Oh, wine, how I love thee....let me count thy ways...anyone else with me on this?
As a regular wine drinker, my stash of orphaned wine corks is pretty impressive. My local food co-op collects them to recycle, but where's the fun in that? I prefer the challenge of coming up with clever ways to reuse them....especially this time of year, when the wine is flowing even more than usual and gift-giving is on the brain.
Today, I've put together a tutorial/round-up post as inspiration for your holiday eco-crafting enjoyment. So, grab yourself a glass of vino, sit back and prepare to be dazzled by the latest and greatest recyled wine cork craft post the blog-o-sphere has ever seen...
HOW CORK IS MADE
The first thing you need to know is that corks are an incredibly cool, sustainable, all-natural product. Ever thought about where corks come from? Tree bark.
The bark is havested from the base of the tree every nine years. It does not hurt the tree. After the bark has been cleaned and processed, corks are punched out. How cool is that?
You can read the whole story of how corks are made on Wineanorak.com. They have a great illustrated post that explains the whole process.
TYPES OF WINE CORKS
Now that you know about the magic behind cork, it's time to take a look at the different types of corks you might encounter. In the photo below, you will see the four types of corks: synthetic corks (1), one-piece natural corks (2) and agglomerated corks (3 & 4).
Synthetic corks are man-made, so we're going to ignore them for this
post. One-piece natural cork can range in quality from high to
low...with the low having more holes and cracks. Agglomerated corks are
made of cork pieces that have been ground down and glued together. The
size of the pieces can range from decent size chunks to tiny
particles...look at the difference between corks 3 & 4 above.
Sometimes an agglomerated cork is sandwiched between to discs of whole
cork to make a fancy cork called a "twin-top." Different kinds of corks
will be better for different kinds of projects, so make sure you know
what you have.
CUTTING AND DRILLING CORKS
Now, let's talk about preparing your corks for crafting. Depending on what you are making, you may need to cut or drill your corks. Cutting corks is not hard, but you will want to take a few steps to ensure that you get good cuts. You can cut them in half cross- or lengthwise for knobs, trivets, corkboards, card holders, etc. Or slice them thin for tags, jewelry, tiles, magnets and more.
To cut them, use a sharp knife and make one clean cut...pressing
the blade into the cork and pushing the knife away from you as you are
pressing down through the cork. Sawing back and forth or using a
serated knife will leave streaks and ridges rather than a smooth flat
surface. Choose your cutting technique accordingly, based on the end result you are going for. If you end up with
unintentional ridges or an uneven surface, try using a little sandpaper
to smooth things out.
To make lengthwise cuts, try standing the cork on one end and pushing down to get the cut started...then lay it down and finish the cut. You'll have less chance of the cork rolling out from under your knife that way.
For slicing rounds, I find that I get better results when using
agglomerated corks. Some people swear by steaming corks before cutting,
but I have not found that to be necessary to get a good clean cut with
the agglomerated corks. (If you only have whole-piece corks and find
that they crumble when you slice them, try steaming and see if that
helps. If not, save them for projects where they don't need to be cut.)
Getting perfectly uniform rounds (thickness-wise) gets harder, the thinner you cut your corks. If you absolutely need your pieces to be exactly the same width, try making a simple jig. You can find directions for a cork cutting jig on A Constant Project.
If your craft calls for drilling, you will want to hold your cork carefully or, better yet put it in a clamp or vice. Marking your bit with a piece of tape will prevent you from drilling too far if you don't want to drill all the way through your cork. And, as another blogger said, "No drinking and drilling!"
Got all that? Good! Let's make something with all those corks!
GRAPE EXPECTATIONS Recycled Wine Cork Necklace
This necklace was my very first cork project. I made it a few years ago, but was recently asked for a tutorial...hence the reason for this whole post. It's really easy to make and would be a fun holiday gift for a vino-loving friend. I am providing directions for the necklace as shown, but it's very easy to adapt this by changing the length, types of chain, etc. Have fun with it!
Supplies: (7) cork slices, nail or awl, jewelry pliers, wire cutters, (10) large jump rings, (4) medium jump rings, 8" of bead chain (cut into 2" lengths), 11" of chain (cut into 5 1/2" lengths), 1 clasp, 1 red bead, 1 head-pin.
Step 1: Using the photo as a guide, arrange your cork slices and chain to get the rough layout of your necklace.
Step 2: Punch holes in your cork slices using a nail or an awl. Place the holes far enough away from the edges of the cork that they don't pull out or crumble the cork.
Step 3: Use your pliers to open your large jump rings. Connect slices of cork with jump rings, pushing the rings through the holes you punched and closing the rings as you go. Keep going until you have connected all of your cork slices. (How to open & close jump rings.)
Step 4: Add two large jump rings to one of the end corks, as shown in the photo. Add a 2" piece of bead chain to each of the large jump rings and close the rings. Connect the opposite ends of the two bead chains with a single medium sized jump, leaving the jump rings open for the next step. Repeat on the other side.
Step 5: Connect a 5 1/2" piece of chain to each side of your necklace at the open jump rings, then close the rings.
Step 6: Add your clasp to the two remaining unfinished ends.
Step 7: Add a wire wrapped bead to the front if you would like. (How to make a wire wrapped loop.)
WEEKEND IN NAPA-kin RINGS Recycled Wine Cork Napkin Rings
Napkin rings add personality to any table setting. These are so simple to make using cork slices and small beads. I chose some faux pearls that I salvaged from a broken necklace, but you can play around with whatever you have. Different colors would be pretty, as wood a hint of sparkle. You can also stain the corks by soaking them in...what else? Red wine!
Supplies: corks, heavy needle, stretchy thread, beads, ruler, scissors.
Step 1: Slice corks. (About three corks per napkin ring, 8 slices per cork)
Step 2: Use your needle and stretchy thread to alternate threading corks and beads until you have 6" threaded. Tie off with a tight surgeon's knot, making sure that the last bead and cork are touching. (How to tie a surgeon's knot.) Repeat as needed to make as many napkin rings as you want.
Step 3: Set your table!
DREAMING OF A WHITE {wine} CHRISTMAS Recycled Cork Wreath Ornament
Does this wreath look familiar? It should! It's the same napkin ring shown above, but instead of putting it on the table, I wrapped a ribbon around the center and hung it up. This would be a cute way to save special corks from a wedding, anniversary or other special event. Add a little tag, so you can remember the occassion. It's also a cute way to dress up a bottle of wine to
give as a gift. If you want to give it a little more strength and structure, string it on wire instead of stretchy thread.
JUST ONE MORE! Quick and Dirty Recycled Cork Magnets
After slicing and dicing dozens of corks for all of your fabulous cork projects, you are bound to have some extras. (That is how this quick and dirty magnet craft came about.)
All you need are the ends of your corks, hot glue and magnets. Put a small bead of glue on the back of your cork and place the magnet in the glue. Done. (This also works with thumb tacks.)
If you want to kick it up a notch, stamp some letters or designs on your corks. All it takes is a stamp and an ink pad. You could even use a sharpie to make some doodles. Create words, names or even a set of alphabet magnets.
Thirsty for even more recycled wine cork crafts?? Well, you are in luck. I have pinned over 65 clever cork crafts on my Put A Cork In It board on Pinterest. That number is always growing, so be sure to check it out whenever you need a dose of inspiration.
AND NOW...THE GIVEAWAY
**UPDATED 12.5.2012: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED and WE HAVE A WINNER!**
If you like these projects, but are too busy drinking wine to make them, I have great news for you...I'm giving them all away in my first ever blog giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a holiday care package chock full of corky goodness including: the necklace, two ornaments and five sets of magnets. They will arrive thoughtfully packaged for gift giving and are sure to delight the winos in your life. :)
There are two ways you can score this GRAPE prize and be the toast of the town:
1. Leave me a comment on this post about which project is your favorite and why you want to win the giveaway. (1 entry)
2. Spread some link love by sharing this post on your blog, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. Then come back and leave me another comment with a link to your share. (1 entry)
That's it! Contest closes at 11:59pm on Tuesday, December 4th. I'll pick a winner at random on Wednesday, December 5th and will post the winner on my blog that day. Be sure to leave your contact info with your comments, so that I can let you know if you've won. (Must be 18 or older to play.)
Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you'll keep in touch and check back again soon. If you're so inclined, feel free to follow along at any of the links below, so you don't miss a thing! XOXO, Cindi
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