A Very Corky Christmas
Or maybe I should say a very dorky Christmas…
Sending out holiday cards via snail mail is one of my favorite activities. Ever. Strange…but true. This year I got a little crafty and made my own stationary- dipping corks in puddles of Crayola paint and using them as stamps. The finished product looks a little like a kindergarten art project.
Throwing a cork away causes me unbearable guilt. There are several recycling centers that one can send corks to in bulk (Korks4Kids, RECork America). Whole Foods stores in NYC also have cork recycling collection on location. Most satisfying though, is being able to put them to good use. In past years I have used corks to frame pictures and create cork boards- I tell you, they are very cool!
The raw material is harvested from the amazingly regenerative Cork Oak trees which grow around the warmer brim of the Mediterranean coast. Cork is just another one of those amazing products of nature- light in weight yet incredibly strong, it serves to protect the core of trees from harsh humidity. Resistant to fire, water, and (mostly) rot- their purpose transitions from sheltering trees to sheltering our precious juice.
Why not take them one step further- Toothpick figures? Pot holders? Drink the drink, save the stopper, and see what you come up with!
