Does a glass or two of wine make your creative juices start to flow? If so, you need "corkers" - push pins that allow you to turn your used cork into creative creatures.
Sometimes it can be tough figuring out which wines have a real cork (which help the environment due to their sustainable nature) and which wines have plastic synthetic corks or screwcaps. The Cork Forest Conservation Alliance (http://www.corkforest.org) has a program called "Look for the Acorn" that helps to solve this dilemma. A number of wineries are adopting this "acorn" logo and placing it on their wines, allowing consumers to choose wines that use real cork.
Brian Woolley of Mosman, Australia has been collecting recycled corks for more than 24 years!
Danny Seo upcycles wine corks to create a wonderful bathmat. Maybe the best bathmat there is!
Check out the February/March 2012 issue of Vogue Patterns magazine (on newsstands now). There is a great article on cork fabric ("Put A Cork In It: The newest fabric darling with an eco-conscious edge") as well as a free project: a cork wallet ("Easy-to-make wallet and e-reader cover in the newest fabric in home sewing"). Very cool!
The November 1939 issue of Mechanix Illustrated magazine shows a bathing suit made of cork. Despite the evolution of cork fabric, the use of cork for fashionable swimwear was very progressive at that time.
Did you know that cork is used in almost every car? Think about where it might be used?
If you guessed engine gaskets, you were correct. Many engine gaskets are made from straight cork or a blend of rubber and cork (called rubbercork). But some progressive automotive companies have taken the use of green products, such as cork, even further. A perfect example in the Mercedes Benz F700 concept car. The interior trim uses real cork - and it looks great!
HGTV has this project listed in their "Wedding DIY" section, which is great. However these cool vases can be used around the house...and not just for flowers. Depending on the size, they could be used to hold such things as pencils, letters, a newspaper, a mobile phone...
Thank you Silvia E. for sending me the link!
