With Autumn and Winter just around the corner and the days getting shorter, many of us are retreating back inside and picking up our more indoors-y hobbies once again. Whether that’s knitting, painting or just creating, there are a number of ways that glass bottles can be used in your artsy afternoons!

Home Décor Ideas
Glass bottles come in many shapes, statures and sizes and can be an easy way to add a bit of an aesthetic edge to a room. Opt for an interesting shaped bottle such as a curvy one, a globed one or even a milk bottle for a table centre piece, windowsill ornament or even for use in a display cabinet. There are a number of ways you can turn this glass bottle into something visually striking which could include layering coloured sands inside, painting the outside of the bottle with layered colours or even decoupaging images to it. The great thing about glass is that if you go wrong, you can easily erase and start again.

Bathroom Favours
If you’re the sort of person who likes to gift practical crafts, then why not try your hand at some aromatherapy style crafts using glass bottles? Whether it’s mixing up your favourite blend of essential oils to use in a burner or layering bath salts for a colourful bathside ornament, there are a range of glass bottles to suit. Aromatherapy bottles are smaller in size and are amber in colour, making them ideal for holding clear liquids that may not be the best for display purposes, where as clear glass bottles are suited to hold more colourful items and can instantly add a splash of brightness to a room.
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Kitchen Kings
It goes without saying, but glass bottles crafts for the kitchen are some of the easiest. Whether it’s creating a beautifully infused bottle of oil using chilli, vinegar or even root vegetables, creating a visual piece that is practical is simple! 

It’s never too early to start prepping for Christmas particularly if you’re the sort of person that likes to give homemade gifts or get ahead of the game before December rolls around. With winter now officially in action and the indoors being a comfortable retreat from the cold weather, there’s no better time to get started on your gifts and this blog has some ideas for using mini milk bottles.

Get Boozy
Christmas is a time associated with a bit of indulgence and alcoholic gifts are some of the easiest to make and some of the most well received, not to mention trendy. Just about any alcohol can be infused with flavours of your choosing and then stored in a mini milk bottle and decorated with ribbon, labels or even some festive tinsel. Simply select a spirit, add flavourings such as fruit rind, sugars, herbs and spices and leave to infuse for around 4 weeks, shaking every so often. Then either strain these out or leave them inside for a more visual gift.

Juice it Up
Know someone who is always on the January health kick? If you want to give a healthier option, juices and immune boosting home made cordials are a great alternative to alcohol. Ginger and lemon cordial are simple to make and has many health benefits and can be taken as a wellness shot or diluted with water for a refreshing drink. Boil ginger and lemons with a tiny bit of sugar or sweetener and some water and boil rapidly for about 15 minutes. Strain into a mini milk bottle and wrap ready for the big day.
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Sweet Surprises
Mini milk bottles make quirky containers for holding gifts besides liquids and can be used for small sweets to gift to children or someone with a particular sweet tooth. Being clear, you can layer different colours of sweet for an aesthetically pleasing design or even try and replicate a popular drink brand in the container! For example, you could fill one with orange smarties for someone who like Iron-Bru.

Gardening season is slowly starting to wind down and as we get ready to overwinter some crops, tidy out the greenhouse and prepare for frosts, some of the most delicious fruits and vegetables are just coming into their best. Autumn is well known for many British staples which can be turned into some truly delicious foods. We’ve put together some of our favourite autumn recipes to use up any gluts you might have at this time of year.

Apple Chutney
You can’t beat an apple chutney on a cheese board, smeared across a sandwich or even just straight on a cracker and with a variety of apples in season, you can make any variation you like. Start with a kilo of apples, 750g of light muscovado sugar, 2 medium onions, 500g of raisins, 2 tsp of ginger, 2 tsp of mustard seeds, 700ml of cider vinegar and a tsp of salt and add to a pan over a high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil before turning down to a medium heat and simmering uncovered for about 35 minutes. Once ready, add to your sterilised glass jars and eat or store.

Pickled Fennel
Fennel is a delicious flavour that tastes great in pasta, on pizza, on sandwiches or in salads and you can preserve it in a pickling solution so that you have it on hand at all times. Simply add vinegar, sugar, salt and spice of your choosing to a pan over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, and the spices are aromatic. Then, prep your fennel by chopping it into pieces and layering into a glass jar of any size. Pour over the pickling solution and then leave for a minimum of 4 hours to infuse.
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Pesto-ed Herbs
It can be harder to grow herbs in the colder months if you don’t already have an established plant, so using those that you do have to make pesto means you can add them to cooking all year round. You can use just about any herbs to make pesto, simply add them to a blender with pine nuts, parmesan cheese and olive oil and blitz into a smooth paste.