Recycled wine and champagne cork wreath with bow

Grab a glue gun, some wine and champagne corks and in no time at all you can create a beautiful and unique wreath to decorate your home.  Don’t have any corks, don’t you worry!  You can purchase wine corks at craft stores and online at etsy.com or Amazon.com in bulk! The mushroom shaped champagne corks gives the wreath it’s uniquely different look.  This wreath makes a great gift with corks leftover from a wedding/anniversary reception too!

You will need:

 Various wine corks and champagne corks (I used 54 champagne corks and 62 wine corks for a total of 116 corks)

Straw wreath form

Glue gun and glue sticks

Wire

Wire cutters

78” 2 ¼” wide wired ribbon

Bowdabra mini Bowmaker with ruler

24” Bowdabra bow wire

Scissors, ruler

1.     Remove the plastic from the straw wreath form. Cut a piece of wire with the wire cutters and make a loop for hanging.  Wrap around the wreath form and twist together. 

2.     Use the glue gun to apply glue directly to the corks as shown. Use care when applying glue so as not to burn your fingers.  Begin adding glue and champagne corks vertically around the inside of the wreath side by side. As you add the corks hold the corks for a moment or two until set.  The size of your corks will determine exactly how many will fit around. I used 18.

3.     Continue adding champagne corks flat onto the top of the wreath form spoke style in between the vertical corks.  (See photo) Continue around the wreath for a total of 18 corks.

4.     For the third layer attach more champagne corks covering the open spaces left by the previous spoke layer. (See photo) I used 18 corks for this as well.

5.     For the fourth layer you attach wine corks.  These corks are applied all along the outside edges end to end.   (See photo) I used 19 wine corks. After this layer of wine corks sets, glue champagne corks on top standing upright using the wine cork layer as a sort of shelf all around.  (See photos)

6.     Repeat two more rows of wine corks all around the sides for the next two layers, using approximately 21 and 22 corks to go around.

continue adding wine corks around edges

Note:  When gluing corks around the outside if you have trouble fitting the corks you may cut them to size with a craft knife if necessary.

For Bowdabra bow:

1.     Cut a 78” piece of 2 ¼” wired ribbon. 

2.     Cut a 24” piece of Bowdabra bow wire and fold in half.  Place in the Bowmaker.  You will have a loop on one end and two pieces of wire on the other.

3.     Place the ribbon in the bowmaker to the one-inch mark.  Next fold the ribbon to form a loop to the edge of the ruler.

4.     Fold a matching loop on the other side.

5.     Continue folding loops from side to side until you reach the end of your ribbon.

6.     Scrunch down with the Mini Bowmaker wand.

7.     Thread the two loose ends through the loop end and pull tight.

8.     Remove the bow from the Bowmaker.  Tie a knot in the back.  Fluff up the bow with your fingers.

9.     Use the ends of the bow wire to tie to the wreath.