How to Upcycle your Leonista Bottles

Upcycling is a great way to take something that’s considered waste and repurpose it in an attempt to reduce one's footprint, give something a second life and increase its value.

Once you have finished your bottle of Leonista, you can remove the tops of the bottle to create a variety of things such as pot plants, candles and holders for stationery. There are a couple of methods to remove the tops, ranging from a glass cutter, tile cutter, dremel tool and even using Acetone – nail polish remover and string. We teamed up with one of our favourite bartenders from Cause Effect, Matthew Cox, to show you how to use a bottle cutter. 

ESSENTIALS

• Bottle(s) of Leonista and/or your choice
• Bottle Cutter
• 2 x large pots
• Stove
• Lots of ice

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

(anything that you would like to decorate it with)

• Soil
• Plants
• Candle Wax
• Pebbles

BOTTLE CUTTER

"The bottle cutter I used is from Perfect Laser and can be purchased via Takealot. It can also be used for things such as flower vases, candle holders, drinking glasses, pendant lights and more."

STEP 1:
Mark the cutting line of the bottle according to placement of the label, note it can only be done on a flat surface and not on a curved edge of the bottle.

STEP 2:
Rotate the cutter around the bottle, one 360 degree motion will do. Make sure to be accurate to ensure a smooth cut.

STEP 3:
Place the bottle upside down in boiling water for 15 seconds, only submerging the bottle from below the cut line.

STEP 4:
Immediately place the bottle in the same upside-down position into ice cold water and gently rotate it. At this point, the bottle should separate into 2 pieces. If not, repeat step 3 and 4.

STEP 5:
If necessary, sand the bottle to smoothen out the edges.

 STEP 6:

Decorate your bottle as you please and enjoy! We'd love to see what other ideas you have so feel free to tag us on social media or send us a comment below.