Materials:

• Bottle Corks
• RIT Fabric Dye
• ½ Cup Salt
• Large Pot 
• Bucket
• Slotted Spoon
• Aluminum Baking Sheet
• Gloves
• Hot Glue Gun
• Hot Glue Sticks

To color the corks:
Step 1: Fill a large pot with water and boil over the stove. 

Step 2: While the water boils, prepare the corks and dye. Fill an old bucket halfway with corks. Put on your gloves!

Step 3: Add ½ cup salt and a dye packet to the bucket.

Step 4: Pour the boiling water into the bucket with the dye salt mixture. Add more hot water from the faucet if needed to submerge the corks.

Step 5: Stir the corks until the dye dissolves, usually between five to ten minutes. 

Step 6: Use an old heavy plate to keep the corks submerged in the water after stirring. 

Step 7: Allow the corks to soak for 45 minutes or until desired color saturation. 

Step 8: Use a slotted spoon to transfer the dyed corks to a waterproof and protected surface to dry. A disposable aluminum baking sheet is perfect. 

To form the trivet:
Step 1: Think about the shape, size, and pattern you want to design using the corks. Experiment with different looks until you find one you like best.

Step 2: Cut a piece of thin cork pad, shelf liner, or non-slip rug pad in the desired trivet shape. 

Step 3: Begin gluing the bottle corks to the shelf liner in the desired pattern. Add a dab of glue on the side of the corks to adhere them together to make the trivet stronger.  

Ideas to take the bottle cork trivets to the next level:

• Go big! Use the same assembly process with undyed corks to create a bath mat. 
• Skip the shelf liner. Glue the sides of the cork together into a shape, such as a heart, to create a wall hanging.