Recycled Cork Wreath

Ever wonder what you can do with leftover wine bottle corks? Well, don't throw them away cause they're perfect for crafting. Just look at this festive dyed cork wreath! 

It's easy to do and oh, so eco-crafty! You'll get double takes from friends when they realize this retro, starburst-design wreath is really made from castoff corks. To give it a real festive look, the ends of the corks have been glitterized in matching hues. So fun!

Wanna make one for yourself?

Here's how...

SUPPLIES:

• Rit Liquid Dyes: Purple, Teal & Kelly Green
• 64 Corks!! (You can change the design depending on how many you have)
• 12" Wooden Wreath Form
• 1 Gallon Plastic Container
• 2 Small dishes for glue & glitter
• Measuring Spoons
• Fine Glitter (matching colors)
• Elmer's White Glue
• Hot Glue Gun
• 1 yd Ribbon
• Paper Towels
• Rubber Gloves
• Plastic Table Cover

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Cover work surface with plastic and grab some rubber gloves. 

2) For this wreath, 16 corks were dyed Purple, 16 corks were dyed Teal and 32 corks were dyed Kelly Green. You can design your wreath in any way that suits your mood, depending on the number of corks on hand and size of wreath form. Just have fun with it. 

3) On to the dyeing!  Shake, measure and mix 2 Tbsp of Rit Teal dye with 2 quarts of very hot 140˚ F water.  Stir to mix well. Immerse 16 corks in the dye bath. The corks will float and you'll need to keep dunking them under the surface for even dyeing. Continue for 5-10 minutes or until you like the color.  You'll notice some corks dye faster than others, so you might leave some corks in the dye bath longer than others.  After removing from the dye bath, rinse in cool water and let dry on paper towels.

3) Rinse out dye container and repeat the dye process with the Purple and then the Kelly Green dye. 

4) Cover the wreath form so it's not distracting to the final design. For this wreath, black paper was glued onto the form but you can easily wrap fabric around it or paint the wreath black. 

5) To glitterize the corks, dip each cork lightly in white glue and then the matching glitter. Let dry. Repeat on all the corks.

6) Layout the teal and purple corks around the wreath form to determine even spacing. One at a time, lift each cork and glue down with hot glue. 

7) Glue the green corks on top, off-setting them to show off the teal and purple layer. 

8) Tie a contrasting ribbon or other decorative accent to your liking. 

9) To hang, glue a hanger to the back or using an extra piece of ribbon, thread between the bottom layer of corks to make a loop.

And enjoy!!