DIY - You Can Make It - Cork Napkin Rings & Trivet

Cork Napkin Rings & Trivet

An old tile trivet frame that I found at a thrift store for $1 and some fabric napkin rings from a discount store (4 for $1) - add the magic of some cut corks and whala!

Here is what you need:


* Corks - the more the better - I had the luxury of getting a whole box of them from my aunt who had been saving them for a long time. (Thank you Aunt Ruth!)
* Glue Gun
* Utility Knife (larger blade works best)
* Cutting Surface (I used a kitchen cutting board)
* Water in a Container
* A Wooden Frame (I used a framed tile - took the tile off)
* Fabric Rings (I found some inexpensive ones at Christmas Tree Shops)

TIP - The only real prep work is to SOAK the Corks - the longer the better - overnight works best. If you try to cut dry corks they will fall apart and crack - not to mention it is more dangerous to cut them dry. Here is a short video on how to cut the corks: How To Cut Corks

Soak Corks Overnight

 Here are the raw frame and napkin holders:

After cutting a dozen or so corks my daughter started laying them out onto the wooden frame - this was the fun part - putting it together like a puzzle.

TIP - Feel comfortable to cut the corks into smaller pieces - if you 'sprinkle' the smaller pieces throughout it won't look like you ran out of room - more like you 'designed it that way'! You can see the smaller pieces in ours.

Once we had the general layout we used a hot glue gun to finish the assembly. The glue held very well to the cork and the wooden base.

Next we searched through the remaining cut corks and found 4 that were of the same style and simply glued one to each napkin ring.

TIP - These came together very quickly with a little prep work - my 7 year old enjoyed laying out the corks for the trivet! It was great to watch her thinking it through - we also used a low temp glue gun so she could glue them in place.