Monday, August 22, 2011

Champagne Cork Mini Vases


Probably once a day everyday this week I have stopped and stared at my cork pile. I have been thinking about a cork idea I had seen previously and have been wanting to add my own little touches before posting it. While I was unable to expound on an existing idea, I did come up with a new, to my knowledge, completely original one. I turned, flipped, and attached corks together. Finally, I set this champagne cork upside-down to notice it resembled a vase. My next thought was how do I make it hold water? I cannot fit a water pick down in the cork. My mind took a detour to a pen cap, and well, off I went to create a tiny vase that would be perfect for decoration at a wine tasting or individual table setting bouquets at an intimate dinner. 

You will need: 
  • A drill and drill bit 
  • Champagne/wine cork 
  • Pen cap 
  • Scissors 
  • Flower 
  • Water 
  • Ribbon (optional) 
Use a drill bit that will create a large enough hole to insert the pen cap. I used a 5/16” bit. Changing a bit can be pretty hard on your hands. You must reverse the spin on the drill as you grasp the tip to release the existing bit...which can really burn your hand. Insert the size bit you need, then change the spin back to the original direction to set it in place. Or just ask someone to do it for you. I did not want to wait around for my husband to come home so I just changed it myself...and burned my hand. Before you begin drilling make sure to hold the cork securely in place. You can place the cork in a vise grip if you feel more confident using both hands. I actually placed the cork on the ground, squeezed it between my feet, pointed the drill perpendicular to the floor, and then began drilling the hole. Also, hold the cap next to the tip of the bit to know about how far you will need to tunnel into the cork. 

Clip the stem from the pen cap. I would have preferred to use a cap that had been separated form it’s pen or a cap I had already broke the stem from, but of course, today they were nowhere to be found. 

Fit the cap into the hole you drilled in the cork. 

Add a few drops of water to fill the cap. 

Place a small floral stem in the water filled cap. 

You can stop there or add a pretty ribbon to tie the mini vase into your setting or for a nice pop of color. 

Voila! An unusual yet extremely simple mini vase.

1 comment:

  1. Made some of these last week, for cactus. Cute and recycle-friendly!

    ReplyDelete