Let’s be honest, 2016 hasn’t been the greatest year. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that some of the events that have transpired this year have forced us to drink just a bit more wine than usual! So, if you have a ton of extra trusty wine corks at your disposal, don’t throw them away; get creative and make them into adorable reindeer ornaments! Here’s how to do it.

Start by gathering all of your necessary materials. To make one of these super cute ornaments, you will need:

• 2 sewing pins
• 3 inches polka dot ribbon
• Small red pom pom
• 3 wine corks (the cleaner the better— we recommend choosing ones from bottles of white)
• Brown pipe cleaner
• Tan pipe cleaner
• Glue gun
• Pliers
• Scissors

Now, you’re probably looking at all of these materials and thinking: What the heck? How does all of this make a reindeer ornament, anyways? Well, it’s simpler than you think! The corks will represent mini Rudloph’s body, legs, head, and neck collectively.

1. Take your first cork, and cut it into four separate pieces, first by halving it in its middle, then slicing each side into equal parts. These will act as your reindeer’s little legs. Cute!
2. Next, make your cut at about two-thirds into your second cork, making sure that the edge is at a slight angle. This one will represent the head and neck.
3. The third cork will be the reindeer’s body—no need to chop this one down!
4. To fasten all of its parts together, first shorten your two sewing pins using pliers, and stick them side-to-side in the “body” cork—these little guys will stand in for the deer’s eyes. You will then join the rest of his parts using your hot glue gun.
5. Once your reindeer’s body is completely dried and secured, it’s time to move onto making his antlers, ears, and tail. For this step, you will want to reach for both your tan and brown-colored pipe cleaners.
6. First, take your brown pipe cleaner and cut it up into four pieces (about 1 ½ inches each), and twist together, two-by-two, so that each one resembles the reindeer’s antlers.                                                                                                                                             
7. Once you’ve mastered your reindeer’s “finer points,” cut your tan pipe cleaner into three small sections (about half an inch each), and mold them into small balls with the pads of your fingers until they start to look like little ears and a tail.

The last step is to assemble your little Rudolph, dress him up, and give him his trademark nose. To see how to complete these necessary (and oh-so-creative!) final steps, be sure to watch Simplemost’s video below. You just have to see how well these ornaments turned out!

What do you think of these cool reindeer ornaments? Have you completed a similar project before yourself? Do you have a signature holiday craft project that you like to do during Christmastime? Tell us all about your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below!