Usually the most terrifying thing about wine is when you run out of it. Well, that or the cost. But come Halloween time (and take a look around, folks, pumpkin beer is here, candy corn is soon to follow), there’s a surprising number of things you can do to transform your formerly pleasant bottle of wine into some entirely unpleasant Halloween décor.
Even if you don’t plan on getting into your Halloween crafting just yet, it’s never too early to start planning. Pick a project you like and spend the month of September putting together supplies. Meaning, yes, a trip to the craft store, but you’ll also need to — somehow — pull together a few empty bottles of wine. We’ll let you figure out how to secure those materials.
Halloween Wine Bottle Lamp from TattooedMartha.com
We’ve put lights in a wine bottle before, but this may well be the coolest use. And it’s super-easy. You just need a strand of orange lights, some Halloweeny gauze, and fake (ideally) spiders.
Wine Bottle Witch from TipsyTotes.com
Talk about witchcraft, right? OK, we’ll take that back, for now. Also, this isn’t a craft, it’s for sale —but we figure if you get some black felt and finagle a witch’s hat (we just so happened to find some easy instructions here; just don’t make the whole garland), you can turn any bottle of wine into a wicked, cackling witch.
Poison Wine Bottle from CathieFilian.blogspot.com
A bit of a shopping list for this one, but nothing you can’t find at the craft store, and then it’s mostly about applying creepy stuff to the outside of the bottle. What better way to up the naughtiness of pouring yourself a glass of deep red wine?
Cork Skeleton from CrackofDawnCrafts.blogspot.com
Considering the fairly complex anatomy of the cork skeleton, you gotta be kind of a crafts aficionado — or just really patient — to put this jangly creeper together. You also have to drink 11 bottles of wine and one bottle of Champagne (for his head). Share, of course. Nothing scarier than a hangover.
Wine Cork Spider from HousingaForest.com
So you’re not actually ending up with a wine cork as spider here. Instead, you’re using wine corks to stamp spider bodies onto some craft paper, and then it’s up to you to add googly eyes and creepy-crawly legs. A great craft to do with kids, actually. As long as they’re not terrified of spiders.
Creepy Candles from SandraLee.com
The major equipment here is just a handful of wine bottles, black spray paint, and special dripping candles (if you want to get a quick, super-drippy effect). Your call whether you want to label them with really depressing words like “Despair,” “Sorrow,” and “Spite.”
Halloween Wine Glass Candle Holders from TheKeeperoftheCheerios.com
Achieve your Halloween #squadgoals with some wine glasses, sparkle paint, and a little felt. Just remember not to use your good wine glasses unless you want someone to really scream. Dollar store glasses are recommended.
Doll Head Bottle Stoppers from CollegeHumor.com
OK, so this one comes with no instruction, but the premise is pretty simple, as long as you’re willing to purchase and decapitate several of the creepiest-looking dolls you can find. Then just hot glue them to some basic cork stoppers, or plain old corks, and sit back and wait for the ceaseless nightmares to kick in.
Elixir the Zombie Wine Bottle Holder
Not at all a craft, but if you’re looking to combine wine, crafting, and fear this Halloween season, you might as well be storing your bottles in the fleshy, undead arm of this toothy, lipless champion.
Header image via CrackofDawnCrafts.blogspot.com