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“Creating a corkboard from used corks is a fun and easy craft project.iStockphoto/Carmen Martínez Banús
It’s always the same story: you try to keep your home organized and neat, but packrat tendencies seem to disrupt this process. It’s hard to throw away that T-shirt from your first live concert, even though you haven’t worn it in 10 years. You’ve got magazines and newspapers dating back decades. And every time you open a bottle of wine to celebrate, you tuck that cork away with all the others.
Should you decide it’s time to clear your home of useless knick knacks and clutter, throwing away these sentimental objects isn’t your only option. There are plenty of crafts and projects you can do to recycle and re-use these available materials, allowing you to hold on to them for years to come. Your memorabilia is a great supply for crafting projects and that collection of wine corks is no exception.
It’s a common practice to hold onto the corks — and sometimes bottles — from the wine consumed on a special occasion. Whatever your reason for keeping those corks all those years, here’s an idea that puts them to use while creating a decorative keepsake. You can take the individual corks, put them together and create a corkboard for use and display [sources: Re-Nest, Shea]. Not only have you recycled a product that would most likely end up in the trash otherwise, you’ve created an organizational tool for your home.
If you don’t have enough corks presently in your possession to make a wine corkboard, host a wine-tasting party. Once you have a few friends over, you should collect plenty of corks for this craft. To get started, check out the next page for the supplies and instructions to make a wine cork corkboard.
Making a Wine Cork Corkboard
Ready to get going? Gather a few simple supplies and start crafting!
Collect all your excess corks, a picture frame with backing and a hot glue gun. To make a corkboard of substantial size, you’ll want a minimum of 75 corks. However, the amount of corks needed will depend on the size of your frame and the pattern in which you arrange the corks.
Begin by laying your frame down flat and playing around with the arrangement of your corks. Most designs will allow you to lay all your corks in place without having to cut any of them, but a sharp knife will do the trick if you feel you need to alter some of your collection. Common patterns include laying the corks on their side and alternating the direction they lay, or standing them tall so that the end that was once deepest in your wine bottle is now touching the backing of the frame. Once you’ve fit them all snugly inside your frame, simply lift them one at a time and apply a layer of hot glue to the side that touches the backing. Carefully press the cork back in place and move on to its neighbor [sources: Stewart, Shea].
After you’ve set everything in place, allow a few hours of drying time. Then simply hang the corkboard wherever you wish and it’s ready for use.
Those who are feeling extra crafty can take the project one step further by creating their own unique frame. Use a saw to cut four equal lengths of wood. Carefully cut the edges of these planks into forty-five degree angles and nail them together. Cut a sturdy backing — such as plywood — to the size of the frame and nail it to the planks [source: Re-Nest].
Now you have a fun and easy way to make use of all those old wine corks.
For additional information, check out the links on the next page.
What about the bottles?
If you’re swimming in leftover corks, you probably aren’t short on empty wine bottles either. After you’ve fashioned your own wine cork corkboard, make use of your old bottle. There are plenty of creative ways to turn that glass bottle into a useful item. For some ideas, check out How Recycled Wine Bottle Crafts Work.
Lots More Information
Related HowStuffWorks Links
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Sources
- Craft Gossip. "Wine Cork Cork-boards." Craft Gossip Recycled Crafts. Oct. 23, 2008. (Accessed 04/16/2009). http://recycledcrafts.craftgossip.com/wine-cork-cork-boards/2008/10/23/
- Re-Nest. "Creative Reuse 2008: Wine Corks and Salvaged Wood as Corkboards." Oct. 20, 2008. (Accessed 04/16/2009). http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/creative-reuse/creative-reuse-2008-wine-corks-and-salvaged-wood-as-cork-board-066941
- Shea, Lisa. "Wine Cork Corkboard Instructions." Wine Intro. (Accessed 04/16/2009). http://www.wineintro.com/products/corks/corkboard.html
- Stewart, Martha. "Wine Cork Board." Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (Accessed 04/16/2009). http://www.marthastewart.com/article/wine-cork-board?lnc=4ef2dc5bfca40110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=showarchive_tv_show-archive
