I have a bag of wine corks that has followed my husband and me through three living spaces and two moves. I had every intention of taking it to the nifty wine cork recycle bin at Whole Foods. My husband told me it would never happen and that we should just throw the corks away. Well, he was right. But I got the last word! At least about three of the corks, anyway. :-D

Bag of wine corks by Northern Virginia Family Photographer Nicole Sanchez

I'm always looking for fun ways to display my prints, especially my square prints, which don't lend themselves to framing. So when I came across wine cork displays for wedding seating arrangements on Pinterest, I thought they would be perfect for pictures.

Here's how I did it:

What you need:

- wine corks

- small pot (steamer optional) and stove

- small hand saw (recommended) or serrated knife

- large binder clip (optional)

- photos

Using hand saw to cut cork by Northern Virginia Family Photographer Nicole Sanchez

What to do:

Cork on table by Northern Virginia Family Photographer Nicole Sanchez

Corks steaming for photo project by Alexandria, VA Family Photographer Nicole Sanchez

Using a hand saw to cut cork by Alexandria, VA Family Photographer Nicole Sanchez

Steam your corks. This softens them up a little and prevents the cork from breaking into pieces when you cut it. 15-20 should do the trick. If you don't have a steamer, you can also boil them. This is especially good if you want to remove the any wine stains from the cork.
If you have a binder clip large enough to slide over your cork, use it to help secure the cork while you're sawing. I didn't have one, but my fingers would have felt safer with one.
Next, use the hand saw to slice off enough cork to leave a flat bottom for a secure stand. You could also cut the cork in half to make two stands, if you like. While you could use a serrated knife, I recommend a hand saw if you have one. It takes a surprising amount of pressure and sawing to cut through the cork. Or maybe my blade was dull. Either way, just be mindful of your fingers!
Once you have the bottom of the stand shaved to your liking (it may take a bit of adjustment), use the saw to make a slit in the top of the cork. I made mind right in the middle. You may need to make the slit wider or deeper depending on your photos.
Insert your photos and display proudly! Then figure out what crafty things to do with the rest of the corks in your bag. :-)

Close-up of cork photo stand by Northern Virginia Family Photographer Nicole Sanchez

Photos in cork photo stands by Alexandria, VA Family Photographer Nicole Sanchez

Do you have any fun photo display hacks? I'd love to hear about them in the comments (and maybe feature them here in another tutorial)!