We’ve all seen cork projects scattered over Pinterest, and this one is no exception.  My post, however, will help you avoid the crapsmanship that I used for my first monogram — an R that sits above my refrigerator.  (I know, the photo’s too dark.  I’ve got to learn how to take better pix!)  CRAP ALERT:  I made two easily avoidable errors.  First I used one black cork.  It just looks like a blank space, right?  Don’t use a black cork; you’ll be sorry!

 My second error was to use a glue gun.  Besides causing the inevitable burn to my fingers, the glue was unforgiving.  I couldn’t tweak the position of the cork after I’d placed it on my letter.  In addition, the corks easily popped off with just a little nudge.  I needed an adhesive that was a little more flexible and durable.

My friend Carol asked me to make a cork monogram for her — a Z this time.  I used WeldBond More Than Great Glue.  It’s similar to Elmer’s only thicker, and it dries clear.  Because it dries slowly, I had more time to adjust the position of each cork.

I started by dry fitting some corks on each end of the Z.

Once I was happy with the position, I spread glue over a large area and smoothed it with my finger.  CRAP ALERT:  This technique didn’t work; there wasn’t enough glue for each cork to adhere.  So instead I laid a line of glue for each cork.  This worked well, and the glue was sufficient for a strong hold.

When I came to the diagonal bar of the Z, I had to decide whether to lay the corks diagonally or vertically.  Again, I dry fitted a few corks to decide.  Diagonal it is.

There were spaces where a whole cork wouldn’t fit.  I used a serrated knife to cut a cross section of a cork to fit into a smaller space.

Once I was finished gluing the corks, I adjusted a few to make sure they were in the exact best position.  Then I set the Z aside to dry.  Not bad for a 20 minute project!