Prop Up Your Books in Style: Paint and Modge Podge a Wine Bottle Bookend

These handcrafted wine bottles can serve as one-of-a-kind bookends. Each bottle is unique in its design. While holding up books is one of the practical uses for this product, you can also display these bottles as decorative items in kitchens, bedrooms, dining areas, etc. I like how this product looks sitting on my bar cart and propping up my odd collection of books. When done displaying your bottle, grab a good book and open your bottle for a couple of glasses of wine.

Supplies

• A pack of patterned, decorative napkins of your choice
• Good places to find these napkins also include HomeGoods and T.J. Maxx
• White acrylic paint
• You could use another color of paint as well, but white typically looks the best
• A paintbrush
• A roll of painter's tape
• Modge Podge
• Something to squirt your paint onto (i.e., a paint palette or paper plate)
• Scissors
• A wine bottle or another kind of bottle with alcohol in it, but make sure you like the label because that will be what is uncovered by the paint and napkin cutouts
• Here are the bottles I have used: [Yellow Tail], Barefoot, and Da Vinci

Step 1: Tape the Bottle

Use the painter's tape to wrap around the neck of the bottle. This will make sure that paint does not get on the neck of the bottle and that there is a clear edge where the neck and the shoulder of the bottle meet. You can also tape the label if you choose.

**Reference the anatomy of a wine bottle.

Step 2: Paint the Base

Use the white paint and paintbrush to paint your bottle. It will take several coats to get your desired opacity (I did four coats for this bottle). Having a good base is important to ensure you cannot see through to the contents of the bottle.

Pro-tip: the paint will paint on more smoothly if you let it dry between each coat. The bottle should not be tacky to the touch.

Step 3: Let the Base Dry

Wait for the paint to dry completely. Then, remove the painter's tape on the neck of your bottle.

Pro-tip: use a hairdryer to speed up the drying process.

Step 4: Cut Your Napkins

Use the scissors to cut out whatever design you have on your napkins. You will notice that larger patterns or images are much easier to cut out -- if you struggle to cut precisely, choosing napkins with larger images may be the best move for you.

Patterns I have used: butterflies, large shells, small shells, hydrangeas. Out of these patterns, the hydrangeas were the easiest to cut out well.

Step 5: Paste Your Napkin Cutouts

Paint Modge Podge onto your napkin cutouts with your paintbrush, and place and paste your cutouts as you please. Do your best to ensure no creases are in your napkin cutouts when you paste them to achieve the best look.

Pro-tip: though the cutouts do not have to cover the entire surface of the bottle, place the cutouts over any imperfections you have on your base.

Step 6: Let Dry and Use

Let dry completely & then use it to prop up your books! You can utilize the hairdryer again to speed up the drying process if you so desire. Make sure the Modge Podge is completely dry because it will stick to whatever rubs up against it if not.