For my son’s Milk & Cookies party, I really wanted glass milk bottles. I adored all the cute parties from my inspiration board, but when I looked into buying some I was not so excited about the price + shipping. I figured there must be an alternative. I wanted enough glass bottles for all the guests without breaking the bank.
I decided to turn to the grocery store for options. I found the Starbucks Frappuccino bottles were closest to the look I was after. The store brand was a little bit cheaper, but the bottles were round and did not have the square milk bottle look. The Starbucks bottles were $5.99 for 4. Since I bought them local there was no shipping. Each bottle cost about a $1.50 and came filled with frappuccino :)
I bought one pack to experiment with. I wanted to make sure I could remove all the labels, the goo, and any other markings. I was so happy they came out perfectly clean. I went back and bought 3 more packs. I now have a set of 16 milk bottles in my party stash. They were a wonderful novelty for the milk and cookies party, but I know they will be great for future parties too. I also kept all the lids in case I want to paint them to use for a future party.
You are probably wondering what we did with all the Frappuccino…we drank it, sort of. We actually poured it out into another container and then served it at the milk and cookies party in a beverage dispenser. The adults loved the caffeine option. After the party we moved the beverage dispenser into the fridge and had frappuccino on tap for a week :)
Click Here for the EASY STEPS to Remove the Labels and Use by Date
I recently did this, too! Love the look of glass :)
I love this idea! So cute! :)
I love looking at the store for interesting bottles and think you scored a perfect solution.
Super cute party idea! I save all of those bottles. I love them!
GREAT idea!! Another one of those why-didn’t-I-think-of-that party solutions. So precious.
No elbow grease is necessary to remove all that adhesive. It comes right off (along with the date) with some 100% acetone nail polish remover from the dollar store. I use it all the time! My Frap bottles are now doing storage duty for my homemade sauces and salad dressings! I love ’em to pieces!
you don’t have to soak them…just run under hot water & the labels pull right off. you can then use the labels under the running water to dab off any excess stickness. i used acetone to take the laser printing off.
then i put them in the dishwasher caps and all.
now i’ve been trying to figure out some good ideas for the holidays to use these…
Love it, love it, love it! My daughter is having her daughter’s birthday party in November. We are ordering the paper straws and she also wanted the milk bottles but they are too pricey. We may try this! Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi There!
I made these for my baby’s blessing brunch a few weeks ago. The directions you gave were so easy to follow!
I blogged about your idea and gave your website address on my blog today. Here is the link: http://pojofitness.blogspot.com/2011/10/pinterest-recreation-linky-party.html
Thanks for saving me some money and for the great idea!
Liz,
Thanks for sharing, The brunch turned out beautiful!
Can’t wait to do this for my little girls first birthday!!
They remind me of the milk bottles from my primary school back in the 1990s – only larger as the school ones were 189ml. I have a collection of them at home.
Great idea and awesome website! I love this idea! Thanks for the hints!
I discovered our local Asian grocery store has a yogurt drink in glass milk bottles for $1! And I’ve gotten the label goo off pretty well using a magic eraser!
I’m going to be using them for a Valentine’s Day tea party :)
Such a great idea! Thank you for sharing. I will definitely be doing this for my daughter’s birthday!
Seriously… Brilliant!
OMG! This is such a great and simple idea! Thank you so much for this post!!!!! I am throwing a tea party birthday party next month and until then, I plan on being super productive while chugging my starbucks hehe :) Love this!! and thanks again! :)
You’re a genius! I vae been wanting these for my daughter’s fairy party but was finding it hard to cough up about $45.00 for glass jars that I will likely only use once. Thanks so much!
Where did you get the bottles that are holding the different flavors of milk? I am wanting to use this idea for my daughters birthday also.
The carafes with the blue lids are from Target. I believe they were $5 each. I preferred these carafes, because they are lightweight plastic.
Awesome idea. I used this at a recent party. We had a few toddlers there so I had my hubby punch a straw hole in some the lids, screwed them on and didn’t have to worry about any tip-overs :)
Great idea! I’ve repurposed other bottles, but I never though of making “milk bottles”. So cute for a children’s birthday party.
hi, this is such a cute idea. where did you get the straws? ive seen them before and for some reason cannot remember where!
Vicki,
I got yellow and grey striped straws online at Sweet Lulu.
thanks so much never heard of this website but im officially obsessed! loved everything on here!!!!
Etsy is another option for finding straws. I have purchased the paper straws a number of times.
this is a great idea – my teenage sons love this with “bendy” straws. go figure- easy way to get exp. date off is with Goof Off – comes right off – No elbow grease involved. Just be sure to turn on fan and open a window.
Does anyone know were I can get the beverage container she used for the milk and frap?
Kelley, the plastic carafes and white beverage dispenser are from Target. The yellow tub was from Walmart.
Jackie, I jazzed up some of the Starbucks bottles with a little Scrapbook paper and hot glue. It comes off fairly easy and then I’ll save them for another party. I also made a hole in the lid for the straw. Here’s a picture http://pinterest.com/pin/172825704420003219/
Lesley, they look so cute! I will be sharing in my next reader roundup!
I did this for my nephew’s 6th party (thanks for the idea) and after experimenting several different ways of cleaning, I put them in the dishwasher with the labels on. After going through the cycle, the labels came off with no residue what so ever. I used a scrubbie to take the date off the bottle. It was so quick and easy.
I was going to actually order and pay for these bottles. So glad I came across your site. You just saved me some $$$! Thanks :)
I’ve wanted to do this for some time. Thanks for posting the tutorial! BTW – where did you get the milk carafes that you put on ice?
The milk carafes are from Target. I always see them on the end caps with seasonal stuff near the dishes. They are plastic and only $5 each.
FYI – you can get 12 Frappacino drinks in a pack at Sam’s Club for $11.88. So this project can be done for under a buck a bottle!
I found your site on a search of inexpensive milk bottles (which apparently don’t exist.) This is a great solution, now to find someone who drinks frappuchinos and steal their bottles.
i believe a little rubbing alcohol would take the “use by” date off with a lot less effort.
A white eraser will get all the goo and printing off in just seconds! :)
I have been using these bottles to send milk and juice in my husbands lunch for several years. I clean and dry the inside of the lids, and paint them with clear nail polish. This prevents rust from building up inside.
FYI: Goo Gone gets off ANY kind of adhesive. Almost not elbow grease needed. I use it all the time.
An easier way to take off the printed use by date is to use rubbing alcohol (personally, I used 70%. Not sure if it comes in any other percentages). It takes the ink off easily. However, it doesn’t make the adhesive come off any easier.
Just wanted to say thanks – just got done clearing off 50 of these bottles for an upcoming bridal shower. With your instructions, I didn’t have ONE problem. Thank you so much!! :)
Great idea to use the Starbucks Frappuccino bottles. I plan to use this idea for my baby shower! FYI, you can also purchase the bottles by the case (12) at Costco for like $17. Thanks again for the tip!
I did this as well! Great minds think alike ;) I have a few little tips on getting the label goo off. I soaked each empty bottle for a bit in HOT water, then dumped them out and wiped the outside dry. While the glass is still warm, gently peel the label off. Go slow. If there is goo left behind use the peeled off label. Press the sticky side to the goo and it will peel off. Then I used two swipes of super fine “00” steal wool to take off the use by date. It does not scratch the glass. Easy peezy! Great post lady!!
oops, that was “0000” steal wool. The finest you can get. Also great for polishing the lids to a shinny silver after you strip the paint off.
What a great idea! Sticker/Label residue or adhesive usually comes off with rubbing alcohol as well. :) I usually just grab a paper towel and scrub it with my finger nails a little and the rubbing alcohol takes it right off..
What a great idea and thanks for the tutorial. Now I’m wondering where you got the bigger sized bottles (more like jugs) for the drinks themselves(?). They look like reused orange juice containers, but I could be wrong…
Meliha, The larger “jugs” with blue lids are actually plastic carafes from Target.
Thanks for the info…will definitely check it out. Really loved your tutorial…thanks.
You just saved my life,Thanks!!! ;)
I asked on fb for anyone who drank but didnt keep these bottles and I have several bottles and was wounding about what could i give in the for Christmas any suggestion :) thanks
Yavonna, I think it would be fun to fill them with small candies. Another option would be to include the right amount of cocoa powder, mini marshmallows, and crushed up candy canes. On the bottle you could put a label telling them to pour in hot water or milk to make a hot chocolate. Since hot chocolate would be hot, you could make a little felt sleeve for the bottle. Tie on a pretty striped paper straw. If you have any crafters on your Christmas list, give them a set of three bottles filled with an assortment of embellishments.
Hope one of these ideas helps you. Great idea to crowd-source the collection of the bottles!
Thank you so much for the idea!!! I never would have thought of using those bottles, I’m planning a milk and cookies for my son’s second birthday in October and was about to shell out about $3 per bottle. And I was planning on serving coffee for the grown-ups so I love this idea.
Costco usually has these for sale in bulk so I will plan to buy them there.
In the interest of saving others time and frustration…. I would like to advise not skipping the soaking step! I thought “Hmmm… my water is super hot. I’ll just peel off these labels after a minute under the faucet!” Well, they came off, but left a lot of stickiness. I then tried soap, nail polish remover, magic eraser and, in desperation, soaking the bottles, but I finally had to break down and just use 10 minutes of elbow grease (and a combination of soaking, scrubee and magic eraser) per bottle. I think if I had soaked them first a lot more of the stickiness would have come off with the label!
Oh so slick. Im going to do this for my daughters zebra/pink pattern birthday, with black and white paper straws and pink lemonade or maybe milk and cupcakes.
Lisa, the pink lemonade with black and white straws sounds perfect!!
where did you get the small jugs that you served the milk and frappachino in? they are great, and would be perfect for a party im having next week
Hi Morgan. The carafes with the blue lids are from Target. The whit beverage dispenser was also from Target. I think they have most of their summer entertaining stuff on sale now, so you should be able to find some good deals.
I drink the Starbucks Frappuccino all the time so I have plenty of the bottles. I use Goo Gone to remove the adhesive. There are lots of good ideas for using the bottles on Pinterest. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
I was wondering what I could use for milk bottles, then I realized how many of these I through away and they are the perfect shape. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner. Thanx for the removal tut
Glad to see it will be easy to remove labels.. I plan to use them for storing my cut/tumbled mosaic glass in my art studio, instead of in plastic zip locks..! Your party looked adorable !!!
Downy gets label goo/residue off as well, just dab on enough to soak the gooey area(s) and let sit for a bit. Then rub/scrub off.
Am I the only one that didn’t get this to work :( I’ve soaked and soaked and nothing!! any ideas?
These bottles would be great for the DIY mercury glass tutorials going around the internets. For flower displays and the like.
Love this idea too! Thx for sharing!
Your a GENIUS!!!
got these soaking now, we peeled labels off first and then soaked, may be the problem.. but the residue takes some SERIOUS elbow grease to get off. A magic eraser is working, but I’m gonna go through a whole box of them with the 5 cases of bottles I have!
Also– the printed on date disappears like magic with a couple light swipes with the magic eraser! That part was easy peasy! :)
Great idea! Your table looks gorgeous! An easy way to get the use by date off the bottles is to rub a Dry Erase Marker (Yes – Marker) over it and it wipes right off. Also if you ever accidentally use a permanent marker on a dry erase board – use a dry erase marker to color over it and it will wipe off. Thanks for the party idea!
These jars make very cute centerpieces using Gerber daisies. I also tied a grosgrain bow around the top to cover where the lid screws on. Very affordable centerpieces!
Are the lids screw tops? Can they be put back on the bottles? If yes, I would drill straw-sized holes in the lids to make the bottles more spill-proof when used by children. TIA
I put my bottles in soapy, hot water for about 10 minutes then removed the labels and used a Brillo Pad to get the sticky residue and expiration date off (which came off very easily with the Brillo pad).
I was wondering if anybody knows how to remove the ink/paint from the lid, too? I would like to be able to use these as possible storage containers, but don’t want the Starbucks logo on the lid.
Kimberly, I don’t know how to remove the ink on the lid, but you can spray paint them. I have done that before with baby food jars. Just lay the lids on a drop cloth and spray the tops. As long as you don’t spray the underside they are good for drinks. Another option, if you have a specific event in mind, is to make circular labels for the lids to cover the logo.
Thanks for the reply. :)
Those are good ideas and much easier than trying to scrub the ink off the lids, lol.
It’s SO funny I stumbled upon this post, because I was searching for a way to remove the expiration date from… Starbucks frappuccino bottles! I’m using them for my Christmas project and even bought cute paper straws to give out with them also.
This is one of my favorite all-time finds. I pinned it right away!
Thank you so much for sharing this helpful hint :)
You can tell I read everything on your blog…ha! I saw for Christmas you could glue 3 black buttons on the front, then use some red material to tie around the neck as a scarf. Then when you fill with milk, they look like smowmen. I’m doing them for my two year olds b-day in Feb. Was a great way to use all those extra buttons that come with shirts and end up in a pile!
You are a GENIUS!!! I was just looking around trying to find some glass jars for milk that I didnt have to pay $10+ for shipping. Thank you!
We’re you able to use the 8″ straws or did you use the longer ones? I am going to order the straws today but haven’t picked up the bottles yet to know their height. I have searched online for the specs on the bottles but to no avail. Love your site. So glad I found it! Awesome ideas and saving me $ too! :)
Rachel, the standard size straws worked perfectly. If you are looking for straws I just found red, blue, and green striped ones at Michaels…$2 for a pack of 15 (each color sold separately). In the Velntines section they had a pack with little red hearts on them.
Thank you for such a quick response! :) I will def check out Michaels!
Hello! Super cute party! I’m also planning a milk and cookie party for my son’s first birthday. I would like to also serve lunch but am not sure what will coordinate with this theme. Any ideas? Did you serve savory foods or lunch with your cookies & milk?
Thanks!
Hi Kim,
We actually did our Milk & Cookies party in the morning around 10am to avoid serving a meal. If you want to serve a meal, I recommend doing brunch-style foods with the milk and cookies…french toast sticks, sausage, bacon, croissants. I am getting hungry just thinking about it :)
AWESOME! Been looking for days trying to find something for my daughters baby shower! Walmart, Hope your stocked with Starbucks!!!! Thank you so much for this idea!
When I did this, the adhesive was a nightmare! I tried hot water, soap, vinegar, nail polish remover, alcohol and none of them worked. I decided to try some Goo Gone today and oh my goodness I wish I had just skipped right to it. That stuff is awesome!
You have just saved me a ton of money with this DYI project! I’ve spent several days looking for clear glass bottles for my party and almost broke down and purchase 24 glass drinking bottles for $48 plus $20 in shipping! I have already finished scrubbing 5 bottles. I can’t wait to use these bottles for my party.
Thanks for sharing, I was going nuts looking in the stores for these milk bottles and was not able to find them, only online. This weekend is my daughter’s 10th birthday party and I’m using your idea. Big thanks :-)
Adorable!! And a great idea I will put in my memory bank. Another great “goo” remover which works well on both glass and plastic is vegetable oil. Just a little on a sponge or your finger works great and is easily washed off with soapy water. Non toxic too!!!
I used these for a 9 yr. old birthday party candy bar. We covered the lids in fun duct tape, used card stock as name tags tied around neck of bottle with coordinating ribbon. The guests filled the bottles with bright colored candies from the candy bar as their take home gift. They turned out SO CUTE!
I am so glad I found this!!! I wanted something to make Alice in Wonderland style “Drink Me” potion bottles for a fairy tale themed baby shower. I ended up using Yoohoo bottles instead and they seem to have much less glue under the label and no date stamp on the glass. Plus they came out to about 70 cents per bottle. Thanks for the inspiration!!
What a fantastic idea – and absolutely love how you served the frappuccino to the adults at the party. I wasn’t looking forward to drinking 25 frappuccinos myself…
You are MY HERO!!!!!!!!
I want to share my comments about scrubbing/cleaning the starbucks bottles. I used these bottles last xmas to make snowmen crafts as gifts. I used hot water to peel off the labels. Then I did just throw caps & bottles into the dishwasher & ran through a wash cycle. For any bottles that still had residue, I mixed baking soda & Dawn Dish Soap, you know the BLUE STUFF, & used a toothbrush to scrub. All residue came off with a little scrubbing & time. I think some I did just pull out an SOS steel wool pad too. IT IS WELL WORTH THE WORK. My daughter is going to be turning 6 in July and I am in the process now of planning her Milk & Cookies party too!
Oh, I do have a question about the frapaccino drink. If I pour out the drink & save it to serve at the party, how long can the drink be stored….does it go bad? I am not a coffee drinker so not sure of how long the drink is good for. Thanks.
To remove the black lettering, I used a cotton ball and nail polish remover. It came right off!
I had residue left on a jar I wanted to reuse, and didn’t want to ruin my sponge with bits of label and glue (YUK) so I grabbed a piece of foil, wadded it into a ball, and scoured away with little effort!
Dont do all that. Soaking may be fine but WD-40 will remove labels and the glue faster than anything….including nail polish remover. Save yourself some time and try it.
This is great. I have recently discovered ENSIDIG vases at Ikea and here in 9B we use them for drinks… They are very inexpensive! At least here in Europe, because I looked them up and in the US they are more than double the price. :(
Jule
I didn’t read all of the posts because there were so many, but instead of using a lot of elbow grease you can use a little cooking oil and then dish washing liquid. It works great and pretty easily. Then I paint the lids and use them to store small crafting items. You can use cute labels, but you can see everything that’s in them so there is no need to do so.
Thanks for the tip Pam. I did these so long ago but reuse them for parties. Your comment about using them for craft items just stirred me to think I need more for my craft room!!
Thank you so much for the idea of using Starbucks bottles. I finally got to have the cute milk bottles for a party. http://talenttoplay.blogspot.com/2013/09/make-it-monday-diy-glass-milk-bottles.html
Wow! I’m thinking about using these for my 14th! I have a bunch of crafty friends, and I’ll direct them to teal and lime!!!
Thanks for sharing!!
You just saved me a half the money I was going to spend with this idea! And to think I was going to pay $65 (with shipping) for 24 “glass milk bottles” from a very trendy DIY site! ;) Thank you!!
So happy you found this before placing your order. Now you can grow your milk bottle collection whenever you need to without shipping costs :)
Just for those who haven’t done this yet: you can get these bottles from IKEA for $1 each – they’re in the vase section.