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Wine Cork Wreath
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By Cheri Sicard
Photo: Mitch Mandell
Posted July 31st, 2007
FabulousFoods.com Recommends: Making Classic Wreaths: Designing & Creating for All Occasions, by Ed Smith, (2004, Sterling)
Making Classic Wreaths: Designing & Creating for All Occasions
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Author Notes:

Save your wine corks! Making this gorgeous wreath out of them will yield a beautiful decorative piece you can display through the holidays or all year long.

Making this craft is lots of fun, especially for wine lovers who can reminisce about all the great bottles they've shared. The finished wreaths are fun to look at for the same reason -- they are kind of like a wine lover's scrapbook of happy memories.

If you don't drink so much wine, ask your local bartender or restaurant waiters if they wouldn't mind saving corks for you. If all else fails, you can get corks through craft shops or even on eBay (very cheaply). They won't have the same sentimental value as corks you've saved from memorable meals over the years, but the finished wreath will still be beautiful.

As beautiful as this wreath looks, it is shockingly easy to make. If it weren't for the danger of getting burned with hot glue, a child could do it. However, because of that risk, it's better suited for adults.

Supplies: a straw wreath base (the one we used in the photo was 18 inches in diameter)
wine corks (for the 18 inch base, figure on between 175 - 200 corks)
hot glue gun and hot glue

Optional:
artificial silk grape leaves
artificial grapes (we used artificial frosted grapes)
about 5 yards of 1 1/2 inch wide ribbon
a Big Ribbon Bow ( instruction link below)
a few long straight pins
Instructions:
1.wine cork wreaths, bows, ribbons 2.wine cork wreaths, bows, ribbons
Step 1. Cover your work surface with several layers of paper to insulate it against any spilled hot glue. Use the hot glue gun to run a strip of hot glue down one side of the cork (I like to position the corks on my wreaths so that the most interesting side of the cork is facing up). Place the cork, glue side down, on the straw wreath base, and hold in place for 5 to 10 seconds until the glue sets. Repeat with other corks, switching directions every now and then, so the design doesn't look too symmetrical, but putting the corks as close together as possible and covering as much of the base as you can. Step 2. Continue to glue wine corks on the base until it is entirely covered. Some people like to stop right here and hang the wreath as is. If that's you, you're done. If not continue with the next steps to decorate the wreath further. Feel free to stop at any of the steps along the way when your wreath looks "finished" to you.
3.wine cork wreaths, bows, ribbons 4.wine cork wreaths, bows, ribbons
Step 3. Glue individual silk grape leaves and/or artificial grapes randomly around the wreath. Use these embellishments to fill in any areas of open space between wine corks

Step 4. Photo 4 shows the wreath with grapes and grape leaves and a Big Ribbon Bow -- a nice look in itself.

IMPORTANT NOTE: To go further and make your wreath look like the one in the photo at the top of the page, go on to Step 5 BEFORE attaching the Big Ribbon Bow.
5.wine cork wreaths, bows, ribbons
Step 5. Before attaching the Big Ribbon Bow to your wreath, use a straight pin to secure one end of 1 1/2 inch wide ribbon to the back or underside of the wreath. Slowly wrap the ribbon around and around the wreath, at pleasing intervals. Clip the ribbon when you get the wreath wrapped to your liking, and secure the second end with straight pins as well. Attach a Big Ribbon Bow to the bottom of the wreath. Congratulations! Your wreath is now ready to hang!
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