Put A Cork In It

With the 4th of July approaching, I thought it would be fun to create a craft project that would be a nice nod to the holiday but would also be attractive as a year-round wall decoration. 

I introduced this idea to my craft class and they got busy gluing corks to wood bases that they brought in like trays, bulletin boards, and round wood slices. I found a great oblong wood slice at JoAnn's to use as my base. I really liked the interesting bark edging on this slice which gives the final creation a nice look.

Here's how to make this:

SUPPLIES

• Wine corks - I used 64 corks for my project but yours will vary depending on the size of the base you use
• Oblong base - wood slice/board, very heavy cardboard, bulletin board, wooden or acrylic serving tray, etc. My wood slice is about 10"x13".
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Red, white, and blue acyclic paints
• Paint brushes and water pots
• Hacksaw, serrated knife, or scissors (optional)
• Twine or fabric ribbon (optional)
• 1 - 2 picture hooks, hammer, and nails (optional)

HOW TO MAKE THIS

• If your flag will be hung on a wall, hammer 1 or 2 picture hooks to the back of your base.
• Tie the twine or ribbon to these hooks long enough for a nice drape from another wall hook.
• Arrange corks on the surface of your base in a pattern that appeals to you.

Nicole's wooden tray 

• Using the hacksaw, carefully cut each cork in half lengthwise. This is an optional step. It took me several hours to cut enough corks for all of my students projects. ugh! I did this because I thought the corks would sit better and looked nicer but skipping that step and just using the whole round corks turns out great too.

• If you find that there's a space at the end of a row that you don't like, carefully use a serrated knife, scissors, or the hacksaw to cut a cork to the size that will finish the row evenly. In my case, I liked the uneven row edging so I didn't worry about cutting cork end pieces.
• Use the glue gun to adhere the corks to your base.

Lin's bulletin board base

• Once this is completed, decide whether you like the natural look of the corks or if you want to use the paints to add the traditional flag colors to your piece. For a light wash of color, add water to a bit of acrylic paint before brushing the color to the cork. The corks have such interesting words and images that the water downed paint allows the cork artwork to peek through.
• Pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

Your finished piece can be hung on the wall as a holiday or permanent decoration, used as a hot plate, or bulletin board. Make smaller ones to use as drink coasters. 

Come up with your own designs and uses for your new cork creation then celebrate in style!