Cork Art (or, I Used to be Crafty)

I’ve never been good at video games. Ever. I have terrible hand-eye coordination. Or something. Something that keeps me from being good at most sports as well. I have, however, always been good at crafts. That’s right, you can keep your insufferably hard MarioKart! As a kid, I was whipping out friendship bracelets en masse, puffy-painting every t-shirt I owned, and turning popsicle sticks into all manner of art.

Lately, however, I’m all supplies and no inspiration. Namely, I have a ton of corks. I think I have the cork from every bottle of wine that was ever uncorked in my presence. It’s a disease. They are so small and easy to pocket. At this point, my haul seems too mighty to merely chuck in the bin (and, since I’ve already started the collection, it doesn’t make sense to stop, does it?). I must do something mighty with them! I must craft!

However… what to do?

I made six of them into little place card holders by cutting a slit in one side. I was so proud of my momentary cleverness that I made one for each of the cats.

So, eight of them were sacrificed to a higher purpose – but what about the rest? Believe me, we will never have more than six people to dinner at one time (and Will won’t let me get more cats).

I was going to hot-glue some of them all jazzy-like to the side of this wooden wine rack thing I had… but then I gave that wine rack away. I should have gotten my hot-glue on before the wine rack passed from my possession, but, well, hindsight and all.

I thought of making trivets… but I don’t need trivets. Ditto, DIY cork-boards.

Then, I was walking past Anthropologie and saw cork-art in the window! The creative minds at Anthro had constructed these little cork balls, like this:

{via}

In a fleeting moment of crafy haze I thought, “I CAN MAKE THAT!”

But then… what the hell would I do with it?

I know, right?

Is the problem that I’m less crafty – less creative – than I was as a child? Or is it that my general aesthetic is a little less homespun these days? I’m all for doing it myself (unless it involves plumbing or electricity – know thy limits), but I want whatever I make to have some function. Some purpose.

For now, I will troll the internet looking for cork-spiration. Do share if you have any ideas (or have a need for corks for your own project).

Oh, and P.S. – did you see this? Jessica Quirk is so many shades of amazing.