Being a female wine entrepreneur and a mother of four children—two things that seem difficult to reconcile! Yet, I always try to spend as much time as possible with my kids, giving them attention even when the peak season forces me to work over 10 hours a day.
Everything becomes even more complicated when, for various reasons, I need to spend more time at home, especially with the approach of winter. It's well known that children, in particular, tend to get bored, and when work is demanding, it becomes challenging to satisfy their need for companionship.
But I always try.
So, what can I come up with during the time I manage to escape work and entertain my four children?
It definitely needs to be something they see as a game and not a "homework assignment." At the winery, numerous bottles are opened daily, and any unfinished ones are preserved with filters and protective corks.
But what happens to the corks?
The special container for them in the tasting room is always overflowing. Most of them are recycled thanks to the Accipicchia cooperative in Alba, which creates beautiful keychains.
Corks can indeed be recycled and reused in many ways, with lots of delightful surprises. Cork is a 100% natural material with multiple properties, such as impermeability, thermal inertia, softness, durability, and lightweight.
All these qualities make corks perfect for many different creative uses. How? Well, I've thought a lot about it, explored various DIY programs and websites, and I'm excited to suggest alternative uses to create objects and decorations, starting from a simple cork.
Let's get started!
1. In the kitchen, corks can be transformed into unique trivets or coasters: simply cut the corks into slices of at least 3mm and then attach them side by side. Surround your eco-friendly trivet with a colorful ribbon for a decorative touch.
2. Following the same process, you can also have fun creating a beautiful mat for the kitchen or bathroom. In this case, you won't need to cut the corks into slices; just glue them side by side, as shown in the image below.
3. To impress your guests, try decorating the table with place cards made from corks. After marking a line that cuts the cork in half lengthwise, carve it out to a depth of about half a centimeter. Once that's done, simply insert a label with the name of the person who will sit at that place. You'll be sure to create a delightful surprise!
4. Don’t waste money on expensive Christmas decorations: make them at home using corks! From little Christmas trees to garlands and cork characters for the kids to play with, there are countless ways to recycle corks for festive decor.
5. Here’s an idea to keep the kids entertained: reuse corks as stampers. Carve out letters and designs, dip them in paint, and have fun!
6. You can also create memo boards with corks. No more post-it notes scattered around the house; instead, they’ll be neatly pinned in plain sight. It’s a fun way to decorate while being practical!
7. For a laugh: slightly carve the cork at both ends to give it a wedge shape. Pinch it between your nose and lips—my kids sit at the dinner table, and instead of coloring on white napkins, they enjoy stealing it by pinching it between their own noses and lips. Laughter is guaranteed!
These are just a few possibilities for reusing corks. Let’s unleash our creativity and, why not, also embrace the art of improvisation to spend fun afternoons with the family!
