Now that Canada's favourite excuse to day-drink has passed, it's time to rid your party pad of the lingering empties. And thanks to this glass-cutting tutorial, with each leftover liquor bottle you've got three repurposing options. So instead of surrendering your six packs to the recycling bin, upcycle those bottles into vases, candleholders or glassware for the next summer soiree.

What you need:

- liquor bottles

- nail polish remover

- emery boards or sandpaper

- wool

- matches

Glass cutting how-to

WARNING: This tutorial deals with sharp glass and flame, so proceed with extreme caution. Don't worry, it

is simple and even an unco-ordinated individual like myself didn't have any problems, but

I still had my grandmother supervise, just in case.

a. Fill a sink with ice cubes and cold water, the colder the better.

b. Wrap and tie wool around a clean glass bottle four or five times where you want the glass to be cut.

c. Remove wool and soak in nail polish remover. The lid is a great spot for this.

d. Slide soaked wool loop back onto bottle.

e. Hold the bottle, tilting the bottom up a bit, over the sink and light wool on fire.

f. Hold the bottle at the end and rotate it slowly, letting the flame burn evenly around the bottle. Keep rotating until the flame goes out (about 30 seconds).

g. After the flame is out, dunk the bottle in the ice-water and watch the bottom pop off.

h. Lastly, sand the sharp glass edges with several emery boards or a piece of sandpaper to ensure no one cuts themself on your new set of cups or candleholders.

I found this video tutorial very helpful, should you need to see it before you try it.

Call for submissions

Every week, Julia Dilworth's DIY File features do-it-yourself projects, big and small. To submit a project or send photos of your DIY attempts, email julia.dilworth[at]sunmedia.ca.

You can also find her on Twitter at @JuliaDilworth