CORK HANDLES : LOOK, NO MITTS

A LAST MINUTE CANDLE STAND WITH THE CORK FROM YOUR BOTTLE OF WINE

Our candle stands broke and we were desperate to prop up these candles. We thought sand or soil could be a good option, but it was snowing so heavily it didn't make any sense to go onto the balcony to get the compost. We have only too many corks lying at home. We never did get to throwing them away because we are so sure we can find good uses for them one day and here it is. It was snug too, considering you can compress cork a little. The candles burnt the whole night and we even walked around with it, moving it from one table to the other. Cool!

ANOTHER CORK CRAFT, BUT WE ARE NOT SURE ABOUT IT

We saw this on Readymade and thought, hey another cork craft. And then the nagging question came into our heads, is it useful? One thing about FF is whenever we make and see a recycled craft, we would always ask if it is useful, if not, it kind of defeats the purpose doesn't it?

This cork bathmat is useful in the sense of it being non-slip but we question the whole hygiene, dirt in the grooves and mildew issue. We would really like to see the cork bathmat after, say, 2 months of usage? What do you think?

For those of you wine connoisseurs out there inspired by our April/May issue’s feature “A Denser Shade of Green” about using wine crates to create kitchen cabinets, this wine cork bathmat is a smaller scale project that will give you a way to reuse the corks from your empties. To make this project from Craftynest, all you need are about 175 wine corks, hot glue, shelf liner, and a few fairly easy to find tools. So next time you open a bottle of wine (or two), save the cork and you’ll be on your way to redecorating your bathroom with a bathmat that is both stylin’ and sustainable.

[Image from Craftynest via Planet Green]

MORE CORKY POT STANDS

We made this a while back as a gift to a friend who invited us to a dinner party. Everyone seems to be intrigued by it everytime we go there for dinner parties again.

Here is another corky pot stand idea.

REST YOUR POT ON YOUR WINE : WINE CORK POT STAND

We were invited to a dear friends place for dinner. We thought we would bring a few gifts as appreciation for the invitation. We decided to make a quick craft. We have a lot of wine corks which we have collected. We hot glued them together. The silicon is waterproof, durable and heat-resistant. Her guests at the dinner loved the pot stand. An easy and thought gift idea. A good conversation piece as well.

And yes, we were in a hurry to go to the dinner party. We didn't take proper pictures of the pot stand. Only managed to take it with the web cam.

CORK CRAFTS, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

BEST OF REALSIMPLE TIPS : SHELF NOISE CUSHIONS

Start using those corks you have saved to cushion off noise. Slice a thin layer of cork and just use double sided tape to attach it in between shelves and shelf doors.

THE CONVENIENT PIN CUSHION

We needed a pin cushion desperately, like right in front of us now! What we found on our desk of collected recyclable was a trusty cork which doubled as our pin cushion in need.

SIT DOWN AND HAVE A GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE

CORK CRAFTS WE LOVE

CORKS TO SAVE YOUR KITCHEN TOPS

Here is how to make a quick pot stand/coaster. The best part of it is that it is free. Why not? Love it. Despite the easiness of it, it does look rather professional and rustic too.

Collect enough corks. We never understand why people would throw corks away. There are simply too many uses. You can even use it to line the bottom of your chair legs.

We then marked the cork into 6 portions. It is ok if your corks are of different lengths and sizes. It doesn't matter because after you mix and match them, they will be alright.

What we do is that we gauge the heights of the cork ever so slightly so that we know which shorter or taller ones go where so that it will be more level.


Use some hot glue or white glue and quickly stick it. We like hot glue because it is hardier and also it dries quicker.

Here is a quick photo of the end product. We are actually going to slice more corks and stick them together to something big enough so that our frying pan can sit on it. Enjoy, have fun drinking those wine.

CANDLE HOLDERS FOR WINE

CORKY POT STANDS

There are many uses for corks and the alcoholic in us. Apart from making floaty boats for kids and slicing cork circles to help level chair legs and prevent scratches on our floors, lets look at other uses when you have a surplus of corks.

We stumble upon this idea of making cork trivets by using corks and an adjustable pipe clamp. We found a pipe clamp in the store room and decided to give it a try although the clamp isn't quite Fidgety Fingers. Of course, instead of using the clamp, you can use other materials like glueing them together, securing them with rope, natural fibres or glueing tree bark from firewood. You would have to dry the bark thoroughly. Wood stain will help to preserve it.

We didn't manage to find enough corks but in our attempt to make the trivet, we realized how the idea is rather flawed. Corks come in different sizes and heights. Hence, the trivet isn't going to be standing strong or securing our pots of boiling sauces.

In order to make the trivet work, we have decided to wait till we open a few more bottles of wine before we clamp them together and slice the corks shorter and level the heights for stability.

You can also use beetroot juice to dye the tops of the corks for a unique hue to your trivet. Cheers, Gan Bei, Salute, A votre santé, Prosit, Slainte, L'chaim...