Upcycle wine corks to make this DIY cork board

Save your old wine corks and set them within a picture frame to make this delightful upcycled DIY cork board

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Holly Spanner

Published: July 8, 2024 at 12:38 pm

This is a fabulous upcycling project for wine cork projects! Simply collect lots of corks, find an old picture frame and back it with hardboard.

Cut the corks in half or into slices with a serrated knife or a junior hacksaw and with a pot of wood glue you are ready to create your own DIY cork board.

Arrange the corks within your frame to decide on the best layout before sticking. The corks make great embellishments, too.

Colour them with ink pads, add patterns with permanent marker pens or even carve them to produce simple shapes for stamping with.

Any cork slices for decorating are best rubbed on a piece of sandpaper first so you have a smooth surface to work with – especially important if you have carved any to stamp with.

Designer Julie Gibbs has decorated her DIY cork board with stylish cork embellishments, which would be ideal to use on your smaller wine cork projects – or an accompanying gift card, perhaps?

Here's a top tip, why not stick buttons onto drawing pins for quick and easy push pins that match your crafty DIY cork board? If you like this upcycling project, check out more ideas for upcycling, we love this upcycled teddy bear made out of an old t-shirt!

Cork board ideas

This elaborate bloom feature sits in gorgeous contrast to the plain white frame and corks. Make up one as shown, or create two or even four flowers to border your DIY cork board, or for smaller card makes.

If you’ve made this project, don’t forget to share it on Facebook or post it on Instagram, we love to see what you make!

Step 1

The main park of your DIY cork board is easy to make – cut your corks in half, and glue them to the back of your frame. Cut the corks lengthways (like we have), or slice them into rings if you prefer. Of course, you don’t have to slice them at all! If you have a lot saved, why not glue them standing up?

We’re going to show you how to make a cork flower embellishment for your DIY cork board. First, cut two foliage die leaves in green paper. Carve an arrow into a cork and stamp on both leaves using green ink. Heat set with clear embossing powder three times to give a glossy finish.

Cork board ideas

Step 2

Use a floral die to cut three flower layers. Back a slice of cork with double-sided tape and stick looped twine underneath. Add marker pen dots. Layer your flower using foam pads. If you don’t have a floral die, try using 3d paper flower embellishments, floral ephemera or you could even go freestyle and cut your own.

Cork board ideas

Step 3

Smooth two cork slices with sandpaper. Draw four triangles around the edge to make a flower shape and cut out using a craft knife to create a mini flower for the branch. Glue a button in the centre and use to embellish your die-cut foliage.

DIY cork board

Staff Writer, BBC Science Focus

Holly is the Staff Writer for BBC Science Focus and looks after the popular Q&A section. She holds an MSc (distinction) in Geoscience (Space and Climate Physics) from UCL, and specialises in astronomy and earth sciences. Before joining Our Media, she worked as a geoenvironmental consultant and engineer, informing on ground risk and remediation in the north of England, while hunting for exoplanets in her spare time. Alongside this, she was regional editor of a popular theatre website for nine years, and has a solid background in curating and developing content for the digital space. Holly is also an artist and illustrator, and regular contributor to the craft website, Gathered. She has previously worked with the RSPB, English Heritage, Disney, Pilot and Brother, as well as on BBC Good Food magazine, Home Style magazine, and Papercraft inspirations magazine. She enjoys photography and has a sustained interest in antiques.