I’ve always thought it would be cool to have a collection of beautiful decanters adorning an artfully styled bar cart, but I’m not sure if I’m fancy enough for that. And besides—I really do love the look of well designed bottles of alcohol. So instead of working on a decanter collection, I thought I’d dress up my hodgepodge bar with coordinating bottle stoppers. I made my own so I could have variety and achieve a cohesive style. And let’s be real—I just love any excuse to feel super crafty with a really easy project.
These wood burned bottle stoppers were really fun to make, and bonus—the project left a faint aroma of a bonfire in my home, which is a welcome scent in the dead of winter. (I just wish I’d had some s’mores to round out the whole experience….) This was my first time using a wood burning kit, which intimidated me at first (everything I try for the first time intimidates me), but it ended up being really easy and fun!
If you don’t have or don’t wish to purchase a wood burning kit, you can easily use paint instead for this project. Though I personally love the appearance and texture (and smell, apparently) of burnt wood.
Supplies:
-wood block or knob (You can find these at most craft stores, or purchase a bunch of blocks here and big knobs here and small knobs here.)
-cork (These corks fit snugly in all of my bottles, these were a tad too small, and these were a tad too big, sticking out pretty far on top of my bottles.)
-super glue
-wood finish of your choice
-pencil
–wood burning tool
Step One: Draw your design onto the wooden block or knob. Use a ruler if you need or draw freehand. Press lightly so you can erase any lines that show in the end.
Step Two: Outline your pencil lines with the heated wood burner, then fill in any parts of the design you’d like to be bold by using the edge of the tool, moving it slowly across the surface to be filled. The filling in process takes a bit of time, but the outlining goes quickly. Make sure you take it slow, though. You can’t erase any mistakes!
Warning: Burning will create some smoke, but not so much that it should set off any smoke detectors. However, you don’t want to get too close as you work or the smoke will cause your eyes to burn, just like sitting too close to a campfire. Or you may choose to wear safety goggles. Also, the wood burner is obviously extremely hot. So be careful, and don’t leave this tool unattended around children or pets.
Step Three: Finish the burned block or knob with wood stain or oil. I recommend sealing the wood so that your bottle stoppers won’t be affected by splashed wine or tinted beverages during use.
Step Four: Apply super glue to the wide end of the cork.
Step Five: Center the cork onto the bottom of your designed block or knob and hold in place for as long as the glue manufacturer’s instructions specify. And then you’ve finished the project!
I created quite the assortment of bottle stoppers and plan to make even more to give to friends. This project is really easy to do, but the results look like something you’d purchase from a boutique. Just the right kind of craft for homemade gift giving, if you ask me, and a great accompaniment for a bottle of wine as a housewarming gift.
Here are some of the bottles from my bar, all topped off quite nicely now. These bottle stoppers make my collection appear much more stylized and pretty to look at! And I gotta ask… who else isn’t a connoisseur and selects their alcohol based off the bottle design? (Yeah, that’s definitely me!) –Mandi
Credits // Author and Photography: Mandi Johnson. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.
26 Comments
So gorgeous! I feel like I always see these bottle stoppers for sale for $20+, so it’s nice to see a much more affordable and just as beautiful homemade version. I’ve been loving all the DIYs you guys have been sharing lately!
Cat
http://oddlylovely.com
This looks so nice! x
http://jessicawoods.fr
Wow this is amazing!
http://www.llindatt.blogspot.com
I would love a woodburning tool, but I don’t really need one (I’m trying to convince myself of that fact). I also love that you use the corks in bottles other than wine, as I love corks but I only get screw top bottles.
Elanor
https://elanorsims.wordpress.com/
These looks awesome. I think I’m going to make a few myself. Thanks for sharing!
I am totally with you on your criteria for selecting alcohol! Have you seen the bottles for Kraken Rum?! How are you finding the stoppers in use? Is the glue holding up well?
This is very cool. The cross one almost looks like the England flag! x
http://www.wonkylauren.com
What a clever idea! This would make the perfect accent to any bar cart!
http://www.CheyanneFulton.com
Affordable and adorable!!!! I never would have thought of this but now I cannot wait to try this at home!
I love how this turned out http://www.hannamarielei.com
Ooh! Cute idea! (Just a heads up- you’re running low on Bulleit. Take precautions.)
I love these bottle stoppers! I think they would make great gifts!
-Helen
http://www.sweethelengrace.com
Such a cool project, I do want something similar for my bar! Thank you so much for sharing!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
Me too, Mandi, me too! I need to like the bottle too (not just the drink) 🙂
Coolio!
This is another fantastic idea for our new apartment! We’ll probably have a bar cart so this would definitely elevate the style of our bottles!
Dear Mandi,
it just looks as if it comes from High Street store. It would be such a nice treat for Xmas crackers for example !
I preciously keep this idea. Have a lovely week-end !
http://www.befrenchie.fr/
I love the Kraken bottles!!!
These are so cool! I’m not really a wine drinker so bottle corks are often needed but this might just be the thing to encourage me to try some more bottled beverages 😉 so arty!
I love this Wood bottles………..
Very nice done and fun too 🙂
I did my Valetines nailart and wish you a happy Valentines day 🙂
I’ve always thought it would be cool to have a collection of beautiful decanters adorning an artfully styled bar cart, but I’m not sure if I’m fancy enough for that. And besides—I really do love the look of well designed bottles of alcohol. So instead of working on a decanter collection, I thought I’d dress up my hodgepodge bar with frozen games coordinating bottle stoppers. I made my own so I could…
This is a great gift, and it would be really nice to personalize it using a wood burning tool or paint or something. Thanks for sharing!
This is awesome! Great gift idea for my brother. Thank you!
Love these stoppers! Great job!
The glue held up amazingly well! I tried to pop the wood off from the cork and the cork broke before the glue gave way. -Mandi
haha! Yeah, what can I say? I’m a bourbon girl. -Mandi