Who isn't building crafty projects from their wine corks these days? Magazines, blogs, and tons of Etsy crafters are hard at work inventing hip and one-of-a-kind ways to use those stashed wine corks around the house. Poll the guests at any wine festivity: it seems half of them are saving their corks for some intended role as art or function! For good cause; cork is a fun but handy material to craft with, lending itself to a broad variety of projects around the house.
However cork designs can quickly go wrong. Here are the top three risks to avoid so you can appreciate the fruits of your cork-crafting labors.
1. Non-Standard Cork Measurements The world of regular wine corks is less unified than you might presume. Take a good gander at all of your conserved corks and you'll see that there is an extensive variety as far as cork length and cork diameter. Stoppers used in a bottle of French malbec may be extra long and slender; an Argentine malbec may use a notably shorter, fatter cork.
This selection of cork sizes and shapes can work against you in your wine cork crafts, or it can work for you. The most imperative thing is to invest time on the pattern beforehand, considering how the array of sizes and shapes might impact your final project.
For most cork projects like bulletin boards or trivets, the very best answer is to organize the corks in a pinwheel layout, using bunches of eight corks pin-wheeled in four duos. This can alleviate the variations in size and shape in between any two corks. There are also craft kits that enable you to replace corks as you go, so you can exchange an extra-long cork in a crowded spot with an extra-short cork in a space gap later.
2. Glue Gone Askew A frequent cork project misstep is using inadequate glue. Cork is a very permeable material, which means that glue permeates into the crevasses and air pockets of the cork side, as opposed to creating a connection between the cork and the other surface. Using lots of glue is the best way around this.
Hot glue guns are the most reliable answer for gluing corks to a surface, since the thick plastic adhesive does not absorb as easily into the porous cracks of corks. However, take heed of the burns and blisters that may come with using glue guns.
There are some creative glue-free kits for crafting with corks, or in some designs you can prick a notch into every cork to bind them consecutively along a wire.
3. Impatience The honest truth is that impatience can ruin any craft project! This small culprit creeps in when you are so excited to see how fantastic the end result looks that you don't put in the time to get a few vital details correct. Fortunately, whatever snafus your impatience can create, we have done firsthand, so here are the most probable suspects.
To start with, use proper, regular wine corks. Champagne corks are fun, but so out of sync in size and shape that they spoil the textural effect that looks so unique in a wine cork project. Additionally, fake corks may seem fine, but the coloring and material disharmony can turn a cork art project from looking organic and natural to looking cheap.
Furthermore, don't glue ahead of time. Many a cork bulletin board looks fine on one half and bad on the other-- thanks to gaps, improperly aligned fit, etc. You may also think twice about using some corks-- because they are from the "two buck" brand name section, or because a favored brand cork ends up detracting from the design when you would have liked more mixture.
Be very particular about if, what and when to glue, and you'll be more likely to enjoy the finished product. Furthermore, some kits equip you to create cork projects where you can reorganize or swap out corks later, leaving the element of regret behind entirely.
However cork designs can quickly go wrong. Here are the top three risks to avoid so you can appreciate the fruits of your cork-crafting labors.
1. Non-Standard Cork Measurements The world of regular wine corks is less unified than you might presume. Take a good gander at all of your conserved corks and you'll see that there is an extensive variety as far as cork length and cork diameter. Stoppers used in a bottle of French malbec may be extra long and slender; an Argentine malbec may use a notably shorter, fatter cork.
This selection of cork sizes and shapes can work against you in your wine cork crafts, or it can work for you. The most imperative thing is to invest time on the pattern beforehand, considering how the array of sizes and shapes might impact your final project.
For most cork projects like bulletin boards or trivets, the very best answer is to organize the corks in a pinwheel layout, using bunches of eight corks pin-wheeled in four duos. This can alleviate the variations in size and shape in between any two corks. There are also craft kits that enable you to replace corks as you go, so you can exchange an extra-long cork in a crowded spot with an extra-short cork in a space gap later.
2. Glue Gone Askew A frequent cork project misstep is using inadequate glue. Cork is a very permeable material, which means that glue permeates into the crevasses and air pockets of the cork side, as opposed to creating a connection between the cork and the other surface. Using lots of glue is the best way around this.
Hot glue guns are the most reliable answer for gluing corks to a surface, since the thick plastic adhesive does not absorb as easily into the porous cracks of corks. However, take heed of the burns and blisters that may come with using glue guns.
There are some creative glue-free kits for crafting with corks, or in some designs you can prick a notch into every cork to bind them consecutively along a wire.
3. Impatience The honest truth is that impatience can ruin any craft project! This small culprit creeps in when you are so excited to see how fantastic the end result looks that you don't put in the time to get a few vital details correct. Fortunately, whatever snafus your impatience can create, we have done firsthand, so here are the most probable suspects.
To start with, use proper, regular wine corks. Champagne corks are fun, but so out of sync in size and shape that they spoil the textural effect that looks so unique in a wine cork project. Additionally, fake corks may seem fine, but the coloring and material disharmony can turn a cork art project from looking organic and natural to looking cheap.
Furthermore, don't glue ahead of time. Many a cork bulletin board looks fine on one half and bad on the other-- thanks to gaps, improperly aligned fit, etc. You may also think twice about using some corks-- because they are from the "two buck" brand name section, or because a favored brand cork ends up detracting from the design when you would have liked more mixture.
Be very particular about if, what and when to glue, and you'll be more likely to enjoy the finished product. Furthermore, some kits equip you to create cork projects where you can reorganize or swap out corks later, leaving the element of regret behind entirely.
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