St. Paddy’s Day is the green gift that keeps on giving. Empty beer, wine and spirit bottles left over from the weekend’s shenanigans are not just vestiges of a hard-earned hangover, but eco-friendly fodder for interior decor.

Whether you go with pretty pastels or masculine metals, a few coats of paint transform these mixed recyclables into green-friendly home accents that are easy on the eyes and on the wallet.

DIY liquor bottle makeover

Materials:

• acrylic primer
• acrylic paint or spray paint

How-to:

1. Round up bottles and soak them in warm, soapy water. These bottles sat for about 20 minutes and some labels came right off, others I had to scratch off with my nails. Luck of the Irish.

2. To remove the glue residue, I alternated between using WD-40 and a soapy scrubber. Let the bottles dry fully.

3. It’s not necessary for every stitch of label glue to be off the bottles, you just might have to use more coats of paint to get the final look you want.

4. When the cleaned bottles are completely dry, paint at least one layer of acrylic primer on them.

5. Note: You can stop right here if you want, a dry-brushed primer gives a cool shabby-chic, textured look (see close-up photo).

6. To colour your bottles, use acrylic paints or spray paints. Regular paint will be less smooth and even (I only used acrylic paints), but both work fine.

7. Let the bottles dry between coats.

8. Optional: When you’re happy with the colour, coat with an acrylic sealer to make the paint last longer.

Do you DIY? Email project submissions at julia.dilworth[at]sunmedia.ca

Find Julia on Twitter @JuliaDilworth