Heart Corkboard
Published July 20, 2012
What do you do with your leftover corks? Too many times we find ourselves opening a nice bottle of wine, sniffing the cork and then tossing it. These little corks are wonderful for all kind of projects around the house. This year why not make a beautiful corkboard to display your family photos and daily notes?
Did you know that cork comes from a cork tree that is a species of oak grown in Spain and Portugal? The cork tree can grow to be very old…some are 160 years. The actual cork grows naturally inside the bark of the tree. Strips are carefully removed and dried for 6-8 months. After this process is complete the cork is boiled for and hour and half or so and then dried for 3-4 weeks. After the drying process the cork is cut in the shape we see inside our wine bottles.
Over time some corks may develop a mold that can spoil the wine. This unfortunate occurrence is one of the reasons why so many wineries are turning to rubber corks. The sealing process of the synthetic cork is superior to the traditional cork however some wine experts feel the romance of the traditional cork is lost when the synthetic cork is used. The debate continues.
Materials
- Corks (approximately 300)
- Glue and Glue Gun
- Large Cardboard Sheet
- Real or Artificial Eucalyptus (available at West Van Florist)
- Scissors
For the best look use traditional corks rather than the rubber variety for this project. Begin by sketching out the shape of your heart on the cardboard sheet. You will need to estimate how many corks you require to fill the shape of the heart. An 18” x 18” heart requires approximately 300 corks.
Once your sketch is complete cut out the cardboard heart with your scissors. This will be the backing for the corkboard.
Begin gluing your corks on the board starting from the bottom and working up. Fill the whole heart and let dry. Add the eucalyptus strands to the side and let dry. Make a whole in the back of the board to use for hanging.
To hang the corkboard, use a small finishing nail and hammer it in the wall and place the board over the nail.
