Upcycle Alert! Make State-Shaped Wall Art Using Old Wine Corks
When it comes to state pride, we’re all about the Northwest here at Brit HQ. That’s why we were psyched to team up with one of our favorite West Coast wineries, Chateau Ste. Michelle (a winery based in Woodinville, Washington), to create artwork out of repurposed wine corks.
Now, let’s get our DIY on.
We fired up our laser cutter to create state templates for Washington and California, and got to work with our hot glue gun, paint and even a little vino. Wine while making art is one of our favorite pastimes! You could easily recreate this project for any state, country or shape you like — get creative with it.
Materials:
– wood or cardboard (to create the template)
– printable state template (download here)
– lots of corks!
– acrylic paint
– wood glue
– hot glue sticks
Tools:
– painter’s tape
– hot glue gun
– xacto knife
– box cutter
– circle-shaped foam paint brush
– jar
Instructions:
1. Create your state template. We used our laser cutter to cut out two pieces of wood for each state. You can use the same template to cut out cardboard. Assemble your state. Glue your two (or however many) pieces together using wood glue and secure with painter’s tape while the glue dries.
2. Plug in your hot glue gun and start gluing those corks onto your wood!
3. Using a box cutter and/or an xacto knife, cut some corks in half to fill in empty spaces.
4. Squirt paint into a jar, dip your foam brush into water and apply on the lower half of your state.
5. To get the perfect ombré, dilute your paint with more and more water as you move to the top.
6. Get out your hammer and nails, it’s time to display your new wall art!
Warning: This project involves a lot of hot gluing! Make sure your pointer finger has had enough rest and is ready to operate the hot glue gun.
Try to make your shape as large as possible — this way you can use more corks to create a dotted look. We cut two separate pieces on wood on our laser cutter and assembled them with wood glue. If you don’t have access to a laser cutter try using cardboard and an xacto knife to create your design.
Start gluing! Now remember, this is a lot of work on your pointer finger, but definitely worth it ;)
Highlight one of your favorite places with a cork dyed by wine! For this project, we gave special treatment to Woodinville, Washington, where Chateau St. Michelle is located.
Because states have unusual curves and cut outs, we cut a few corks in half to fill in those empty spots. Be careful while you cut — cutting a round object is never a breeze. We used both a box cutter and an xacto knife.
Now doesn’t that look good? Well, almost. Now it’s time to add some color.
Remember when we glued the board together? Well feel free to remove the tape if it’s in the way. The glue should take a couple hours to dry.
To add some color into our wall art we chose to do an ombré effect. Squirt out some paint, dip your brush into water, then into paint, and finally onto your corks!
To get that perfect ombré use more and more water as you reach the top. The cork won’t absorb all the color, so use your hands to rub it in.
Loving that subtle fade.
We also made the state of California, home of Brit HQ :)
Corks, wine and art. What more could you want? ;)
