I need to preface this post with the disclaimer that I am not crafty. At all. I can crochet a blanket now and then, an unexpected skill I maintained from childhood. And I can wrap a decent present for holidays and birthdays. And that’s all she wrote.
However, every now and again there is a major life event that demands commemoration. For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you may already know that I got engaged just a little over a week ago. (To an amazing man who also surprised me with the mug that appears in my featured image; he gets me.)
On the day of the proposal, the man of the hour also came armed with a bottle of Prosecco to celebrate. At first, I had plans to keep the bottle and try to turn it into a vase. Then I remembered all of the horrible videos I’ve seen about trying to cut glass using yarn and nail polish remover and cringed at the possible ramifications (and likely less-than-presentable result).
I turned to the cork from that bottle instead, but couldn’t figure out what to do with it. Like any bride-to-be, I turned to Pinterest for inspiration, and came away with my own unique take on a shadow box to memorialize our engagement.
Here’s how I did it, and what you’ll need.
Pick up a shadow box from a local craft store (I found mine at Michaels). Beware! Many of them are only deep enough to accommodate small, flat-ish items. You’ll need one that’s deep enough to fit your cork.
Decide what else, if anything, you want in your shadow box. You could get some scrapbooking paper to change the backdrop, or some of those 3d sticker packs that say cute things or have emoji-looking rings and champagne glasses. The sky’s the limit.
I opted for this pack of burlap roses, which I would never have thought of if I hadn’t wandered past them in the craft store. Ultimately, I think they complement the natural texture of the cork quite well.
I also knew I wanted to incorporate the candy hearts (my guiltiest pleasure) that Ricky used in the actual proposal. I just didn’t know how to use them yet. For your own personal touch, think dried petals from flowers that were involved, ticket stubs, the receipt from the meal you shared, etc.
Oh, and you’ll also probably need one of these guys. Luckily you can pick one up (with more glue sticks than any one person could ever possibly use) for under $20.
Once you’ve got all of your supplies, if you’re anything like me you’ll have no idea where to start.
The first thing I did was take apart the shadow box. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it came with a strip of velcro to attach things to the backing. This appealed greatly to my fear of hating how it might look after the pieces were already glued down.
So the first thing I did was attach some strips of velcro to the cork instead of using the glue, and decided where I wanted the cork to rest on the backing. Then I used the rest of the velcro on the back of each of the burlap roses, and arranged them in a cascade from right to left beneath the cork.
Then it was time to plug in the glue gun. I decided that the hearts would look nice (and not overwhelming) if I tucked them strategically between the petals of the roses. I fiddled and fussed with that for a bit until I was absolutely certain I had them where I wanted them, and then fearlessly attacked with the hot glue. It was kind of a rush.
The last step was just to pop the backing into the shadow box. Voila! I had crafted.
This hung easily on the wall amidst a photo collage, but would have looked just as nice set on a side table or bookshelf.
And now I have a piece of art that I can always look at and remember the swell of emotions I felt when I first got engaged. (Not to mention it makes a great conversation piece for those who don’t know what it’s for!)
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