How to Make Wine Cork Purses

Many people love and savor the flavor of wine but yearn to find a way to recycle those wine bottles and corks. There are many different crafts to use corks for, and a relatively new idea is to make wine cork purses. They are challenging to make but can become a fashionable accent to any outfit during any season.

Things You'll Need

• Purse strap material Super glue Hot glue gun with glue sticks Small paintbrush Paper towels Gloves 72 wine corks, cleaned Embellishments

Instructions

1. Decide how large you want your wine cork purse to be. Smaller purses will stay together longer and look more classy since it is a small amount of corks. Too many can look cluttered. An ideal size measures 6 inches long by 6 inches wide. The typical wine cork measures about 2 inches long by a little more than 1/2 inch wide.

2. Start by making the separate vertical rows of one side of the purse. There will be 8 rows, each with three wine corks in them attaching to make a straight line. Use the hot glue gun, carefully place the glue on the flat end of one cork and attach the flat end of the second cork. Dab hot glue onto the other end of the second cork, and attach the flat of the third cork. The three corks are now all connected like a baton. Repeat this procedure for the remaining 7 rows.

3. Lay all 8 cork rows side by side on a work space. Carefully use the glue gun, or super glue if you prefer, to connect each row to each other. Think of it as having the appearance of a miniature log raft. Let dry. Turn it over and apply glue to the cracks on the opposite side. Let dry.

4. Repeat Step 2 and 3 for the other side of the purse. Lay both purse pieces aside. Each side should measure 6 inches wide by 6 inches tall and should have 48 corks total.

5. Gather the corks for the three dividing layers between the purse sides. The left side, the right side, and the bottom of the purse. You will be gluing these corks in a similar manner, as they are going to be the pieces that hold the purse together.

6. Start with the bottom of of the purse. Hold one of the wine corks and apply a line of hot glue along of the side of the cork. Take the second cork and press it parallel to the first cork. Continue to do this until you get up to 8 corks. Set aside and let dry. Repeat this step for the left side and the right side of the purse. Now you have three separate columns of corks glued together with eight corks in each.

7. Lay down one side of the purse. Apply super glue or hot glue to the far left edge of the corks where you will be attaching one of the cork columns you just constructed. Press the column flat end down firmly onto the glue. Hold until dry. Repeat this procedure with the bottom edge and the right edge.

8. Let dry completely. Take the remaining side of the purse set it on top of the three columns you glued onto the first side of the purse. Make sure it evens up. Apply glue to the edges of each of the three columns in one long streak along the right, bottom and left side. Put the remaining purse side back on the three columns and press down firmly until somewhat dry.

9. Make sure to let the cork purse dry completely after gluing. The purse should be 6 inches long by 6 inches wide, with the right, left and bottom measuring 6 inches long by 2 inches wide.

10. Take the purse strap or piece of fabric you picked out and make sure it is as long or as short as you desire. Use the hot glue gun to attach it to each right and left column in between the purse sides. Let dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Embellish the cork purse if you desire by adding things such as suede fringe to the purse straps or painting the purse.

• Always be cautious when working with hot glue guns and sharp objects.