Cork dork

So as I mentioned in my post Corky projects I was going to do a project using old wine corks.

Well I kept my promise and I completed my very own cork board.  This is another one of those too-easy-to-be-real projects, but here's proof that crafts really can be super cheap, super easy and really cute.

There it is sitting proudly on my wall.  The cool thing about this piece is that it can be functional or just decorative

Here it is being a functional cork board

So how do you make it?

Here's what you need:

-A picture frame

-A bunch of corks

-Hot glue gun (not pictured)

The frame that I chose was only $3 dollars at the Goodwill bins.  I saw some really giant ones that were only like $10 dollars but I wanted to make sure I worked out the kinks in a smaller frame before moving up in size.  This is I'd say the only purchase you'd have to make for this project, unless you already have a frame that you'd like to use

So here's what I did first:

I sorted out all the same size corks and got an idea of how many I would need to fill the frame (I ended up needing a few more than this since this isn't the final pattern).  I also kept the glass in the frame because it created a stable base

Next I arranged the corks in the final pattern and hot glued them by vertical rows so I could make sure it would all fit.  I suppose you could glue it horizontally but I don't recommend gluing random corks because you could end up with empty spaces or not enough room.  

As you can see at the top of the picture there wasn't enough room for whole corks so I cut them in half and it worked out really nicely

And there it is!  I want to make a lot more of these in all different sizes since they were so easy and fast and if you buy the frames at the bins then you will spend hardly any money on them.  

Corky projects

Alright, so I've covered what to do with your empty wine bottle in my posts Can't let it go and Nothing to wine about, but what do you do with the corks?  Do you throw them away?  Because you should really be saving them since they can be made into some amazingly creative and easy projects.

If you're not much of a wine drinker and don't know how you're going to collect a substantial amount of corks, don't fret!  You can call some wine shops or maybe even restaurants to see if they have extra corks.

Anyways, tonight I'm doing a cork project but I thought it would be cool to post some other ideas I found online since I didn't know there were so many things you could do with them and you probably didn't either.

A nice picture frame

Not exactly sure what this is, a bath mat?  I just thought it looked cool

I love the look of this light and the really pretty patterns it leaves on the wall

For the extremely dedicated crafter, a chair could be made out of corks.  Not sure where you'd start or how comfortable it would be but this would definitely be for an individual with a lot of time

You can do any letter of the alphabet, this would be neat for a kid's room or to spell out something on the wall

Everyone needs a cork tuxedo

I really love the idea of filling a blank wall with corks, it would take a lot of time but it looks really nice and would also make a great place to stick memos for the day

Spice up your coffee table

I really want to do this after today's project!  It's probably very sturdy but still supportive and wouldn't have a problem with water damage

A great way to organize jewelry!

Can't let it go

As I mentioned in my post Nothing you can wine about , I had originally planned to make candle votives out of my wine bottles by using a method I kept hearing about online.  The method is where you take a piece of string soaked in nail polish and wrap it around the part of your bottle you want to remove, then you light it on fire and dunk it into cold water really fast.  This apparently makes a really clean cut and you only have to sand the glass slightly to smooth it out.
Well, the string for some reason would not stay lit.  So I tried it with lighter fluid (maybe not the best idea) and that lit for a brief second.  Then I saw something about scoring the bottle first with a fancy glass cutter and then using boiling water and cold water to get the bottle to break cleanly.  I only had a hack saw and I barely scratched the surface.
So I got some suggestions from friends, did a little research and am now making this blog post in the hopes that the poor soul out there who tries to do what I did won't.
Here's the video that I saw talking about the different methods of glass cutting:

Also this:

Cut Glass

Unfortunately both methods involve stuff you probably don't have lying around but there are a lot of different types out there that cost different amounts so you might get lucky and find a cheap one.

Anyways, now that I know how to properly cut glass, I may get my tail out from between my legs and try it again soon.