How to Make Ornaments From Recycled Wine Corks

I’m not a wine drinker. However it is really easy to get ahold of some recycled wine corks. I think I bought a bunch from the Goodwill. But if you have friends who drink wine, I’m sure they won’t mind supplying you. Plus I added a link at the bottom to get some recycled corks from Amazon.

When I decided I wanted to make cork ornaments, I tried thinking of different ways to embellish them. Something that others would have handy too. So, I decided that washi tape would be a fun addition to making these corks original. And when you add a few other supplies, like paint pens and rhinestones and beads, you’ve got a colorful decor ”dangle.”

Step 1

Squirt some alcohol ink on a piece of felt.

I always fold a rectangular piece in half so I can use both sides.

Step 2

Dab the alcohol ink to cover the cork in color.

It might seem like there wouldn’t be enough to cover the whole cork, but a little goes a long way.

Step 3

Apply glue from a glue stick to the places you want to apply your washi tape.

I discovered that the washi tape itself does not stick to the cork and it’s quite frustrating to try only for it to come unpeeled.

Step 4

Once the glue is applied, then you can wrap around your washi tape.

I didn’t want to cover the whole cork, so I left some places that still showed the cork.
 

Step 5

Add some dazzle borders (or paint pen) along the border of the washi tape.

In one of the ornaments I made, I used a metallic paint pen to make the washi border and it turned out good.

 If you used the dazzle borders, you’ll need to add more glue stick to where you’re placing it.

Step 6

Once you have all the washi and borders you want to use, coat your cork with Mod Podge to protect it and make sure all your elements will stay in place.

Step 7

If you want, you can add rhinestones to your cork.

I thought it added some glitz to the cork.

Step 8

Use a long sturdy tool to poke a hole deep into the cork (enough for the eye pin to completely go in as far as it needs to. Do this on both ends of the cork.

I tried using a straight pin to poke the hole and found out that it will just bend as in strong enough. So, I used a small, tiny screwdriver for the job.

Step 11

Add a bead or two to both of your eye pins.

Step 10

Before you stick your eye pin into the hole, add a little super glue into the hole.

Step 11

Insert the beaded eye-pins into both sides of your cork making sure they go in all the way.

On some of my corks, I added two beads or different different beads on each end.

Step 12

Now put a charm on a jump ring And then attach it to the eye-pin you want.

I used enameled charms that matched the color of the cork.

Step 13
 Add a jump ring onto the other end.

Step 14

Thread a string, or what you want it to hang from, and tie the ends of the string with as much length as you want.

I used some metallic string I had.

And here’s my whole collection:

 
 ‘So, what do you think?

I am super into abandoned art. I think it’s a fun way to make random people happy. So, I plan on hanging these charms on the handle of the door on mailboxes in my neighborhood 😀.