Fresh Magnolia Wreath
Gather fresh magnolia leaves and craft a gorgeous wreath that will dry naturally and provide a fresh look in your home! Step by step tutorial included.
Updated 11-22
What's your very favorite day of the week?
Mine is definitely garbage day! 😉
You might spot me driving slowly by the piles stacked up at my neighbors
driveways. Some of my favorite finds started life as discards...there have
been
chairs, a
table, a
dresser set, a ladder, antiques that turned into
this and
this, and old chair and crib rail that became this
chippy spindle tree
and these
farmhouse candlesticks,
drawers and oh yes, magnolia leaves!
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We don't have a magnolia tree in our yard, so when I spotted a large pile of
freshly clipped branches at the end of my neighbors driveway recently, I raced
home, grabbed my clippers and a large black garbage bag, and headed back.
Score!
Making a fresh magnolia wreath took a little trial and error, but I finally figured out the easiest way to make one that will last!
Keep reading for more DIY wreath tutorials, both fresh and faux!
Spoiler alert: fresh magnolia leaves lose their bright green color as
they dry, and your wreath will look completely different in a few weeks,
although still beautiful. If that's not cool with you, just buy a faux one
from Hobby Lobby!
SUPPLIES TO MAKE A FRESH MAGNOLIA WREATH
- straw wreath form
- paddle wire like this one (it's thin enough to bend and wrap easily)
- wire ( 18-20 gauge) hanging - this is the one I used
- scissors or wire cutters
- damp cloth
- fresh magnolia leaves
HOW TO MAKE A FRESH MAGNOLIA WREATH
STEP 1:
Pull all the good leaves from the branches and toss them in a basket or bag.
The back porch is a great place to do this because it can be a little messy!
Use a damp rag to lightly wipe the leaves to remove dust and other gunk from
each leaf!
Sort leaves into three piles by size S, M and L. Don't overthink this step!
Take 3 leaves and tie the stems together with wire. While I show different sizes of leaves, I used mostly the same sized leaves for this wreath. Save the leaves that you don't use (I'll share why a little later)!
Note: this step is time-consuming but will save time in the long run!
Once you have bundled all your leaves into sets of 3, you're ready to start forming your wreath.
STEP 5:
B efore you start attaching leaves to your wreath form, make a small hanging loop out of a thicker gauge wire (20 gauge) and twist it around the top of your wreath form to secure. You will be very happy to have this loop when you go to hang your wreath up!!
STEP 6:
Using the thinner paddle wire, attach a bundle of leaves to the wreath form by wrapping the wire around both the leaf bundle and the wreath. Don't cut the wire!
You're basically going to do an inner set, middle and outer set - so 3 overlapping layers of leaves in a row, like this.
Remember, don't cut the wire! Just keep wrapping sets of leaves, overlapping the stems as you work your way around the wreath. Don't you love how glossy and bright fresh magnolia leaves are!
Creating the magnolia wreath actually goes fairly quickly because the leaves are large!
Once you've covered the entire wreath form in magnolia leaves, cut the wire with a long tail that you can twist and secure at the back.
Hang it up and take a picture!
Those extra leaves I saved? I put them in a long
dough bowl on my dining room table where they made a very pretty centerpiece...until I
needed some of them for my wreath.
What does a fresh magnolia wreath look like as it dries?
Over the next couple of weeks my magnolia leaves dried out.
It's still beautiful, but it is fragile so try to hang it where it won't get
bumped!
You can see that as the leaves dried, some of them twisted and curled.
I had a few spots where the wreath form was showing...that's why I told you
to save a few leaves. I'm so glad I did because I just tucked in the extra
leaves where the wreath needed it! You could use a small dab of hot glue to
hold the leaves in place. This is why we bundled the leaves together
separately as well as onto the wreath form! The extra wire holds the leaves
in place as it dries.
What can you do with dried magnolia leaves?
I love using them in table settings and vignettes, they are wonderful for Fall with the velvet-like brown backside displayed out! Here are some additional ideas:- Use them on a simple Fall dining table
- Add them to a Thanksgiving place setting with my free printable cards
- Use them in a dough bowl with antiqued pumpkins
- nestle them into table centerpieces, baskets, urns, even garland on a mantel!
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