Now I understand there’s a fine line between hoarding and collecting, but every time I get to the end of a wine bottle I feel so guilty throwing it away. The labels are just so pretty and the corks are all so unique. When I drop a good amount of cash on a bottle of wine, what am I supposed to do once I finish it, just trash it?! Absurd. To cope, I’ve compiled a list of ways to repurpose old wine corks (and bottles) so that you can keep those memories alive and feel less guilty about your ever-growing collection of corks and bottles.
1. CORKBOARD
How have I not thought about this before? It’s simple, easy and much more exciting than your typical, bland corkboard. Simply gather up your corks, get an empty picture frame and go to town with your glue gun. After your corks have dried onto the surface, you can either leave them and start tacking on invitations and reminders, or you can twist in some hooks and start hanging your keys. If you’re feeling really crafty, start adding some more hooks and ribbon and just like that you have a new artsy place to hang your jewelry.
2. BATH MAT
Upcycling your corks into a bath mat not only puts to use a ton of your corks, but it also seriously spices up your bathroom. Depending on what size bath mat you’d like, begin by gathering up around 150-175 corks. Yes, that’s a lot of corks, but look at it as an opportunity to try a ton of exciting new wine. Then all you need is a shelf liner and a hot glue gun. Cut your corks lengthwise down the middle and glue the flat side down so that the rounded edge is face up. Repeat this about 150 times or so and impress your guests with your wicked talent (and ability to try 150 new types of wine).
3. COASTER
If you don’t have an obscene collection of corks lying around, first of all — bravo. Your obsession with trying new wine is not nearly as bad as mine. Second, this project is perfect for you. Creating a cork-coaster only requires a few corks. First, start by cutting a few of your corks in half, then arrange them in a small circle. Glue them together or wrap a ribbon around them and voilà, a no-scratch coaster.
4. PLACE CARDS
There’s always that one person at family brunches who has to ask what every type of dish is. Ease their worries, and their questions, with this place card holder hack. Gather up as many corks as you have dishes to serve and cut a slice down the side of the cork that’s wide enough for a card. Be careful though, you’ll probably need something to stabilize the cork as you cut. Then, simply write the name of the dish on a card and place it in the cork. Now everyone’s in the know. You can also turn this hack into name-cards for a fancy dinner where everyone has assigned seats. You will for sure be the hostess with the mostess (and the mostess of corks).
5. KEY CHAIN
Finished all these crafts and still have bottles and corks lying around? Check out this link for some more inspiration.
This one is similar to the corkboard, but takes on a simpler approach. All you need are a few corks and a few hooks and ta-da! Now you’ve got yourself some snazzy key chains.
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Wine Inspiration
