We love to entertain. Folks come over at least a couple of nights a week to hang out, and they almost always bring a bottle of wine. Combine that with my habit of saving anything that looks like it could possibly become part of a craft project, and you have a really, really big bowl of wine corks. One that is probably overflowing. And possibly causing your significant other to ask from time to time if you still need to hang on to them.

Much to my husband’s delight, I was Googling ways to use up those old corks and came across this amazing cork board on Flickr. Yes! It was on. A recent, fruitful trip to the thrift store turned up a perfect second-hand frame for the project, and it was time to pull out some supplies and get assembling!

The Goods
This project doesn’t take too many supplies. You need a bunch of corks, some sort of backed frame situation, and wood glue:

Prep It
If you’re like me, you’ll probably be inclined to just start gluing things right away, but resist that urge! Lay out those corks before you start gluing. You’ll be glad you did. Once you have them all laid out, snap a picture or put the corks on the table in that configuration, so it’ll be a no-brainer to fit them into the frame once you get gluing. I opted to lay the corks on their sides, but you could also stand them upright. Or do a little of each for some extra texture. Make it fun!

Gluing - The Best Part
Apply the wood glue liberally to the sides of the cork that are going to touch the frame and the sides that will touch other corks. Start wedging those suckers in there, giving each cork a good press so it gets a good seal.

upGRADE it!
I decided to get fancy and add a couple of hooks for holding keys. If you want to go that route, I recommend these little hooks that you’d screw into the wall for wrangling cable. You can just screw those suckers right into the cork!

Once you’re done with that part, just let the whole thing dry overnight. If your frame already has a hanging apparatus, you’re all done! If not, you can always glue one on there or tap in a couple of nails and attach some picture wire.

Here’s my corkboard all finished:

You could make this even fancier by painting the frame or the corks with some no-VOC paint. Or, you could cover your frame with pretty paper or fabric scraps!