DIY Wine Cork Placecard Holders

If you’re in the midst of planning a vineyard wedding, chances are you’ve probably seen these cute, functional placecard holders made out of wine corks.  Jason and I got married at a vineyard in our home state of Michigan last month and these were just perfect for the occasion.  They were also pretty easy to make once I learned the trick to cutting corks.

So what’s the secret?  Wine corks are incredibly difficult to cut and unbelievably messy to work with if you try to just start sawing through them while they’re dry.  I’ll be honest: I tried that first and it didn’t take me long to realize that was NOT going to work.  The trick, I learned, is to simply steam the corks first (what a novel idea!) and once you’ve done that, they cut super cleanly and easily.  Yes really!  It’s that easy.  The only precaution that I want to note is that this project can still be a bit time-consuming if you have a lot of corks to cut since you’ll have to work in small batches to steam.  That said, it’s totally worth the time.  Let’s do this!

Here’s What You Need:

• Wine corks
• Medium-sized sauce pan with tight-fitting lid
• Steamer that fits your pan
• Sharp knife to cut the corks

Instructions:

Steam corks over a boiling pot of water for about 5-10 minutes, until the corks swell up a bit and feel soft to the touch.  This is an important step that you shouldn’t skip:  let them cool a little bit before cutting! The corks will be hot (duh) when you take them out of the steamer and they WILL burn every single one of your little fingers if you try to just start cutting immediately.  Seriously, WAIT a hot minute before you try to start cutting and you’ll save your digits from unnecessary pain and suffering.

Now on to the cutting.  If you want the corks to lay flat on a table without rolling for example, you’ll need to cut off the rounded edge on one side of the cork, as shown below.  Cut a thin slice out of one side of the cork to make a flat surface.  On the other side of the cork – the part that is still round and will face upward – make a thin slit across the entire length of the cork and about 1/4″ inch in.  Just don’t cut too deep or your cork will split in half!  This slit will hold the placecards.

And that’s it!  Quick, easy and they’ll look absolutely amazing on your wedding day whether you’re getting married at a vineyard or just want to set a vineyard-like atmosphere for your big deay.  Please feel free like, share and/or join in the discussion with comments below to share your thoughts, questions and/or feedback.

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