cork pot holders

With an abundance of free corks (as mentioned here), I decided I wanted to try making something that would require using stuff I already had around the house.

We had a bunch of odds n' ends left from our flooring, so with a mitre saw & help from my hubby (he doesn't trust me with large blades yet ;), I made an 8"x 8" square base. 

on the bottom, I noticed the mitre saw chewed it up a bit.

with a bit of sanding, it wasn't a problem.

Then, after two good sprays of Krylon's flat black paint,

I placed down all of my cork on the rough bottom part of the flooring (the shreddy bits would be covered by the cork & the smooth part is where most people would be touching it).

After all of the corks were placed where I liked (I used the thicker, fatter corks on each of the ends to keep a fairly even surface for pots & pans), I used Elmer's Wood Glue & started glueing the corks from the outside-in.

After waiting 24 hours for the glue to dry, I used some dollar store felt pieces that I've had for awhile (still keepin' it free!) 

I had me a lovely cork pot holder (I even used ribbon left over from my wedding = free).

This would be perfect as a budget-friendly house-warming gift....

or as a cheeky unconventional Valentine's gift.

All for no extra charge! (music to my husband's ears) ;)

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!