Wine Cork Initial

I'm back everyone! Sorry for the delay. We got back from our vacation last weekend and I just felt so overwhelmed with all the things I needed to catch up on. Unpacking, laundry, cleaning the house, paying bills, taking care of the animals, etc., etc., etc! But I'm back now. All is well again. And I have so many things that I can't wait to show you! If all goes well, the laundry room reveal is only a few days away and I am already planning the next room redo. And crafts galore are coming up; plus, as requested by one special reader, more recipes! So stay tuned! Today I'm going to show you a craft that I have been working on for a few weeks and was DYING to finish. I. LOVE. IT. Its a Wine Cork Initial. Like a said a little bit ago, I have been going through my house looking at spaces that need a little help with "styling" or re-do-ing and our mantle is one of those spaces. Its just boring, and I am sick of boring. I still have a lot to do before I finish the complete look, but I thought this was a great first project to get me started. And bonus, its a fun way to recycle. Oh yeah! So green.

Here is what you need:

1 Large cardboard letter (I bought mine at Joanne Fabrics. It can be your first or last initial)
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
LOTS of wine corks (I can't stress enough, that you need a LOT of these, so crack open a bottle and start your collection now!)
Sharp knife

1. Start by cutting all of the corks in half. You don't have to, but I thought the letter would be much too heavy with full corks on it. Be very careful when cutting. We don't want any missing fingers or trips to the hospital! The more variety of corks, the better. I used some champagne corks as well. Note: I had a decent sized collection of wine corks and I still didn't have enough, so I asked around and got a hold of a friend's collection. If you can't wait to save up enough, I have also seen "corks" sold at Target (being sold as jar fillers) and craft stores. I don't drink red wine much, so I was really excited to get some red wine corks, cause it has that pretty purpley look.

2. Get your hot glue gun out and start glueing the cork halves onto the letter. You may have to cut some of the cork halves down the middle, if you find there are any odd spaces.

3. Cover the letter completely, let dry and enjoy your new piece of art!

As you can see, my mantle still needs a little help. I will post before and after pics when its finished!

I am absolutely in love with mine. And I love to think that each cork has a story. A celebration, special occasion, a happy day or bad day is behind every one. How cool is that? I am actually just ONE teensy tiny cork short on mine, so I guess I'll be opening a bottle of wine tonight! I mean....if I HAVE to.