to the garden tricks again. But this one has nothing to do with plants but instead shows you how you can decorate your garden. And it includes making adorable animals.

Wrap a bottle with some colorful ropes or string. You draw eyes on the bottle and make the cap the mouth. After that, put some plant bits on the body, and you have a cute hedgehog that can live in your garden.

40. Smiley Face Succulent

This one is cute and will serve as a great gift to give somebody as a housewarming present. What we are talking about is a smiley face succulent. You’ve never heard of it? You can Google it! It is awesome.

But you can make these succulents on your own. Just take a plastic bottle and cut off the top. Next, draw a smiley face and plant a small flower there. When done, you have a present to give your next-door neighbor when you go to say hi!