DIY Gift: Photo or Holiday Card Wine Corkboards

It cost two dollars and 42 cents, which is cheaper than a cup of coffee these days. When I saw this shabby chic porcelain frame (with emphasis on the shabby) at our local Value Village last week, I just knew it was destined for grander things.

I pondered for a while, then happened across these fun, modern handmade corkboards, and knew what had to happen. I collected our few corks, and petitioned the list serv for more. They came through for me, as always, offering up 40 or so corks from several families. (One woman also mentioned this very cool art supply recycling place in Washington, DC, which is now on my list for a near-future visit.)

The advantage of corks for hanging a photo, besides their nifty visual appeal, is the ease of changing the images. You could use a large-format version of this project for holiday cards or children’s artwork, while smaller ones work well for family snaps that you want to switch with frequency. They also look great in multiples, as shown here.

This project is fast and easy once the supplies are rounded up, and is a great way to up-cycle well-used frames and get more life out of wine corks. Any size frame will work, though I’ll note that 5X7 was a good fit for the corks, including a sideways row. You’ll also need about twice as many corks as you think, given their variance in thickness and length. The trick is to play around until they fit neatly, and to make subtle trims with a very sharp paring knife in any corks that are too long or wide, in places where the cuts won’t show.

I removed the glass so that if I decided later on I would rather have a picture frame without the corks, I could pop them out with the paper and reinstall the glass.

What you’ll need:

• Picture frame (there are always tons at thrift stores!)
• Background paper to fill the opening in the frame in a complimentary color (cardstock works well for this)
• Wine corks sufficient to fill the opening in the frame, plus some
• Hot glue gun (a small one works fine) and glue sticks
• Thumbtacks for photos
• Paring knife

Directions:

Tinker with the corks you have on hand, trimming as needed with a paring knife, until they fit neatly in the frame without popping up or putting too much pressure on each other. Remove them carefully to maintain your design.

Cut the background paper cardstock to fit the opening and put it into the frame. Restore the corks. One at a time, glue to the paper with the most interesting part of each cork’s design facing outward, using a thick strip of glue, and press each for a moment.

Once finished, let it dry for a few minutes, then use the thumbtacks to add a photo or two. Hang and enjoy!

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Of course, picture frames make a lovely gift, particularly when filled with a nice photo. I love these unique frames from Scrappin’ Sassy on Etsy, which add a whimsical touch (and she takes custom orders if you have a paper design you love, as I did for Maya’s nursery). And here’s a nice idea for a framed, fabric earring holder from a fellow blogger that looks simple enough to make for a gift.

One more idea: you can also frame chalkboard paper for a simple home-made chalkboard. The contact paper sticks onto anything and can be easily trimmed to size, as I did below for our kitchen using a simple drugstore frame just after Maya was born.

Chalkboard paper also looks great cut into shapes like circles for the wall of a playroom! And here’s some fun (and safer) veggie-based chalk for use indoors by the kiddos.