A Corky Craft

Ask my husband, I’m a compulsive list-maker: Shopping lists, chore lists, packing lists, farm project lists…and the list goes on.

article-post
by Dani Yokhna
Wine-cork bulletin board by Cherie Langlois
Photo by Cherie Langlois

Ask my husband, I’m a compulsive list-maker: Shopping lists, chore lists, packing lists, farm project lists…and the list goes on. 

Of course, that means I need a handy place to put those lists so they don’t get lost, which would be bad because I’d never remember everything listed on my lists if I had to rewrite them.  My list-posting spot of choice?  A good old-fashioned bulletin board.

Some years back, I spotted a cool wreath composed of wine corks at a winery and decided to do something creative with the corks we’d accumulated in a fish bowl on our kitchen counter.  Instead of a wreath, however, my daughter and I gave a worn bulletin board a facelift as a gift for my husband, framing a photo from a recent trip to France with rows of wine corks. 

Since then we’ve made several more—one as another gift and one for our kitchen—and  I’m currently saving corks to re-vamp the big, boring bulletin board in my office. 

Creating a beautiful wine-cork bulletin board is quick and easy; the most difficult part involves saving up enough real corks, especially with so many synthetic ones around these days. (Did you know that cork comes from the bark of an oak tree species that grows in Spain and Portugal?)

The pattern can be whatever you'd like it to be
Photo by Cherie Langlois

Subscribe now

Arranging the corks in varying horizontal and
vertical patterns gives depth to your design.

If you already have a stash of corks, you could whip one up in time for Valentine’s Day, presenting it to your sweetheart with a favorite bottle of wine.  Here’s how to make it:

Supplies needed: 

  • Old bulletin board or erasable white board
  • White glue
  • Lots of REAL corks (if you don’t drink wine, ask friends and relatives to save theirs)
  • Knife

1.  Protect your surface with newspaper and set out your supplies.

2.  Think a bit about your design.  If you want to include a photo, glue it in place first.  We like to just wing it as we go—placing one row of corks vertically, another horizontally; alternating two horizontal corks and then two vertical; tossing in a few champagne corks for variety; etc.  Be creative.  

3.  Working small sections at a time, spread a thick layer of glue and set the corks in place.  If they have pretty designs or printed winery names on them, be sure these show. 

4.  You may need to cut some of the corks with a knife to make them fit when you reach the end of a row.  Be careful!

5.  Once you’ve covered the entire surface, set some heavy books on top with paper towels or newspaper placed beneath to protect them from excess glue.  Leave to thoroughly dry for at least 24 hours.

Happy list-making!                                    
Cherie

« More Country Discovery »  

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CAPTCHA Image