Wine Cork Monogram Tutorial

A friend of mine has been collecting corks for YEARS. Friends, family, and others have contributed to her collection (including a vineyard she went to that gave her a bag of about 1,000). Now that she has all of these corks, she wants to find different things to do with them. The first idea she had was to re-purpose an old end table and cover the top of it with corks, but that idea has fallen down the list. The biggest problem is that she is not the craftiest person when it comes to things like this. Other things she's wonderful at, like jewelry making, which is not a talent of mine. For this she asked me to help out. Since a lot of the supplies are things you probably already have, the amount we spent (for the board, craft knife, and hardware) was about $15. The corks...that just takes time. Enjoy!!





Supplies

• Foam Board (I used Elmers Foam board, 16"X20"
• Craft Knife...medium to heavy weight
• Serrated Knife
• Pencil
• Yardstick 
• Hot Glue Gun and a LOT of glue sticks (I think I used 10 or more)
• Mounting Hardware (aka picture hanging hardware, I like the ones that have "teeth" so you use 2 and can hang it straight)
• A LOT of corks...I used 58 for the edges of the D alone

Construction

Step 1: With your pencil, draw out your letter on the foam board. I made the width of each section of the letter 4" wide. Use your yardstick to help keep lines straight and to measure so it is a consistent shape.

Step 2: Use your craft knife to cut out your letter once you are satisfied with it. Use the yardstick to help keep lines straight.

Step 3: Lay out your corks. On outside edges, line them up standing on end. Lay the ones inside on their sides. 

Step 4: LEAVE THE INSIDE CORKS THERE! Take the corks that go around the edges and count them. Divide that number by 2, then cut that number of corks in half using the serrated knife.

Step 5: GLUING TIME! This gets a little sticky. Glue ONE EDGE of upright corks in place. Be sure to glue them to one another as well as to the foam board for extra stability. Then do some of the interior, until you reach another edge. The last step is doing the second edge. 

                         for example: I did the letter D. I did the upright corks on the inside edge first, then all of the corks that lie flat, and finally the outside edge upright corks. This helps to make sure everything is lined up and spaced correctly.

                         Once all corks are glued in place, gently wiggle the corks (especially the ones around the edges). If you feel any give, squirt a little hot glue around the edges into the small gaps for extra stability.

Step 6: Fill in any big gaps. If you are doing a letter with curves, you are going to have a few gaps. I simply cut pieces off of a spare cork and filled in the most noticeable gaps. You will still see a bit of the board, but not enough to worry about.

Step 6: Attach your mounting hardware once the hot glue is dry.Use your yardstick to make sure they are even.

That's it! All done!

Editor's note: After looking at it on the wall when I was at my friend's house recently, I decided it needed a little more "pizazz." Soon we are going to take ribbon of appropriate thickness and hot glue it around the edges to better conceal the foam board behind the corks, as well as to give it a bit more personality!
~Stephanie