Cork Wreath
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Alright wine drinkers, every year we open up a ton of wine bottles and throw away the corks, I say NO MAS! There are so many things you can do with the leftover corks – the possibilities are endless and I had so many accumulated….
See I told ya I had a ton…. 😉
Anyways, when it came to deciding what to do I already had something in mind…. A friggin’ wreath people!!! Could there be anything more awesome than a cork wreath?…(swoon)
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So, here is what I actually did on my journey to my awesome DIY cork wreath…
I started collecting wine corks, but that took forever…. then I started asking friends for their corks, and THAT took forever too…. and then my light bulb went off! I work closely with one of the nicest hotels in Atlanta and I asked one of the bartenders to give me any wine corks they were going to discard…. 3 buckets later, I had enough corks!
If you don’t have enough you can order a good bit here for a decent price (since they can get pretty pricey at local hobby stores).
I went to the local Hobby Lobby and bought me a hay wreath, normally $4.99, but I used my 40% off coupon and got it for even cheaper!!! I stocked up on glue sticks (let me warn you, this project took a TON of glue sticks).
So I sat down in my backyard patio and started gluing away…
Materials needed:
2. high temperature glue gun and glue sticks
4. a mixed drink (optional)
5. TONS of patience
I started gluing them in a line so I could cover up as much of the wreath as possible.
Told ya there was a mixed drink involved…
Here is the halfway mark (the picture is not of good quality though)
Then I began adding the second random layer of corks.
As you can see I used the less decorative corks on the first layer and kept the cool ones for the top layer. And then you basically just go around the entire thing until it is completely covered….
*Side note – I did NOT glue any corks to the back of the wreath. I left it flat and exposed so as to keep the wreath flat against the wall when hung.
And here is the finished piece!
Ain’t she purdy?!?!?!?!
Well, that’s it peeps! Pretty simple. I hope I have inspired you to start saving your corks! What will you do with them?
Great tutorial! I was able to make one just like it with your instructions…thanks! We are having difficulty figuring out how to hang the wreath now though…do you have any tips on what to put in the back to hang it? I used a hay wreath like you did
Hi Katie! Thank you for your comment. We used a pretty large “bolt-like” screw anchored directly to the wall. It comes out the wall about an inch and a half. I didn’t attach anything onto the wreath itself. All I did was use the same kind of screw to dig a hole into the actual hay portion of the wreath and then I just slid it right onto the one that is on the wall. It actually works great. I have had it hung that way for over 3 years now and it hasn’t fallen yet. 😉
How many corks do you think you used? I have a couple of bags full…
I cannot remember exactly how many, but if you have 2 grocery bags full, I think that should be enough. And just remember to only place them along the sides and the front. Leaving the back empty will allow it to be hung up easier and save some corks! Good luck! I would love to see how it turns out, if you decide to make your own.
I’ve been looking for a wine cork wreath tutorial for a while! What size wreath did you use?
Hello Brooke! I am so glad you were able to find my tutorial. I used the 18″ hay wreath from Hobby Lobby. Once completed the wreath measured at around 22″ in diameter. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.
Did you finish off the back to hide the corn con wreath? I’ve had mine made for months, but don’t know if I should cover the back or not.
Hi there! Thank you for your question. I did not cover the back for several reasons. First of all, if you plan on hanging it on your wall, it won’t hang flat up against it and will make it harder to put on the wall itself. Second, it will just use up even more corks and they won’t even be seen, plus it will make the wreath even heavier so you will need to worry about securing it in a way that it won’t fall off. If you plan on hanging it, I would place it up against the wall and see which places would need a couple of corks here or there to enclose any gaps, and that’s it. You are good to go! Let me know if you have any other questions.
This is gorgeous, I must make one to. I am so happy that you mention to leave the back of the wreath empty, so it can hang better on the door. I did not think about that. Thank you! I made a tray using corks, and it turned out beautifully.
Thanks so much! And yes, leaving the back without corks helps so much. I am happy you enjoyed this tutorial.
Thank you for your easy to follow tutorial. My husband is in the wine business and I had no trouble accumulating corks! Once I had begun and could see where there was an opening, I ran a wire from the back to the front, making a loop for hanging in the back. Your suggestion to leave the back flat made this easy to do. The wire in the front got twisted and laid flat, then covered with corks. My estimate for a 14″ wreath is about 200+ corks. Easy to do with your instructions. This will be a gift and it looks way more complicated than it actually is! Thanks again!
Tracy
Hi there, thank you so much for this tutorial! Going to tackle this over next weekend. Do you know how long it took you roughly? I want to give it to my mom for her bday but want to make sure I give myself enough time 🙂
Hello Desiree! This took me about a weekend to do, you have plenty of time to do this. Just get your favorite drink and watch your favorite Netflix show while you do it and you will be done in no time! Good luck with this, I am sure it will turn out beautifully!
I made this wreath over the weekend. It tuned out really cute. Thanks for the inspiration!
Caryn I am so happy to hear you had success in creating your own cork wreath and that mine was your inspiration. I’m sure you will love it as much as I love mine!
This is exactly the type of cork wreath I wanted to make! Thanks for sharing such a great tutorial.
You are very welcome Linda! I am so glad you found this tutorial!
Beautiful! Great job
Hi, your wreath is gorgeous! I have a friend that made one as well but she has problems with the corks falling off during the hot Texas summer months. She advised that I don’t use something other than hot glue but I don’t know what else I should use. Any advice?
The only other glue I would use is E6000 but it takes a while to dry. So I would suggest you also use a dot of hot glue to hold the corks in place while the E6000 dries. The E6000 should give you a permanent hold even in the hot summer months. I hope that helps!
Hello! Did you remove the plastic covering on the wreath.
Yes I did. I didn’t want any plastic showing through and I felt that the hot glue stuck to the straw better. Hope that helps!
Thanks!
I made this wreath several years ago. Finally I have enough corks for a second (gift to my daughter or joint craft if she wants to help). I ended up putting a cord around the straw base to have something to hang it when finished.
Have you had to cut any of the corks (to make them fit) when you stack them? Also have you thought about dying the tips? If so, what would you use?
No I didn’t cut any of the corks. I just worked around each of them as best I could. I never thought about dying them because I actually like the way they look as they are.
Yami, thank you so much for your response, if I do decide to dye the tips I will send a pic.
Sure! You can always tag me if you’re on Instagram. I’d love to see it ?
Beautiful wreath. Just what I’ve been looking for. I’m going to try it. I have the corks but one question – can I use a foam wreath? Thanks!!
Yes, I am sure you can use a foam wreath. I would just stay away from styrofoam since hot glue tends to melt it down.
Do I need to spray any kind of clear shellac or something on it if I want to hang this outside in my front door? I am afraid rain, etc could ruin the corks?
If your door gets direct sunlight and/or rain, I personally would refrain from hanging on there. However if it is covered then I would try Mod Podge Ultra in Matte. It’s Mod Podge in a Spray bottle and it’s great for sealing projects like this. Hope that helps!
Hi awesome wreath! I am trying to recreate it and halfway done when it occurs to me that the straw wreath on the back side would make a mess on the floor where the finished wreath would be placed. Any ideas on how to avoid that? Remember I am halfway done so can’t wrap the wreatg with burlap or something at this point.
I never sealed my straw and I actually haven’t had much of an issue with it making a mess, however, I suppose spray adhesive or even matte mod podge should do the trick! hope that helps!
I can’t wait to make this! Where is the white artichoke from? I want to recreate this whole look.
Tha artichoke I believe was from At Home store, but it was a while ago when I purchased it.
Can you tell me how many rows of corks you did before you started putting the random ones around on top?
Thank you for your question. I honestly can’t remember. This was many years ago when I made it.
Thanks for this! Any other tips for how to hang it without damaging a door? I want to use a command hook or something but not sure how to get it to attach. I also already did the first layer of corks. Appreciate it!
You can try wrapping a large ribbon to hang it over the top of door the with a command hook upside down on the other side to hold it up. I have used this method for other wreaths and it has worked, BUT this one is especially heavy so it would take a rather large heavy duty hook and even then I am not so sure how it would hold up since I haven’t personally tried it. Hope this helps some!
So beautiful, Yami. Thank you for sharing. Do you think Champagne corks would work? If so, anything I should consider before attempting?
I think they will work as well, especially if they are the same cork material. The wreath may just look a little more chunky since they are a different shape. If they are the “faux” straight corks that are more “plastic-y”, then perhaps use a dab of E6000 on each cork so they don’t fall off as easy. I hope this helps!