Peace Decoration

Peace will never go out of style. Make this decoration for any holiday or to celebrate peace every day. This project would also make a fun decoration for your tween’s room, and you can let her help!

You will need:

* Paintbrush

* Acrylic craft paint

* 1 (10") round wooden circle (available at craft stores)

* Hot glue gun

* 32 dyed wine corks (cork amounts are approximate!)

* 38 plain corks

* White school glue

* Fine glitter that matches the paint

* Sawtooth picture hanger

  1. Paint one side of the wooden board and let dry.
  2. Using the hot glue gun, glue the dyed corks on the face of the circle around the outer edge. Glue an inner row of undyed corks. You may have to move them around and space them out a little bit to get them to fit right. This is inevitable; just be patient with it.
  3. Arrange undyed corks to create the stems of the peace symbol, and then glue in place.
  4. Carefully paint white school glue onto the wood showing between the peace sign stems. Shake some fine glitter onto the glue and shake to cover the whole glued area. Turn the decoration over and tap to release any excess glitter. Let dry.
  5. Glue hanger to the back of the decoration.

Wine Profile: Cabernet Sauvignon

The Cabernet Sauvignon (Cab, for short) has been around for fewer than six hundred years, which, in wine terms, is not long. Recent genetic studies have revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon is the offspring of the much older Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc varieties.

Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are small, black, and very tough-skinned. The thick skins make Cabernet grapes fairly resistant to disease and capable of withstanding hard autumn rains, which is a good thing because the grapes ripen late. The skins are also what give the wine its hard tannins.

Cab grapes are adaptable and can grow in almost any climate that’s not too cool. They grow in most major wine-producing regions of the world. California is particularly suited to the grape, and its Cabs can command enormous prices.

Because of their often harsh tannins, young Cabernets require quite a bit of aging, first in oak barrels and later in bottles. Cabernets reward patience with velvety tannins and extraordinary complexity. Typical tasting notes on young Cabernets praise their black currant, dark berry, chocolate, and spice flavors. Older vintages are often described as having a taste of tobacco, cedar, smoke, and earth.