I’m a fan of Skinny Girl Red. It’s sweet and it tastes more like grape juice than wine, so while I’m still baffled at how it’s considered “skinny,” I love it. Skinny Girl bottles use twist-on caps, though. Believe it or not, the cork wine stoppers are more environmentally friendly than glass or plastic twist-on stoppers. The cork stoppers keep the world’s small population of cork oak trees thriving and the animals who depend on those trees alive. Drinking wine with a cork stopper will help the environment, but an added bonus is that you can use those leftover cork stoppers to create cute and eco-friendly home décor. So, wino, here are five DIY projects to make use of all those extra cork stoppers.
{1} Cork Board: All you’ll need is a frame, corks, and a hot glue gun. If you’re having a bad day, this is a great DIY since you get you take a hammer to the glass part of the frame. Make sure to clear off the glass and be careful. The corks can be laid out in any pattern you want. I like the chevron pattern that this blogger tried. The simplest method is to just glue on the corks, but there are multiple ways to vamp up your board. You can paint your frame or corks, put cork board or cardboard as a backing, or cut the corks to match the edges of your frame perfectly. I’m lazy and would probably just paint my frame and glue on the corks.
{2} Magnetic Cork Planters: My favorite. So cute. So tiny. Hollow out a cork, stick a magnet on the back, and plant it with some dirt and a tiny succulent. Look how adorable!
{3} Coasters: Cut your corks in half lengthwise. Glue them to a circular cork sheet. Flip the sheet over and cut away the excess cork that sticks out. Sand the edges for a smooth finish.
{4} Trivet: This one’s probably the easiest. Just glue together wine corks (vertically, horizontally, or a mix of both like this blogger did) with super glue until you have the desired size. That’s it!
{5} Lampshade: Materials include a bunch of corks, any simple lampshade, and a hot glue gun. You just hot glue the corks to the lampshade, either vertically or horizontally, and make sure they’re touching. You can paint the corks beforehand or leave them as they are.
Wine and then craft, or wine while you craft. Either way, you’ll get a buzz and some cute home accessories out of it.
