I am all about re-purposing items around my & clients homes. It is so easy to take something ordinary and turn it into some fabulous all with a little creativity. Today's tip is on how to use all those old wine bottle corks. I was given one of these as a gift a few years back and it was wonderful. You can make them any size you would like. It can be hung on the wall for a memo board, they can be smaller and used as hot plate holders, they can even be used to hang pictures of all your travels.
Supplies:Wine corks even wine stained-Skill saw or X-acto knife, Hot glue gun & glue sticks, frame all ready painted or stained, Cork sheet & foam board (both can be purchased from your craft store, ribbon or wire to hang if you are using on the wall.
Here's how to create your own:
- Using the skill saw, cut wine corks in half lengthwise. This nearly 24-by-28-inch frame required 60 wine corks (120 halves).
- With the X-acto knife, cut the cork sheet and the foam board to fit snugly into the back of the frame (the same size the glass would be) and glue them together.
- If your frame has bendable metal clamps that keep the backing in place, skip this step. But if you're dealing with a thrifted frame with no clamps, use a hammer and nails to secure the cork/foam board into the back of the frame, cork side out.
- If necessary, group the corks into piles according to size. Then — and this is important — lay out all the halved corks, flat side down, into the frame to make sure they fit. Create a pattern alternating two horizontal corks with two vertical.
- Using the hot glue gun, glue all the corks inside the frame with a small line on the flat side of each. Fini!
Total project time: approximately two hours.
Although you can buy the wine corks in bulk online, collecting your own recycled stoppers will give the finished piece much more character. Stop by a local restaurant or wine bar and ask if they have corks to spare; they may be able to give you a bag. Or, ask your wine-loving friends to share their collection with you.
(http://www.casasugar.com/DIY-Wine-Cork-Board-7707790)
