Cork obsession

A while back my daughter started collecting corks.  She collected thousands of them!  Sadly she revealed this obsession to the entire school when they asked for a small profile on each girl.  Most of the other girls rabbited on about American Girls or some other inane endeavour.  My proud daughter was into corks AND seemed to have an endless supply. The parents at the assembly appeared somewhat disapproving, oh well...

Like the good mother I am, I took those corks and decided to give them a high profile space in our home :) I had a small closet about 3' x 3', located just before the door to the patio -- just sitting empty.  I figured those precious corks would make good 'wall paper' for my new wet bar / wine closet.  I scored some free -- (Don't you just love that word?  Free!!) -- authentic wine cellar racking from a restaurant that was upgrading their cellars so I knew I could pull it off.


Here was the plan... I needed my skill saw, a hot glue gun, a hammer and some nails - pretty simple stuff!

A few sticking out to hold openers 'n stuff

See the shelves & fridge below

A friend popped by as I was working and helped me cut the racking to fit above the existing shelf in the closet and secure it with a few screws.  Next I began gluing corks to the walls using an alternating herringbone type pattern. I tried initially to match corks but I gave that matching thing up!  I glued thousands onto the walls - that took forever!!!!!!  If nothing else, I am a dedicated mother! I did it in stages, using the space as I went along gluing. I have to admit to needing to supplement her collection and went begging to my wine loving friends.

Brads up through centre of corks

ceiling view

I decided to use champagne corks to decorate the ceiling and to hold a few wine glasses.  I hammered brads into the centre of the champagne corks to secure the glass holders (brads = skinny nails about an inch+ long).  No point breaking the glasses. Then I added a mini fridge below the existing shelf to store beer, sodas, etc.

Lastly, (can I get an AMEN!) I added a few personal touches like an old school metal coca-cola bottle opener, ice buckets, coasters, stir sticks, some fabulously tacky paper drink umbrellas and of course, the wine :)

A good friend found this special cork (Burgess Cellars) and made this  shadow box for the door of my wet bar/ wine closet.  Perfect!  Who knew my family had cellar(s) ?!  Thirst, be gone!

Cheers!  what do you think?

TD

lady in waiting (warning no tools used on this beauty!)

Earlier this summer I was at a pop up show event and and spotted a wire framed woman's corset.  It was just like the ones dressmakers / tailors would have used except wire.  It was love at first sight -- I had to have it.

my wire lady :)

I had dreams of beautiful flowers trailing out of it  and designing the entire outfit with plant material.  My teeth were sweating at the prospect.  I walked by it and stared  a dozen times, praying no one else would buy it.  NO one did, not even me.  The shop closed down  :(

But because I believe that if you picture it and wish hard enough, it will eventually come true -- I got it!  The shop reopened and had a sale on items left over!  My lady was waiting there for me Yayyyyyy!

I seized her and dragged the life sized form to my carruck.  An older couple looked on curiously, perhaps my fervor was seeping out?!  They asked what I  was planning to do with "that wire thing".   Grrrrrr.  Some people - the kill joy types - have no vision.  I pictured roses trailing from  the hem, I could almost smell them I was sooo caught up,  only  to have those people momentarily enter my reverie with that sour, pinched face, eyebrows at the hairline look, as if they smelled something bad.

I composed my face, remembering my school girl manners "Good afternoon!" I  crowed proudly,  "I will have flowers and the like trailing from it, it will be a garden decoration"  I chirped.

"Oh... well, I suppose we hadn't though of that... we couldn't imagine what on earth you would want that for,"  they replied smugly.  Grrrr... Forget them, fast forward, I have it at home.

First I run to my unkempt Chinese fan palm tree and grab all the mesh that I can put my hands on.  I will need quite a bit to create the dress and to hold the soil inside.  Luckily there was loads of material for me to use.  I stuffed it inside, creating a brown dress.

miniature wandering Jew

Next stop the lower garden where I had planted some form of miniature wandering Jew, hoping that it would  make a good ground cover - it didn't.  But like most invasive type plants it had spread like crazy (something else to address later :s )  Anyway for now it was a delicate almost lacy, purple and green leaf.  Just right for the interim period it will take to get those roses to materialise.

I  poured soil in the inside using the mesh as a make shift planter and poked the plants into it along the bottom.  In the top I put two small pots filled with the wandering Jew plants.

Perfect, easy and very pretty.    I purchased a few trailing roses and set them aside.  These will take months to do what I want  them to do and besides,  it's August...   Now I just have to spritz regularly and enjoy-- hopefully next spring when the roses are trailing I will see that couple again.  I will carry a picture with me, just in case!  I bet they'll wish they had found her first.  I bet they won't have that pinched face look at all .. HA! all mine :)

Hang in there - it will be beautiful, you'll see :)

TD