Dragons’ Den star says ‘don’t bin wine bottles’ – do this instead

In the age of recycling, a TV star has come up with a way of reusing empty wine bottles without the need to bin them.

Dragons’ Den‘s Sara Davies took to TikTok to reveal how you can “pimp up” up your bottles to create a stunning ornament for the home. “If you’re anything like me then you’ll probably have a load of these in the recycling,” she began.

Instead, however, Sara suggests soaking off each bottle’s label to create a clean surface to work on. Once dried, she got to work. “I just used some spray paint to create a nice base of white, and then you can start to get fancy,” she explained.

The Dragon opted for a deep shade of blue, applying acrylic paint to to the upper half a bottle, deliberately creating an uneven transition into the white. “Once that dried, I took it to the next level with gilding flakes!” Sara continued. “It just gives a wonderful bit of sparkle.”

Sara then applied the silver gilding flakes, advising: “Remember, you’ll need special glue to make the gilding flakes stick.” She then showcased how to turn her designs into centrepieces.

Taking wild flowers from a bouquet, she inserted them into the bottle, declaring: “I think they look super cute. You can have them around the house and at the front door – they make lovely little ornaments.”

Impressed, one TikTok user penned in response: “I love those bottles, this is the stuff of inspiration, thank you! Now i can spend hours in my retirement creating beautiful art!”

“Love this,” added a second. “I decopaged mine and was really proud of myself.” Whilst a third recalled her technique: “I dripped loads of different coloured candle wax down two bottles like we used to do at school and put candles in each one at Christmas for my table and the nostalgia hit me like a ton of bricks.”

Sara is currently back on TV with her new BBC series The Big Idea Works. Touted as a blend of Dragons’ Den’s investment savvy and The Repair Shop’s inventive repair magic, Sara, alongside a crack team of engineers, brings to life the dreams of hopeful inventors.

Among the ingenious creations featured are a “sugar pen” for detecting drink sugar levels, an innovative mess-free bird feeder, and a pillow designed to quell snoring. The 16-episode show began on February 2.