It’s not time to worry about your New Year’s resolutions just yet!   The first order of business in 2009 is to re-purpose all of those champagne corks from your party!   If saving the environment (and your pocketbook) is one of your resolutions this year, then enjoy these inspirational ideas on how you can upcycle your bubbly corks.  Even better, tune in each Monday in 2009 for a new re-purposed project.

I saw the sturdy base and porous nature of the champagne as a perfect, instaneous pincushion.  You can glue a vintage fabric scrap to the top or simply leave it natural with a sliver of ribbon trim. I have also re-purposed my antique wooden spools to hold my packaging materials, such as paper rope, jute, and raffia, while a lovely mini-branch serves double-duty as a natural thread spool.

If your dressers are asking for a makeover, make like Mary’s Creole cottage and switch the drawer pulls out for champagne corks!  Not only are these comfortable to the touch, but they add creative flair to any dresser, while serving as a reminder to indulge in bubbly more often.

Finally, you can say good riddance to those pesky plastic bike handle ends that always disappear!  Be inspired by Jon Heslop and replace them with champagne corks for the ultimate beach lifestyle statement.

And last but not least, taking inspiration from Modern Bride, you can create a fitting cocktail party place card holder with a champagne cork.  Or, you can use it to hold up love notes in the bedroom or to-do lists for your desk.  Simply use a knife to slice a line across the top, and display notes to your heart’s content.