If you’ve been following the blog for a while you may know that we break a lot of wine glasses and we don’t even drink wine ;-) It’s always easy to find a way to repurpose the glass portion. You can turn them into a unique “sands of time” inspired hourglass or a fairy garden cloche. The stems, on the other hand, are another thing entirely. We’ve used them before to make lovely hand-crafted vases and these eco-friendly coconut planters, which make great hostess gifts BTW ;-) But I have a few more in our upcycle stash, so I thought I’d share another idea with you all. Using those stems to make these elegant and oh so gorgeous wine glass stem planters.

Don’t they look so chic? IMHO the wine glass stems give those ceramic mugs a whole new classy vibe. These ones will be going down to our holiday home so we added faux succulents. It just makes life easier.

You can plant the real thing too. Just make sure to drill a few drainage holes before putting everything together. Okay, before we get to the tutorial, please do us a favor and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!
What you need
I found these lovely mugs ceramic vessels at the thrift store a while back.

I’m not sure what they’re used for, but I loved the pattern and size, and I only paid $5 for them, so I didn’t even think twice about adding them to my stash of “one day when” projects ;-) You can use teacups, coffee cups, or any pretty vessel for this repurpose and the stem from a wine glass. If you don’t have a bunch of crazy friends that break wine glasses, this quick video will show you just how easy it is to cut the stem off a wine glass.
You’ll also need the following:
- 60 grit sandpaper
- Suitable plants
- Loctite Ultra Gel Control Super Glue
If you can’t find Loctite, any glue that dries clear, quickly, and says glass or ceramic on the instructions will work.

You can also use Welbond and E6000, but they take longer to dry, which is no fun at all :D
How to make classy wine glass stem planters
This is a seriously easy repurpose idea. Just a heads up; you do need a little patience, but it’s totally worth it. Let’s get started. Mark the middle of each mug or teacup you’ll be using for the planters.

Use wet 60-grit sandpaper to roughen the marked area up. Wetting the sandpaper first helps keep the fine glass and ceramic dust away. Do the same to the top of the wine stems to even them out. This step is really important. We’ll be gluing two non-porous surfaces together, and they need that rough area to grip onto. If you’ll be planting real succulents, now’s the time to drill a few drainage holes in the bottom of the vestibules or teacups.

Put a dollop of super glue on the wine glass stem and the bottom center of the mugs or teacups and press the two together firmly. You need to be patient and hold the stems in place while the glue sets. Fortunately, instant glue only takes a minute to set fully. Make sure that the stem is level and in the middle. If they’re stuck together, and you find your wine glass stem planter is a bit lopsided, use gentle force to pry them apart, sand, and glue again.

Once the first dollop of glue dries, add a crapload more glue. Since these planters will be going to our holiday home, I wanted to make very sure the stems wouldn’t fall off. You never know what your guest will get up to when they’re on a break ;-)
Adding some greenery
I would have loved to add real succulents from our ever-growing collection. Sadly while succulents are low maintenance, they do need watering on the odd occasion, and we only go down to the coast once a year. So fake it is.

To add the faux succulents, fill the planters with some florist foam and top it up with some pebbles or glass beads. Florist foam is really light, which helps make the wine glass stem planters less top-heavy.

Add the succulents and ………..

….. the repurposed wine glass stem planters are all done :D

Classy, and elegant with a touch of drama always works for me.

Does it work for you too?


If you like the idea of repurposing a broken wine glass stem into a planter, don’t forget to pin for later.

Sharing is caring ?

More broken wine glass tutorials
- If you can’t find a ceramic cup or you prefer a natural planter, you can make something similar using coconuts.
- Those broken stems are also perfect for creating a dreamy, upcycled candle holder.
- On the odd occasion when the stem breaks and you’re left with a stemless wine glass, these tutorials will show you how you can upcycle the bowl
Oh, and if you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered. Disclosure: Clicking on the links below means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry, it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us make more amazing crafts to share with you ;-)
And if you prefer to buy unique succulent planters rather than DIY, then maybe these beauties will appeal.
And as always, wishing you a wonderful, crafty week filled with lots of love. Thank you for popping in for a visit.

28 comments
Instead of breaking perfectly good wine glasses. (I’m a wine lover!) How about using some glass candle holders. You can pick them up from your local thrift store for next to nothing. And, you save a wine glass!!!
I did consider using plain glasses but they were all too flat bottomed (if that makes sense) for the candlesticks, but I’ll keep my eyes open for them. We can’t mess with our wine-loving friends drinking glasses ;-)
These are really cute, Michelle and I love the boho vibe. Like after seeing the coconut ones, I’m feeling inclined to have a few wine glass oops.
Go for it, Marie and invite some friends so you have a few to spare ;-)
So clever, Michelle! And such a great repurposing project. Thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome Marty ❤
This is an excellent idea and oh so clever! Pinned to my upcycle board.
Thanks so much, Allyson. I really appreciate that
Love how you used these wine glasses as planters! Such a fun idea, and they really turned out beautifully!!
Thanks so much Lori, I really appreciate that
I’m always looking to add height to my indoor planters. Great idea!
The wine glass stems are a great way to do that, as long as the cup thingy isn’t too top-heavy
What a cute idea, very resourceful. I love your little planters.
Thank you, Claire. I love them too.
Great project! I love a good upcycle and this one is great.
Have a great day,
Kippi
Thanks so much, Kippi.
Michelle, you are a genius. I have wine stem in a drawer because they were too pretty to throw away. Your creations are beautiful and now u know what I am going to do with my wine stems! Thank you ?
Ooooooo I’m so happy to hear that Deana. Have fun repurposing your wine glass stems
I love seeing your creative re-purposing ideas! You have such unique taste. These would be darling gifts that anyone can make. Thanks for the inspiration!
Awwww Meegan, right back at you. I love your unique projects too. The typewriter planter is still on my “must do” list
I love this idea! Pinned!
Thanks Maria, I’m so glad you like them.
They DO look so chic! I’ll definitely pin this because we are guilty of breaking far too many stems around here.
LOL, I know what you mean Janet. Our friends enjoy a glass of wine, but they always seem to knock them over when the bottle is half empty.
Your planters are just the cutest, what a clever upcycle. I think I need to go and brake some wine glasses. I remember your coconut ones they were awesome too.
Thanks so much Anita. Have fun breaking the wine glasses but make sure you empty them first. Otherwise, it’s such a waste ;-)
Those are beautiful! I love the idea of giving planters some height!
Me too Sara. Luckily we had stems of different heights to play around with.