If you are anything like me you have planned your Thanksgiving dinner menu, picked out your wine, and probably have even started drinking some of it already — but the one thing you haven’t done is plan your table setting! While I may not be able to help you with your entire tablescape (I am no Martha Stewart) I can suggest a fun and SIMPLE way to create name card holders. And if you don’t plan to assign seats, don’t worry, this will still make for a fun addition to your table.
Because, if you are also anything like me you probably have dozens (or even hundreds) of used corks lying around that you never wanted to part with (I personally am a cork hoarder!). Without a creative bone in my body I came up with an idea that is easier than pulling a cork out of a wine bottle — making a cork name card holders for your table setting.
My husband and I used this exact idea for the name card holders for our wedding back in 2005 and I though it would make a great addition to your table setting this Thanksgiving (or any dinner party really)… and if you stick to the end of this post you’ll even find a creative way to use those corks (again!) after turkey dinner is over and you begin to think about decorating for the next round of holidays 
This project is really quite simple. All you need is some leftover corks from last nights wine and a sharp knife. I use either an exacto knife or a sharp paring knife. There are two ways to go about this:
The first method is to cut the cork in half (lengthwise), then cut a slit in the top, and insert a name card. If you have kids you can even put them to work by letting them decorate the name cards (they are probably much more creative than you anyway, I know mine are). It’s best to use thick paper or card stock cut into the size of a business card so that the paper stands upright.
If cutting the cork in half seems like too much work don’t fret, there’s another way to go about this. Just omit cutting the cork in half and cut a slit in the cork thick enough to insert the name card. Then break off a piece of a toothpick (a thumbtack works well too) in the back so the card doesn’t roll over on its side. Voila.
What to do next? Create a holiday wreath with the leftover (leftover) corks! This is an excellent project for the long weekend whilst sipping on more wine.
Now that you used your leftover corks for your name cards, you can use them again by creating a festive holiday wreath for yourself or a wine loving loved one. Start by getting a foam or padded wreath base (every craft store in existence will have these fully stocked this coming weekend if you should dare going out in the crowds). Then decorate as creatively as you’d like.
As I mentioned we created cork name card holders for our wedding. Unbeknownst to me at the time my aunt went around and collected the corks from every guest in attendance while everyone was busy getting down on the dance floor. That year for Christmas my aunt presented me with this exact gift! When I opened the box I initially thought “how cool, a wreath made of corks”… but then my aunt let me know her little secret — that they were the exact corks from our wedding and that she made it, herself! Admittedly I teared up a bit realizing this was one of the most thoughtful gifts we had received for our wedding! We still have it on display (7 years later) in our house!
From examining the wreath, it looks like all she did was start with a pre-purchased wreath base, superglued the cork pieces to it, and added some decorative touches. Even someone as uncreative as me can make one of these. And it really is a great decoration for any wine lover and an excellent use for leftover corks!
Happy Thanksgiving!
