Put a Cork In It

I realized a few nights before Christmas that I had (accidentally) fulfilled another goal off my 30 Before 30 list! I couldn't do a full post about it then, though, because one of the activities involved presents which had not yet been given...

Number 19 on my list was "Make something out of all the wine corks we've saved. [More like 50 things...]"
I actually made a couple of crafts, and I still have more corks to go!

Craft #1: Jewelry holder.

Supplies needed:
Picture frame
Scrapbook paper {if desired}
Wine corks
Hot glue gun

I had seen several examples of this online. For example, here is one from Etsy ($25): 

(source)

I bought an old, sort of rustic gold looking wall frame at Goodwill. It actually came in a set of three for five bucks or something. The other two are on our living room wall.

I tried filling the frame entirely with corks, similar to the one pictured above, but I didn't love it. Then I had a brainstorm: I have a whole pad full of cool scrapbook paper, which we bought when we made our parents tile coasters for Christmas last year. Why not use a little?

I put some paper in the frame and arranged the corks so that some of the paper still showed...then just hot-glued them down. Easy breezy. 

Finished product. My apologies for the glare...our room is very bright.

Close-up to show the paper pattern.

Craft #2: Tabletop Christmas Trees. 

Supplies needed:

Wine corks

Hot glue gun

Something for the "trunk" {if desired}

Acrylic paint

Crafty odds and ends {I used buttons, twine, and decorative tape}

I saw these on Pinterest a while ago and adapted them to fit my own supplies. I would link to the original tutorial, but the site seems to have disappeared. Here is the picture, featured on another website:

(source)

Original inspiration

Once again, these are all over Etsy. Some variations:

Left (source): All one shade. I like this, too. 

Right (source): I'm not sure I have the patience to make one this large...

I chose not to make my trees ornaments--they just sit on a surface. I also chose not to make a trunk out of a stick or whatever (sorry, my stick supply is limited. Also, I had finals. And nothing to saw with). I did take some twine, braid it, and glue it onto the last level to set it apart and make it look more trunk-like. 

Most of the examples I had seen used more muted colors, but my paint and other supplies lent themselves to a brighter look, which I didn't mind.

Here are two that I made:

Front. 

Back. 

As you can see, one coat of paint left the cork peeking through a little bit, but I liked the way it looked. If you wanted it to be super opaque, two coats would do it.

I made several of these as little Christmas gifts and was really pleased with how they turned out! There are so many cool ways you could decorate these little trees. 

Have you done anything else crafty with your wine cork collection?