Recycled Cork Letters

There is nothing I love more after a long day than a glass of wine with dinner.  When my husband and I were both working and had 'disposable' income, we'd love to try new bottles of wine.  We'd choose bottles that had cool labels or were recommended to us.  Once I became a stay at home mom, our wine choice was determined more by the price than the look or recommendation.  I've always loved wine labels and corks.  Instead of saving a bottle from a special night, I'd always save the cork. 

I have been keeping corks for about 4-5 years and had no clue what to do with them.  Making a trivet or tray wasn't really practical for our decor so they just stayed in ceramic bowls on shelves. I finally stumbled upon a 'pin' that would help me put my corks to use.  While making this 'pin' I choose to use all of my corks even if they weren't a cork in the traditional sense.  I also flipped a couple of them to show the red wine stain for color.  Even when I still had space on my letter, I still displayed it and just kept adding to it every couple of weeks.  Overall, it was a cheap fun way to display my corks.    

Pinterest Inspiration:

http://www.greenisuniversal-reuse.com/home-decor/monogram-letter-recycled-wine-corks

My Results:

1. I purchased a 23.5" paper mache letter from JoAnn Fabrics.  It was on sale for $8.99. I've seen other people use flat wooden letters as well.

2. Start in one corner and hot glue each cork individually.  In trial and error, I found that corks vary in height and width so it's like a puzzle when laying them out.  I personally didn't worry about the different heights but made sure the corks I liked were glued on the outside of the letter.

3.  As I said above, I displayed my letter for a couple of months and kept adding to it.  I was surprised at what a conversation piece this became in my kitchen.  

 4. Finished!!! I'm really excited about how this turned out.  I like the different colors, textures and sizes of the corks and think it makes it more visually interesting.

There is nothing I love more after a long day than a glass of wine with dinner.  When my husband and I were both working and had 'disposable' income, we'd love to try new bottles of wine.  We'd choose bottles that had cool labels or were recommended to us.  Once I became a stay at home mom, our wine choice was determined more by the price than the look or recommendation.  I've always loved wine labels and corks.  Instead of saving a bottle from a special night, I'd always save the cork. 

I have been keeping corks for about 4-5 years and had no clue what to do with them.  Making a trivet or tray wasn't really practical for our decor so they just stayed in ceramic bowls on shelves. I finally stumbled upon a 'pin' that would help me put my corks to use.  While making this 'pin' I choose to use all of my corks even if they weren't a cork in the traditional sense.  I also flipped a couple of them to show the red wine stain for color.  Even when I still had space on my letter, I still displayed it and just kept adding to it every couple of weeks.  Overall, it was a cheap fun way to display my corks.    

Pinterest Inspiration:

http://www.greenisuniversal-reuse.com/home-decor/monogram-letter-recycled-wine-corks

My Results:

1. I purchased a 23.5" paper mache letter from JoAnn Fabrics.  It was on sale for $8.99. I've seen other people use flat wooden letters as well.

2. Start in one corner and hot glue each cork individually.  In trial and error, I found that corks vary in height and width so it's like a puzzle when laying them out.  I personally didn't worry about the different heights but made sure the corks I liked were glued on the outside of the letter.

3.  As I said above, I displayed my letter for a couple of months and kept adding to it.  I was surprised at what a conversation piece this became in my kitchen.  

 4. Finished!!! I'm really excited about how this turned out.  I like the different colors, textures and sizes of the corks and think it makes it more visually interesting.