It’s mid-September and you’re probably settling nicely into a school year routine. If you’re like me, you love a good excuse to stop by the school and say hello to your kids — and maybe even spend time in the classroom. So I asked Amy of This Heart of Mine to come up with a little gift for teacher (the perfect excuse to drop by!). Her idea is a great one. Enjoy! — Gabrielle
The (pre)school year officially begins at our house today! The excitement has been brewing for some time now, I’m glad the day is finally here. With the first day upon us, we have readied our teacher gifts. I thought a collection of handmade stamps seemed perfect. Very teacher-rific! These cork stamps are very easy to make, use simple materials, and allow for a lot of personalization.
This project is so much fun! I think you’ll love it.
Gather:
-wine corks*
-X-acto knife with a new blade
-adhesive foam sheet
-pencil
-cutting mat or some kind of surface protector to cut on
*If you think you can’t do this project because maybe you aren’t a wino, don’t fret. I’m not either. However, I do know people who both make and consume wine and they were willing to share. Another possibility is inquiring at a wine store/bar for their throw-aways.
First, choose corks that have a smooth surface on which to cut the design. Avoid using the end the corkscrew entered. Draw the design and proceed to cut it out. Watch out for fingers! And remember, designs/letter with a ‘right’ direction need to be created in reverse.
I added a notch near the top, all the way around for fingers to get a good grip.
If a bigger surface is needed, cut the cork length-wise, splitting it into 2/3 and 1/3 pieces. A notch here is helpful too, just to keep those fingers from slipping.
Cut a piece of adhesive foam to the size of the cork. Mark the design on the paper size of the sheet. Doing it on the paper side will ensure the design/lettering is the correct direction.
Create an assortment for your favorite teacher. Or one beautiful stamp you’ll know he or she will love. Wrap them up, include a stamp pad or two (in the school colors maybe?), and you’ve got the perfect gift!
Hip, hip, hooray! The school year is on its way!
——-
THIS IDEA WOULD ALSO BE GREAT FOR:
– A graduation gift.
– A birthday gift for a design-y friend.
– A souvenir gift — You could save a cork from an important event or adventure, and make it into a stamp for a companion.
P.S. — We love making gifts! You can find all the posts in this series here.
THANK YOU!!! What a GREAT Idea!!!
Cute idea, but I’d be interested in seeing more examples of what the stamped images look like.
Hi Rachel! Amy sent me an image showing the stamps in use and I didn’t end up using it in the post. I’ll see if I can find it and add a link here so you can see it.
This is such a great project! I just did these with my daughters over the summer and they loved it – and it gives me an excuse to drink more wine! :)
Those are beautiful!! How fun!
I’m always scared to self-make and stamps because I doubt my carving skills. Yours look great!! Like the idea of cutting foam and pasting it on the cork, seems easier than directly carving the cork
You only use the foam sheet for the bigger designs, correct?
You can use the foam sheet for all the designs if you’d like but I just used them for the larger ones.
This is such a wonderful idea.
I AM a wino and a crafter! I’m kicking myself thinking how many corks I’ve tossed over the years! Very cute idea!
Hi!
I love my cork set that I just carved! I’m curious, do you know an effective way to clean dried fabric paint from them? I’m nervous to soak them in anything, afraid I will ruin them :/ I wipe them down as well as I can after using them but there is still paint left. I don’t want the residue to taint future projects.
Thank you!
He hecho la prueba,me ha dado trabajo pero ha quedado muy lindo.
Genial idea. Greacias
Nice post. Dont throw your wine corks ship them for FREE at CORKCLUB, I have heard about this organisation, corkclub recycle wine corks to save our forest. Its really a nice step.