25 DIY Wine Cork Craft Project Ideas

Got a jar (or a drawer, or a few shoeboxes) full of saved corks? These 25 DIY wine cork craft project ideas turn them into things you’ll actually use and display: fall pumpkins, a Halloween skeleton, Christmas ornaments, trivets, coasters, a bulletin board, and even a bath mat. Some take one cork and five minutes. Others take a couple hundred corks and a free afternoon.

I came by my cork stash honestly. I used to work at a BYOB fine dining restaurant, which meant I had access to thousands upon thousands of corks, and I saved every one I could. A few of the projects below are ones I’ve made and written up here on FoodnService. The rest are favorites from other crafters, grouped by season and by room so you can find the right one fast.

Before You Start: Getting Your Corks Ready

A little prep makes every project on this list go smoother. These are the details that separate a wobbly trivet from one that sits flat.

Pick the right glue: Hot glue handles most indoor projects. For heavier builds like a wreath, use a high-temp glue gun, since low-temp glue often fails under the weight. For anything that lives outside or in a humid spot, a stronger adhesive holds up better.

Check natural vs. synthetic: Natural cork is bark from the cork oak, so you can saw, sand, and drill it much like soft wood. Synthetic corks are plastic. They don’t cut as cleanly, and they’re a poor choice for living succulent planters because, unlike real cork, they don’t let air through. Save synthetics for projects where corks get glued in whole, like a wreath or monogram.

Soften before you cut: Dry cork crumbles under a knife. A quick boil before cutting softens it, then let the pieces cool and dry. Use a serrated knife with a gentle sawing motion on a cutting board, and hold the cork with a clamp instead of your fingertips. Rotating the cork as you cut gives you a cleaner edge.

Sort by height: For anything flat (trivets, coasters, bath mats), uneven corks mean a wobble. Sort your corks into piles by height before you glue, and sand down any high spots. Matching heights is the first trick for a stable trivet.

Fall and Halloween Wine Cork Crafts

1. Rustic Wine Cork Pumpkins

Glue corks into a round stack, top it with an upright cork for the stem, and you’ve got a no-carve pumpkin that lasts for years. Paint the cork ends orange or leave them natural for a farmhouse look. The tutorial even covers scaling up to a giant version for the porch.

See the full Rustic Wine Cork Pumpkins tutorial at Ruffles and Rainboots

2. Wine Cork Skeleton

This funny little guy uses 13 corks painted black, with bones drawn on in white paint pen. He’s assembled on a dowel spine with popsicle stick shoulders, and eye screws make the joints. Perfect for a bookshelf from now through Halloween.

See the full Wine Cork Skeleton tutorial at DIY Candy

Christmas and Holiday Wine Cork Crafts

3. My DIY Wine Cork Christmas Tree

Mine uses about 105 corks of similar length, built up in rows on a wooden base with battery-operated lights tucked in. I ran a few wood screws through the base for stability, and checking the cork ends before you glue keeps the front of the tree looking clean.

Get my full DIY Wine Cork Christmas Tree tutorial

4. Wine Cork Wreath

About 101 corks go on a 12-inch flat wreath form in three rings, plus a second layer for depth, finished with a bow. Swap the bow with the seasons and it works on the front door well past Christmas.

See the full Wine Cork Wreath tutorial at DIY Candy

5. Wine Cork Reindeer Ornaments

One cork, a red pom pom nose, googly eyes, and a pipe cleaner twisted into antlers. Kids can make these almost on their own. Hook one over the neck of a wine bottle and you’ve got a hostess gift with a built-in ornament.

See the full Wine Cork Reindeer Ornaments tutorial at Happy Hooligans

6. Wine Cork Snowman

This chunky snowman head is built from 35 to 40 stacked corks with white-painted ends, a felt hat, and button eyes. It’s a great tabletop or mantel piece, and the tutorial also shows a one-cork ornament version.

See the full Wine Cork Snowman tutorial at DIY Candy

For the Table: Trivets, Coasters and Entertaining

7. My Wine Cork Heart Trivet

This one takes 42 corks glued in rows that grow by one cork each line to form the heart, with a few painted accent corks, ribbon trim, and eyelet screws if you want to hang it. My biggest tip: hunt down as many same-sized corks as you can.

Get my full Wine Cork Heart Trivet tutorial

8. My Wine Cork Napkin Rings

Thin slices cut from the cork tops get wired together into a ring, then dressed up with a small floral embellishment and ribbon bows. They’re a sweet touch for a wine dinner or a holiday table.

Get my full Wine Cork Napkin Rings tutorial

9. Woven Wine-Cork Trivet

No hot glue on this one. The 32 corks are drilled and strung together with hemp string, and a sturdy loop lets it hang on a hook like a pot holder. You’ll need a drill, and the tutorial shows a simple jig that keeps the holes centered.

See the full Woven Wine-Cork Trivet tutorial at Love Our Real Life

10. Picture Frame Wine Cork Trivet

Corks hot glued directly onto the glass of an old picture frame make a trivet with a finished edge. Her frame took about 50 corks. Hang it on the wall and it doubles as a cork board.

See the full Picture Frame Wine Cork Trivet tutorial at Home Stories A to Z

11. Colorful Wine Cork Coasters

Each coaster uses 8 cork halves in a basket-weave pattern on felt, with half of them painted for a pop of color. Use halves of the same thickness so your glass sits level.

See the full Colorful Wine Cork Coasters tutorial at Sustain My Craft Habit

12. Wine Cork Coasters

Corks cut into short rounds get arranged into a bunch of grapes (13 pieces each), with a little twig glued in for the stem. Only 5 corks per coaster, so it’s a great project for a small stash.

See the full Coasters tutorial at DIYs

13. Wine Cork Place Card Holders

Champagne corks stand up on their own, so a paper clip pushed into the top becomes a spring-style card holder. She uses cut-up old Christmas cards for the name tags, and shows a lay-flat version with a slit cut into regular wine corks.

See the full Wine Cork Place Card Holders tutorial at Pillar Box Blue

14. Wine Cork Serving Tray

A wooden shadow box, two metal handles, and 60 to 70 corks. She used Gorilla Glue instead of hot glue because the tray lives outside in humid weather, which is a smart call if yours will too.

See the full Wine Cork Serving Tray tutorial at Aimee Broussard

15. Wine Cork Vase

Corks glued into four stacked rings (56 corks total) make a rustic vase, and the same tutorial includes matching coasters. For fresh flowers, slip a glass or jar inside to hold the water.

See the full Wine Cork Vase tutorial at Flex Seal

Around the House

16. Wine Cork Bath Mat

The big one. About 175 corks, sliced in half lengthwise and hot glued to non-adhesive shelf liner, make an 18.5 by 30 inch mat. Save this for when your cork jar is overflowing.

See the full Wine Cork Bath Mat tutorial at Sustain my Craft Habit

17. Wine Cork Bulletin Board

Fill an unfinished wood frame with about 105 corks and you’ve got a bulletin board where pins go straight into the corks. Staining the frame first gives it a finished look.

See the full Wine Cork Bulletin Board tutorial at Hearth and Vine

18. Wine Cork Monogram Letter

Cover a flat wooden letter with corks, trimming a few pieces to fill the curves and corners. It looks great on a bar shelf and makes a personal housewarming or wedding gift.

See the full Wine Cork Monogram Letter tutorial at Kelly Lynn’s Sweets and Treats

19. Champagne Cork Drawer Knobs

Swap the flat-tipped knob screws for pointed screws of the same diameter, then twist a champagne cork onto each one until it sits flush. It’s free hardware, and one of the first readers to comment on this post called these out as a favorite.

See the full Champagne Cork Drawer Knobs tutorial at Dollar Store Crafts

Gifts and Little Projects

20. Decorative Bottle Stoppers

Cut the screw off a pretty drawer pull and hot glue it to the top of a cork. Thrift store and antique knobs make these one of a kind, and they pair perfectly with a bottle of wine as a gift.

See the full Decorative Bottle Stoppers tutorial at Texas Craft House

21. Floating Wine Cork Keychain

A champagne cork painted a nautical color and wrapped in hemp string becomes a keychain that floats if it goes overboard. A great small gift for anyone with a boat or a kayak.

See the full Floating Wine Cork Keychain tutorial at Rustic Crafts

22. Wine Cork Stamps

Glue craft foam shapes onto cork ends and you’ve got reusable stamps, no carving needed. Use them for homemade gift wrap or cards, and let the kids help.

See the full Wine Cork Stamps tutorial at DIY Candy

23. Wine Cork Succulent Magnets

Drill a pocket into each cork, glue two or three magnets to the side, and plant a small succulent cutting with a little soil. They brighten up the fridge, but they’re real plants, so water them now and then.

See the full Wine Cork Succulent Magnets tutorial at Crafts by Amanda

For the Garden and the Kids

24. Wine Cork Garden Labels

Push a cork onto a bamboo skewer and write the plant name on it. Her key tip is using an oil-based paint marker instead of a regular permanent marker so the names don’t fade in the sun.

See the full Wine Cork Garden Labels tutorial at Artsy Pretty Plants

25. Wine Cork Sailboats

Corks cut in half lengthwise, a toothpick mast, and a scrapbook paper sail. They float in the tub, a sensory bin, or a kiddie pool. A grown-up should handle the cutting.

See the full Wine Cork Sailboats tutorial at Premeditated Leftovers

More to Make While You Sip

All these corks had to come from somewhere, so here are a few FoodnService recipes that belong on the table for your next wine night.

My easy charcuterie skewers put cheese, meat, and fruit on a stick, so nobody has to hover over a board.

This baked brie in puff pastry is the warm, gooey appetizer that disappears first at every party.

Feeling extra crafty? My Instant Pot wine is a fun project in its own right, and it gets you a few more corks for the jar.

And if you’re making cork ornaments as gifts, a Christmas simmering pot makes the whole house smell like the holidays while you work.

Happy Crafting!

Whether you’ve got a handful of corks or a few hundred, there’s a project here that fits. Start small with an ornament or a set of coasters, and work your way up to the wreath or the bulletin board as your stash grows.

Which one are you making first? Tell me in the comments, and if you make one, I’d love to see how it turned out. Save this post to Pinterest so the ideas are ready when your cork jar fills up again.