A Wine Country 4th of July: DIY Cork Americana Flag

In this post – Easy step-by-step instructions for creating a charming rustic wine country cork flag, using wine bottle corks, some craft paint and a hot glue gun, just in time for the 4th of July.

If you have ever finished a bottle of wine and thought, “Should I save the cork?” the answer is definitely yes! Wine corks can be used for all kinds of fun projects. They also make great vase and bowl fillers. Wine corks can even be good conversation starters, especially if you have a collection of corks from your favorite wines or from places that you’ve traveled. Here in California, we have no shortage of amazing wineries – and interesting corks! – to choose from.

A Wine Country Cork Craft

Since we are approaching the 4th of July, I’m sharing a quick and easy DIY project that uses just a few inexpensive craft supplies that you may already have stashed away. The result is a charming piece of patriotic decor that will look festive in any corner of your home, from your bookshelves to your bar area or kitchen counter. Even if you don’t drink wine, you can still make this charming cork flag using corks purchased from Amazon or a local craft store like Michael’s, which is what I’m using for this post.

Styled 2 Ways – Summer Crafting

Every month, I team up with MaryJo of the blog Master”pieces” of my Life to share different takes on the same theme. This month we’re sharing fun ideas for summer crafts. MaryJo and I have different styles, with hers being more vintage and thrifted, and mine being more modern and coastal. By teaming up monthly for our Styled 2 Ways collaborations, we share different ways to add charm and character to your home. You can follow MaryJo on her other online spaces too, including  Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Supplies Needed

This is such a simple craft that you only need to gather a few supplies:

wine bottle corks (number depends on how big you want your flag to be – I used 35)

red, white and blue acrylic craft paint

small paint brush (or foam brush)

wooden craft stars (optional)

hot glue gun with extra glue

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Configure Your Flag

Before doing anything, decide how big you want your flag to be. This will, of course, depend on the number of corks you have at your disposal. The flag I made has 35 corks total. By laying out your flag design ahead of time, you’ll avoid having rearrange and possible repaint corks later on. Calculate the number of corks you’ll need for each color of your design. For reference, my flag uses 9 corks for the blue area, 15 corks for the red stripes, and 11 corks for the white.

Prepare Your Paints

The easiest way to use craft paints is to pour them on a paper plate. Tip: If you use a plain white paper plate double it up so the paint doesn’t soak through. You will also want to keep some paper towels handy.

You will need very little paint for this project because all you are doing is dipping the ends of the corks into the paint. I poured a little of the red, white and blue paints onto a small paper plate.

Dip the Corks

Begin by dipping on end of each cork into the paint and then blot it either on the plate or a paper towel to remove excess paint. Set it aside on its end to dry. Repeat with remaining corks.

Paint Wooden Stars (if using)

For this project, I incorporated some small wooden craft stars for a fun effect. However, you can always just paint the stars onto your flag and it will look just as good!

Using white paint on separate paper plate, use a paint brush or foam brush to completely cover the number of stars you will be using. Since this flag is more of an Americana-style representation of the American flag, it’s not necessary (or practical) to add all 50 stars to your flag – unless you want to!

Glue Corks Together

Once all of the corks are dry to the touch, you can begin assembling your flag. I didn’t find out until I began the project that not all of my corks were the same size, so I had to use two different sizes. (This is why configuring your flag at the start of the project is important.) I was able to come up with a design that works by combining the sizes; however, I recommend using corks that are all the same size to make things easier.

Paint or Glue on Stars

For the last step, add stars to the blue field of the flag. I chose to use 5 stars, but you may decide to add more or fewer, depending on the size of your flag and whether you are painting or glueing them on.

Enjoy!

I like these kinds of craft projects because they are quick and easy. This project could easily be done by children and would be a fun crafting activity for your next 4th of July get together. The result is a cute little piece of patriotic decor that you can display just about anywhere in your home.

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Visit Master”pieces” of my Life

Before you go, be sure to follow this link to visit MaryJo’s blog and see what creative summer craft she has to share with you today!