Making Wine Cork Key Chains

What you’ll need to make one key chain:

1 wine cork

1  key chain ring

1 screw eye

jeweler’s pliers

glue (optional)

This is a simple and quick craft, making it easy to do with friends or while matching a movie, etc.

First, select the wine corks you would like to use. Synthetic or oak wine corks can be used for this project.  I prefer to use synthetic corks for key chains. They are easy to clean and seem to withstand use better.   We had a variety of unusual synthetic corks that we have saved over the years, so I made them into key chains for some of my best friends for Valentines Day this year.  They would make great party or wedding favors as well.

Next, I got out some screw eyes and some key rings I purchased at the craft store.  We used an actual key chain assembly but standard split rings also work.  Screw the screw eye into one side of the cork.  If you are using oak wine corks, I would recommend using a little craft glue on your screw eye thread.  Both types of corks allow you to simply use your hand to screw it in.

Then use small pliers, or jeweler pliers, to open up the ring on the screw eye and attached the split ring or key chain pieces. Then use the pliers to close the screw eye.  I like to use two pairs of pliers to do this step, one to hold the metal and one to open and close it.

I like the key chain assembly since you don’t have to thread your keys through the ring, it just unlocks and opens. Split rings are much cheaper though. I purchased a pack of 28 split rings for $2.50 , and a pack of key chains was $2.50 for 12 pieces.   The solid wine corks are also fun to use since you can customized them with permanent markers or decoupage.

Please note: wine cork key chains will float…but probably not with your keys on them.

Wow, December was a great month!  Our wine cork tree tutorial was featured on Wine Sisterhood: Holiday Wine Bottle and Cork Crafts

And the shop was full of custom orders and online sales! Here’s one of our holiday favorites… a four foot DIY wine cork frame!

On December 21st we closed our Etsy shop for the first time since opening it in July 2010. Our family took a much needed vacation and explored the Great Smoky Mountains. It was an amazing trip and we are blessed to have spent the time together.

We have lots of plans for 2013!  Our first wine cork tutorial of the new year will be up on the blog later this week, and our Corky Wednesdays posts will return soon as well!  Our Etsy shop will remain closed throughout the month of January as we replenish inventory and make some changes to our growing business. We are already receiving new reclaimed inventory… like this salvaged mirror that I just had cut down for framing!

I am looking forward to creating with you in 2013!

Thank you, Bee

The first part of this year has been spent celebrating wine corks and all the colors and crafts they can be.  For this giveaway we took our latest tutorial, making wine cork magnets, one more step, and we turned our colored wine corks in magnets!  And you can WIN this earthy set of cork magnets!

Wine corks have been permanently dyed. Magnets are made with 25 Neodymium Rare Earth Magnets. Each little magnet can pull a little over 2 pounds and holds down several sheets of paper.

So get organized in upcycled style and enter our first Earth Day giveaway!

FIVE ways to enter, for multiple entries per giveaway! Be sure to leave an individual comment for EACH entry.

1. Follow our Facebook page, and comment that you did below.

2. Follow our blog (on the top right of this page) and comment that you signed up for email notifications.

3. Follow us on Twitter, and comment that you did below.

4. Follow all our boards on Pinterest, and comment that you did below.

5. Favorite our shop on Etsy, and comment that you did below.

Wait, what about some bonus entries? I know you really want to win these adorable magnets!

Recommend our Earth Day Giveaway to your friends & followers and tell them to leave your name in their comments for extra entries.  You can also look for extra entry opportunities on our Facebook page throughout the week!

Winner will be randomly selected by random.org on Earth Day, Sunday April 22nd, 2012 at 10:00pm.  Winner will be contacted through their comments, so be sure to include a form of contact.  You are welcome to enter all three of our Earth Day Giveaways this week! Check back tomorrow for your chance to win some chalkboard gift tags!

Thank you for helping me celebrate our planet by supporting our ecofriendly business.

Good Luck!

Bee

I love to make wine cork garland. It’s a quick and classy way to decorate for a special occasion.  At home I use it for anniversaries and adult birthdays. In our shop, I use it to decorate our vendor space and for our DIY craft parties.  I think it would look fabulous on our Christmas tree this year…if I can get around to making enough!

Below, I used some wine cork garland on a window doorway at one of our DIY craft parties.  I hung five double sided square chalkboards from the garland, that read CRAFT on one side and PARTY on the the other.

I thought I’d share some how-to tips for making wine cork garland.

What you need:

oak wine corks

ribbon, yard, or twine

drill, optional

beads, optional

For the garland twine I normally use natural jute or hemp. I find the cost is much less than ribbon or yarn. I also like the width & stiffness of the twine to allow for easy threading.  However, I have used yarn, tied up scraps of ribbons, and recycled fishing line to make pretty wine cork garlands.

First determine how long you would like your wine cork garland to be, and then add four feet to your measurement.  If I wanted an 8 foot garland, I would cut a 12 foot piece of twine.  I would leave two feet on each side to allow extra twine for tying it up, for knots, etc.

You can drill holes in your wine corks either vertically and horizontally. Find a drill bit a size or two larger than the width of your twine.  It will make it easier to thread the twine through the corks.  Moving the drill bit in & out while drilling will help clear the holes of extra cork as well.

Decide your garland pattern based on your materials. For an 8 foot garland I would recommend having 35-40 wine corks. You can scale up or down from there. I think my eight foot garland has been a great length for several different uses.  Anything under 6 ft seems too short, unless you want a mini garland for the archway of an inside doorway, or some other specific space.  The garland below has a cork, three wooden beads, cork pattern. The colors of the beads varied.  Remember to start your pattern in two feet from the end of your twine.

Wine cork garland is always fun to hang things from as well.  Mistletoe at the holidays, letters and signs at special occasions.  We hung Christmas cards on them one year.  If you would like to hang heavier objects like wooden letters, or mini chalkboards like we did, then small ornaments hooks work the best!!! I have tried several methods and good ole ornament hooks work great! They hook and stay in place without sliding between corks, etc.  We use these hooks, purchased for a great price, from Cathy’s Unique Creations.

No Drill Option

So, if you don’t have a drill, or want to make a cork garland while sitting and watching TV, just tie the corks to the garland!

I would cut TWICE as much twine as what you want the length of the garland to be doing it this way.  If there is extra is it better to cut it off than to run short at the end.  Again, design your pattern and when you get to the cork, wrap the twine around the cork a few times, tie a knot, and continue.  In the beginning, tying the knots with the long piece of twine will take extra time and care. As you get to the end it will get shorter and easier.  Just think you didn’t have to sit there and drill hole after hole though.

Storing your Garland Tangle Free

You can use discarded paper towel or gift wrapping rolls to store your garlands in between uses.  Cut two small slits in each end of the cardboard roll.  Insert one end of the twine in a slit, and then wrap the garland around the roll and secure the other end of the twine in the second slit.

I am continuing to experiment with coloring corks.  I hope to be blogging about colored wine cork garland soon! Until then, check out my Pinterest Board for more wine cork garland photos. It’s a virtual bulletin board dedicated to fabulous photos and uses of wine corks!!!

Happy Crafting!

August seemed to be the month for custom orders. I still have three to finish up but wanted to blog about this awesome order!

Two cherry brown cabinet doors with chalkboard centers and upcycled oak wine corks on two custom made easels. Of course, all the wood is reclaimed.

They were shipped (all 24 pounds) to Denver, CO and will be displayed in someone’s wedding! I thought it was so special.

My husband and I really enjoyed making this order.  We will definitely be making the art easels again. I love how natural they turned out!

Make Your Own Wine Cork Tacks

Check out this fun idea I had to reuse wine corks as thumbtacks! I think they look super cute on our Upcycled Bulletin Boards too!

What you need:

• oak wine corks or oak champagne corks
• drill
• glue
• thumbtacks
• hand saw, optional

First decide how you want your corks to look.  You can drill the holes in any side or end of the corks. You can also cut the corks down or in half. This is done best with a small hand saw or knife.

Choose a drill bit that is close to the size of your thumbtack and start drilling. You only want to drill deep enough for the head of your thumbtack to slide into the cork.  Try comparing the length of the tack, to the length of your bit & see where to stop.  Slightly rotating the drill bit in circles will help remove the cork pieces & increase the hole in size for a better fit, if needed. You might want to practice on a cork to get a feel for drilling.

Place small amouont of glue in the hole & then push in thumbtack. Let dry 24 hours. We use craft glue & clear thumbtacks.

If you aren’t into using a drill or would like to purchase some, we have a few sets of wine cork tacks available on our Etsy shop.

Happy Crafting!

After many suggestions & encouragement from our customers & friends, we are going to start posting our crafting ideas on our blog as well!  So, here is our first holiday craft of the season!  Special thanks to my artist friend Jami J. for her inspiration!

Materials:
__paper craft cone ( 11” or 14” height)
__wine corks (either synthetic, oak or both)
__strand of Christmas lights (battery operated or plugin)
__mini tree topper star
__hot glue gun

First, decide what size cone you would like to use for your tree. The number of wine corks available to you can help determine the size. When using the smaller 11”cones, you will need about 50 wine corks per tree. The larger 14” cones will take at least 100 wine corks. Once you have determined the size, you have some options on the material of the cone.  We prefer the paper cone because it is the color of the wine corks, should you not cover every spec of surface with the wine corks.  We also like the paper cone because it is hollow & allows you to hide the battery box so the lit tree can be put anywhere!  The other cone material available is Styrofoam. Styrofoam cones allow you to easily pin the lights to the surface & are offered in much larger sizes should you have hundreds of corks to use. However, they are not as environmentally friendly as paper.

After, you have purchased your cone, put on your star topper & get ready for the lights.  You can use white lights or colored lights. Most battery operated light strands have only 10-12 lights per strand & I would only use them for the smallest of the paper craft cones. If you are using the 14” cone for your tree, around 30 lights would be best.  Remember to leave a little extra cord at the bottom, either to tuck under the cone or to reach the wall outlet.  Start your light strand at the top, evenly wrapping the lights on the cone.  With the paper cone you can use tape to hold the light strand in place as you wrap the lights (this also allows you to re-position them as you glue your corks if needed).  I like to leave a little extra give when wrapping, so that when I am gluing the corks on I can move the lights to fit into place perfectly.

When your glue gun is hot & ready, start applying your wine corks at the bottom of the cone. Make sure to glue them so that you still keep a nice level surface for the tree to sit on.  I start the corks at the bottom but then I jump to the top & then fill in the middle.  There is no pattern, put the corks everywhere & anywhere as you are covering the surface of the cone.  A second layer of wine corks will help cover any gaps or holes & the Christmas lights will stick out through the layered corks. I have even had to add a third layer to the base of the tree to help keep the tree shape.  You will have to hold the corks in place for 20-30 seconds sometimes, especially when you are gluing cork to cork.

If you would like to add a little extra jazz to your wine cork Christmas tree, cut acrylic paint with blending gel (or water) & paint your wine corks before starting! Cutting or diluting the paint allows the designs on the wine corks to still show but adds a little color to the cork. I chose to dye only some of my oak wine corks on this tree…green & red wine to add the perfect Christmas colors. You can paint synthetic corks but I would only recommend the oak.

Please feel free to email, thewoodenbee@gmail.com, with any questions (& send pictures of your wine cork tree creations)! One of the things I liked about this craft, is it allows you some play & creativity so each tree is unique.

Our next crafting blog will be a magnolia cone wreath! Our daughter is thrilled to help with this, since she’s been collecting the magnolia cones on our nature walks all year long!

Happy Crafting!

~Bee