To all my wine drinking friends- we love wine! In fact, there’s nothing we find more enjoyable than gathering with other people discussing current events over a bottle of wine. The true cost of these get-togethers, though, is an ever-increasing mountain of corks. Here are a few fun ways to repurpose those pesky stoppers!

Like many of you I have a drawer nearly completely FILLED with corks. Every few months I empty out this drawer and put all the corks in a ziplock and put them in the basement. I now have a room in my basement almost filled. We have made a wreath out of corks- Now I need to be more creative.

Here are some more creative ways to use the corks.

1. Fill a large glass jar to the brim with your corks. This is an inexpensive and easy way to find a decorative use for them. Cork-filled jars look great on end tables!

2. Fill another jar with corks, and this time toss in some marbles to spice up the display. These also look great on end tables. An end table entirely covered with them looks even better!

3. Stuff corks into a hole in your wall as an added layer of insulation. Use as many corks as possible. I’m sure that you have several garbage bags full, and the more corks you stuff, the fewer corks you’ll have taking up valuable hallway space.

4. Bury some corks in the dirt around your houseplants. This will not rid you of many corks, but each cork buried is one more that you’ll never have to deal with again.

5. Grind the corks into mulch and put the mulch in pillowcases. These cork pillows are great for guests with feather allergies or guests who’ve had too much wine to drink and have passed out, face first. Place a cork in their pocket while they’re sleeping. That’s one more cork down.

6. Pack your own pockets with corks before you leave home in the morning, and distribute them around the city. My favorite place to leave corks is at my local public-library branch. I’ve left dozens there in the past month alone. Friends’ homes are another alternative.

7. Throw corks at weddings! They sort of look like rice. Try not to hit the bride and groom, as corks can cause serious injury.

8. Listen to a police radio for 911 chatter. When you hear about a house on fire, rush there as fast as you possibly can and toss in a sack of corks. It’s fun to watch corks burn.

9. Eat corks! Pop a cork in your mouth from time to time. After a while, you’ll start to enjoy the taste, and eventually your body will figure out how to digest them. Some days I eat only corks.

10. Finally, feel free to throw a few of those corks away! After all, you’re not superhuman. You’ve done your part, and there’s no way in hell you can get rid of them all at the rate you’re drinking.