Crafty Reuse: Ten Projects for Old Wine Corks

If you’re anything like me, you tend to hoard things that look like they may be useful later: empty thread spools, glass jars, bottle caps, and those ubiquitous wine corks.


[Creative Commons photo by Claudio Matsuoka]

I’ve got a big bowl of corks in the kitchen that’s mocking me. They dare me to find a project to use them up. Well the joke’s on you, little corks! I didn’t just find one way to turn you into something new. I found ten.

  1. Make your next party fancy with wine cork place card holders! Just cut a small slit into each cork and slide the place card right in. Bonus points if the place cards are made from reused material, too. Maybe discarded cereal boxes?
  2. Glue slices of cork to the bottom of your flowerpots to keep them from scratching the floor or your deck and give any moisture a place to go!
  3. You can slice the cork into rounds that would work wonderfully as beads for a necklace or bracelet!
  4. Make a trivet! All you need is a wooden frame, a bunch of corks, and glue!
  5. Similar to the trivet, a cork board is a good project if you have a big collection of corks. Peter Beardsley made a really cool cork board, and you can see the steps on his Flickr! (Creative Commons photo)
  6. In the Garden. Put slices of cork into the blender. It makes a great mulch and helps your garden hold on to water.
  7. Corks make great stamps! Check out Elaine’s awesome cork stamps. (Creative Commons photo):
  8. Design Sponge has a different take on the wine cork trivet. It looks a bit more labor-intensive, but the results are so delicate!
  9. I know, we just made it through the holidays, but I couldn’t resist this awesome tutorial for making wine cork Christmas ornaments over at Indie Fixx!
  10. Do you have a ton of old corks that need a new life? You can slice those suckers in half lengthwise and attach them to the wall along the floor or at waist height to make a cork chair rail!

Take that, bowl of corks! Maybe you’ll think twice before taunting me again.

42 thoughts on “Crafty Reuse: Ten Projects for Old Wine Corks”

  1. Hey Becky, nice post! Like you, I’m a packrat who hangs onto lots of stuff “just in case it’s useful one day,” and that includes lots of wine corks. I’ve never thought of using corks for mulch, but it makes sense when you think about it.

    I also made some wine cork ornaments this Christmas. If you’re interested, you can check them out here.

    Thanks for all the ideas!

  2. Hey Becky, nice post! Like you, I’m a packrat who hangs onto lots of stuff “just in case it’s useful one day,” and that includes lots of wine corks. I’ve never thought of using corks for mulch, but it makes sense when you think about it.

    I also made some wine cork ornaments this Christmas. If you’re interested, you can check them out here.

    Thanks for all the ideas!

  3. Hey Becky, nice post! Like you, I’m a packrat who hangs onto lots of stuff “just in case it’s useful one day,” and that includes lots of wine corks. I’ve never thought of using corks for mulch, but it makes sense when you think about it.

    I also made some wine cork ornaments this Christmas. If you’re interested, you can check them out here.

    Thanks for all the ideas!

  4. The cork necklace reminds me of the butterbeer cork necklace that Luna wears in the Harry Potter books. So, if you know someone whose trying to put together a Luna costume, you could always give them the necklace as a gift.

  5. The cork necklace reminds me of the butterbeer cork necklace that Luna wears in the Harry Potter books. So, if you know someone whose trying to put together a Luna costume, you could always give them the necklace as a gift.

  6. The cork necklace reminds me of the butterbeer cork necklace that Luna wears in the Harry Potter books. So, if you know someone whose trying to put together a Luna costume, you could always give them the necklace as a gift.

  7. Shirley – Awesome ornaments! I love the coiled wire at the tops!

    Emily – That garland is a great idea!!

    Sarah – Ha! I didn’t even think of that! What an awesome idea.

    Crafty Green Poet – Oooh I don’t, but now I want to write one. Stay tuned!

  8. Shirley – Awesome ornaments! I love the coiled wire at the tops!

    Emily – That garland is a great idea!!

    Sarah – Ha! I didn’t even think of that! What an awesome idea.

    Crafty Green Poet – Oooh I don’t, but now I want to write one. Stay tuned!

  9. Shirley – Awesome ornaments! I love the coiled wire at the tops!

    Emily – That garland is a great idea!!

    Sarah – Ha! I didn’t even think of that! What an awesome idea.

    Crafty Green Poet – Oooh I don’t, but now I want to write one. Stay tuned!

  10. Hi Becky,
    Cool ideas. Thanks for sharing. You may be interested in the ReCork America project and the Save Miguel campaign. Lots of great information about cork oak and how using it is saving both an eco-system and an industry. So don’t give up finding useful things to make with corks…and keep raising that glass in a toast to the environment.
    You can read more about both of these projects on our blog if you want to visit.
    Cheers!
    Team Wicanders

  11. Hi Becky,
    Cool ideas. Thanks for sharing. You may be interested in the ReCork America project and the Save Miguel campaign. Lots of great information about cork oak and how using it is saving both an eco-system and an industry. So don’t give up finding useful things to make with corks…and keep raising that glass in a toast to the environment.
    You can read more about both of these projects on our blog if you want to visit.
    Cheers!
    Team Wicanders

  12. Hi Becky,
    Cool ideas. Thanks for sharing. You may be interested in the ReCork America project and the Save Miguel campaign. Lots of great information about cork oak and how using it is saving both an eco-system and an industry. So don’t give up finding useful things to make with corks…and keep raising that glass in a toast to the environment.
    You can read more about both of these projects on our blog if you want to visit.
    Cheers!
    Team Wicanders

  13. You can take the corks and set them into any design you wish , and make a wonderful table top. Once you have glue them into the design of your desire . pour lacquor over them to make it flush . It is better if you cut the corks in half and this way both sides of the corks can be seen .
    You can use all types of corks in this project. Even the synthetic corks can be used as the outer frame of the design. Here is even another helpful tip . If you decide to make a tray out of your corks here is a great idea .
    Take a piece of paneling and lay the corks out in whatever design you wish . Remember to cut them in half . You can now take any champagne cork and place it in the position to use as a way to carry the tray . You can place two side by side and place a handle one both pieces and it will make it easier to carry .
    I have many more ideas and hopefully these will help you come up with something different and unusal for your next project .

  14. You can take the corks and set them into any design you wish , and make a wonderful table top. Once you have glue them into the design of your desire . pour lacquor over them to make it flush . It is better if you cut the corks in half and this way both sides of the corks can be seen .
    You can use all types of corks in this project. Even the synthetic corks can be used as the outer frame of the design. Here is even another helpful tip . If you decide to make a tray out of your corks here is a great idea .
    Take a piece of paneling and lay the corks out in whatever design you wish . Remember to cut them in half . You can now take any champagne cork and place it in the position to use as a way to carry the tray . You can place two side by side and place a handle one both pieces and it will make it easier to carry .
    I have many more ideas and hopefully these will help you come up with something different and unusal for your next project .

  15. You can take the corks and set them into any design you wish , and make a wonderful table top. Once you have glue them into the design of your desire . pour lacquor over them to make it flush . It is better if you cut the corks in half and this way both sides of the corks can be seen .
    You can use all types of corks in this project. Even the synthetic corks can be used as the outer frame of the design. Here is even another helpful tip . If you decide to make a tray out of your corks here is a great idea .
    Take a piece of paneling and lay the corks out in whatever design you wish . Remember to cut them in half . You can now take any champagne cork and place it in the position to use as a way to carry the tray . You can place two side by side and place a handle one both pieces and it will make it easier to carry .
    I have many more ideas and hopefully these will help you come up with something different and unusal for your next project .

  16. this is nicest with champagne corks, i glued a flat magnet to the back of a few and clunked em on my fridge. then i hang my (lightweight, ornamental) junk from it

  17. this is nicest with champagne corks, i glued a flat magnet to the back of a few and clunked em on my fridge. then i hang my (lightweight, ornamental) junk from it

  18. this is nicest with champagne corks, i glued a flat magnet to the back of a few and clunked em on my fridge. then i hang my (lightweight, ornamental) junk from it

  19. Pingback: Now that we’ve got the bottles covered what to do with all of those corks? | RecycleChicken

  20. Pingback: Crafting a Green World | Wine Corks to Wall Art | Page: 1 | Crafting a Green World

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