Getting Crafty – What to do with all those Wine Corks!

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Are you like me and for some reason save all of your wine corks?

Sometimes I save them because they were a part of a special occasion; a birthday, anniversary, etc. Other times I just think they are pretty and feel bad tossing them out. I have many overflowing vases and cork holders at my house placed variously around my kitchen. So sometimes I like to get crafty and put them to good use by making cork boards. What to make a cork board but don’t have enough corks already? You can purchase them from many places including Etsy or Ebay where people sell them in bulk for not a lot of expense.

This is one of my favorite and easiest crafts that I like to do. I spread them out around my house and sometimes give them as gifts.

Here’s what you need:

  • Some sort of frame. You can buy one or use one you want to repurpose or just never used.
  • Glue or adhesive.
  • Bottle corks (the amount depends on how many you will need to complete your project).
  • Optional: paint, hooks, and any other ornaments for the cork board you might like to add.
Gather the supplies you’ll need before beginning.

Step 1: Get the frame ready.

I like to paint my frames to make them more custom, but I have left some as they are. Specifically, I usually use spray paint, but any paint should do. You can get as creative and crazy as you want! Also, make sure the frame is clean and that the interior is smooth and ready for adhesive to be applied to hold the corks in place. For this project, I used an old ‘friends’ picture hanging frame. I removed the metal clip that was attached to it and spray painted the frame a maroon color.

Don’t forget to paint outside or in a well-ventilated space to cut down on fumes.

Step 2: Place the corks in the frame to check for fit and design/pattern. 

This is a pretty important step that is easy to skip if you have not made a cork board before and are excited to get it started. It’s tricky business to cut cork, so I personally like to lay them in the frame in a pattern where I can use whole corks and make them fit. It’s a bit of a puzzle and I actually enjoy the small challenge of getting them all to fit in an aesthetically pleasing way.

You can also place them so that the text on the corks show, or not, and they can all be facing the same way or placed randomly. For this particular project, I let my daughter help place the cork where she wanted and I really liked the outcome and it makes the board a bit more personal.

After placing the cork in the frame how you like, do not remove them! You will never remember how you placed them and will end up doing this all over again while simultaneously trying to glue them down. Remove a few corks at a time, adhere them to the board (see step 3), then move to another section of cork and do the same.

Step 3: Adhere the corks to the board.

I started out using my glue gun but ended up using Elmers Glue-All glue since my glue gun was not working properly. I have actually gone to the craft store in the past and looked in the glue isle and there are labels and signs telling you which adhesive is best for cork (and other materials). There is another glue that is really good, but I was out of it at the minute. I suggest looking into this before starting because if you use the wrong adhesive, the cork may end up coming unglued and falling off a few days or weeks later. 

Glue away!

Step 4: Lay the board down flat and let the glue dry.

Step 5: Add other elements if you wish.

For this board, I decided to print out a template of my last name initial and spray paint it over the cork the same color that I painted the frame. I also considered adding hooks to the bottom to possibly use as a key holder by a door. Again, you can get as creative as you like.

Step 6: Place your new cork board where you like and enjoy!

For the most part, I have used my boards as just decorative, but of course, you can use them as message boards and add cute pins to place messages or important reminders onto the boards. Hang them up or display them on a shelf and enjoy!

The final outcome!

 

Here is a picture of the board, before I added the initial, next to a different, larger, board I did a while back.
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Brooke
Hi, my name is Brooke and I am a newly appointed Domestic Engineer (aka stay at home mom). I lived in Florida for 20 years before moving to Flagstaff, Arizona, to work in marketing as a graphic designer for a medical company. While working, I fell in love, got married and am now mom to Josie (3) and Isla (1). I enjoy finding great deals that I can pass on to friends, spending time with family and friends, and all things coffee and Lululemon.