Having gained an hour of daylight, I feel like the rapid descent into complete winter gloom has slowed somewhat. At least when the cocktail hour arrives I won’t be groping around in the dark for a light switch in order to find the cork screw. For now. But I have to admit that increasingly dark days tend to inspire a certain nostalgia for curling up with a cozy throw and a glass of wine in the company of my guy or a good friend, or both. Conversation may lean towards solving the world’s problems or simply having a laugh over the day’s events.
Inevitably, however, as November dissolves into December and the days become shockingly short, I start to wonder whatever are we going to do with all these empty wine bottles?
Glass in the garden
Over the years, as I’ve toured around other people’s gardens, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are lots of other people out there with the same challenge and they’ve all dealt with the issue in wonderfully creative ways.
Some people go the simple, straightforward route–sticking an empty bottle over the top of a broken stem or branch. Easy peasy. From a distance, shrubs bedecked with bottles can twinkle delightfully in the sunlight.
They can serve a dual purpose, too, adding some colour and sparkle while also lessening the chances of someone accidentally getting their eye poked by a sharp, broken branch. Win, win.
Of course, the brilliantly coloured glass alone can be a compelling inspiration.
DIY sculptures
Clearly, blue glass bottles are popular and there’s no denying their appeal. Set amidst a backdrop of sun-drenched shrubbery and grasses, they positively glow. In fact, I first spotted this homemade front-yard garden decor, below, because an eerie blue light caught my eye from a block away. My friend and I were taking a stroll through her neighbourhood in Gananoque, ON, and I just had to know what that blue light was all about.
When you have lots of bottles and time
This water fountain seen below was attached to a restaurant on the lovely island of Sanibel in Florida. I say “was” because there’s a good chance it doesn’t exist any more after the devastation of Hurricane Ian. I love how the shards of colourful tile sets off the deep blue bottles.
And then there’s this garden structure created by a couple in Buffalo, NY, with loads of imagination and bottles. Evidently, they worked on the project for a year, using wine bottles of various colours as well as bottles for other alcohol beverages including clear, square-shaped Jack Daniels bottles.
They’re project was so eye-catching (they light it up at night) that it made the local news.
It’s going to be a long winter. All the better to amass your own bottle collection. Just think of the possibilities.