An Easy Photo Display
First and foremost, I love wine. I also have a habit of hoarding the used corks. If this sounds familiar, you probably have a growing supply of this craft-waiting-to-happen laying around, too. Corks make for great vase fillers, but can also be used for tons of craft projects. One of my favorite cork creations is my photos strings. Using these five easy steps you can create a Wine Lovers Photo String (or two…or six!) of your own.
Wine Lovers Photo String
Materials
Used wine corks (a few or as many as desired)*
Ribbon of choice (length dependent on number of corks used)**
Scissors
Sharp knife or X-Acto
Hot glue gun and sticks
Clear nail polish
*If you are not a wine loving cork hoarder, you can find corks at any local craft store.
**I recommend ribbon with a width of 1½ to 1¾ inches to balance the width of the corks.
Directions
Determine the number of photos to display and select the same number of wine corks. No more than 12 corks per string are recommended to ensure photos will not be too high or low for viewing once hung.
Using a sharp knife or X-Acto, cut a slit about ¼ inches deep in the long, rounded side of each cork. Consider the way the design or text on the cork will display once on the ribbon before cutting.
With scissors, cut ribbon to desired length for attaching corks. Ribbon should be long enough to space wine corks about 6 inches apart to accommodate either portrait or landscape photos, leaving an extra 6 inches on both the top and bottom of the string. (Ex: For 12 wine corks, 2⅓ inches of ribbon is needed.) Gently brush the ends of each ribbon with clear nail polish to keep it from fraying.
Make sure hot glue gun is nice and hot. With the cut side of the cork facing down, line the back with a strip of hot glue and attached it to the ribbon 6 inches from the top. Repeat with remaining corks spacing each 6 inches apart.
Let the hot glue dry and gently slide photos into the slit of each cork. It helps to slide them in one end at an angle and slowly rotate into the slit to straighten. Hang the photo string using a nail, pin, or strong tape for a unique display.
Use the photo string over and over again!
I put seventy-two corks (I told you, hoarder.) to use with my set of six photo strings. They have made for great photo displays at milestone birthday celebrations. No need to worry about ruining original photos since they slide right in and out. For use at home, photos can easily be swapped, just like a typical frame, but add a touch of fun to any space.
Think outside the bottle and get crafty…a wine lovers toast to creativity!
