DIY Cork Wine Charm Craft
Whether you’re snowed in for the weekend, or looking to make a last-minute gift idea, this simple craft is the perfect way to reuse those old corks you have at home. Not to mention a perfect excuse to pop open a new bottle of wine and get your craft on!
This fun, inexpensive DIY craft will take you an hour – tops. And it’s so simple! It’s a cute and personalized gift for the wine enthusiast on your gift list. Or keep a set for yourself at home to make your guests feel special when you’re hosting dinner or holiday parties. It takes only a few wine corks and little else. Let’s be honest, any reason to get crafty in the kitchen that involves wine is a win.
Supplies
I promise, this is so easy. You probably have everything you need at home:
- Corks
- Hoop earrings or similar claspable hardware or string/ribbon
- Stamps and ink
- Sharp knife
- Wine (optional, but strongly recommended)
For starters, you need corks. A handfull will do. Each cork makes 4-5 charms. I came up with this idea because I have soooo many corks at home just begging to be turned into something. I thought it would be a fun way to incorporate these corks into something you’ll actually use that also involves wine. They come full circle!
You’ll also need some hoop earrings, or something similar. If you have old hoop earrings at home, you’re set! Otherwise, any craft store will sell these for only a few dollars, or look online. I found this pack at Joanne. You’ll only need any many as charms you plan to use at any given time and can easily swap out different letters.
My cousin makes these adorable wine charms, so that’s how I knew what to use. I find it funny that the brand of the jewelry is “Cousin”, if you’re searching by name. Easy to remember now!
Next, you’ll need small stampers. They should be small enough to stamp the end of a cork. I picked these up at the Dollar Store for, you guessed it, $1. I also have a small wood set from the Target dollar spot, another one of my favorite craft haunts. If you are in fact snowed in, you could make your own stamps out of additional wine corks! You can do this by whittling them into letters and shapes. Or your third option is to simply write on them with ballpoint pen or calligraphy markers. Get creative if you’re stampless!
If you do have stamps, however, you’ll need ink. These ink pads were also from the dollar store, but you’ll find them at any big box store or craft store. I chose holiday colors.
Get your wine and your ladies and/or gents together and get started! I may or may not have bought myself this… 😉
Making your Cork Wine Charms
First, clean your corks and move them onto a cutting board. I think it looks more uniform if you have a few of the same brand of corks, but it really doesn’t matter. I chose a few of these more decorative corks.
Next, get out that super sharp knife. A serrated knife works best here. Cut your corks into rounds. I was able to get about 5 rounds from each cork. Instead of sawing back and forth, cut one direction for a clean cut. Tip: I found it works best to use a more rubbery, newer cork like these Apothic ones.
Now that you’ve got your slices, flip them all to one side.
Now get your stamps out and picks the ones you want to use. You might want to make monogrammed ones as a gift, you might want to make one for each of your friends’ first names. You might just want to do the whole alphabet. That’s what I did, and making several for more popular first name letters in multiple colors of each so guests won’t be confused. (The whole point of these is so you don’t mix up your drink with someone else’s.)
Once you’re done, let them dry for a few minutes.
Look how great these come out! Make sure you’re pressing firmly with your stamp. Now, see those holes in the cork? The best part is the corkscrew has already done the work for us.
Now take your hoop earrings and pierce the pointed end into the holes through your cork rounds.
And you’re done! Attach your charms to the wine glass stems.
Gifting your Wine Charms
If you’re planning to give these to friend/family/coworkers, simply pop them into a little jam jar or a mason jar for storage, and put a bow on top or wrap them.
Done!
Cheers
