From champagne corks to toadstools!

One thing we have a lot of that I've always wanted to reuse is champagne corks. Lordy knows I love me some bubbles, but the corks are a weird shape and they just sit there taunting me with their uselessness.

That was until Escher mentioned in passing that they look like mushrooms (duh Mum, isn't it obvious?) and we decided to make toadstools on sticks to put into pot plants and give as Christmas presents. This would have been really great, but some how they've ended up on our tree instead! You could do either. This is how we made them.

You will need:
champagne corks
Red and white paint & brushes
Skewers and or string
Sewing pins, glue gun

Place the corks on the skewers so they can be painted and dry easily. We used an empty tin filled with sand to hold them. Paint the tops red, then the stalks white. Then paint the dots. Easy. You may want to do a couple of coats depending on your paint. If you are using them to hang, Push a pin through a piece of string and into the top of the mushroom, then dab a dot of glue on to keep it secure. If you are using them as plant decor, you may want to spray them with a clear waterproof lacquer to protect the paint. How cute would these look in a terrarium? Oh dear, we need more corks, must drink more champagne... 

Such an easy, fun craft to do with kids and you are reusing those pesky corks :)