During the layoff’s early months, I went searching for simple DIY projects that married my meed to upcycle our 10 year collection of special occasion corks on a dollar store budget. After strolling through Pinterest and Etsy, I decided to create my own wreath design because 40% of my stash came from champagne bottles which weren’t commonly used on any of the projects online.
All in, after buying the wire frame at Michael’s with a discount coupon, and fake grape vines at The Dollar Tree, the grand total came to $3.50! Buying generic corks or packs on Etsy can add $20 to $40 to your budget; ask your friends and family for corks and/or venture to local taste rooms and ask for throwaways. Once you collect all the required materials and tools, the project itself is very simple and shouldn’t take more than an hour. Add burlap ribbon to cover the wire if you’d like to spruce it up a bit. The ribbon is available at most dollar stores too!
Materials:
- Wreath wire frame (12″-16″)
- 60 to 80 regular corks
- 20 to 30 champagne corks
- Foliage, flowers or artificial grape vines
- Glue gun with sticks (at least 4)
- Burlap ribbon (optional)
- Crafting surface/easy clean up station
Steps:
- Glue the inside loop of corks to the wire frame – inside to second wire. Let it set for about 10 -15 minutes.
- Glue the outside loop of corks to the wire frame – third to fourth wires. Let is set for another 10 -15 minutes.
- Glue the wine corks, mushroom cap side up, to the wire frame middle section.
- Fill in the gaps with foliage, flowers or grape vines. Let it set for 10 minutes.
Be generous with the glue as you can cover the blobs with the vines. If you are using the burlap ribbon, keep the glue beads steady to avoid unsightly globs; the direct to wire frame application is more forgiving. Once you finish, flip it over and glue any loose components. My wreath held up for five years, and I had to fix pieces only after it fell from its peg.
Hang on a wall or door and enjoy!
Mrs. Enginerd - Nerd Whisperer 