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DIY $5 Magnolia Wreath

June 05, 2019

I have lived in the home I’m in now for the past three years, and every spring, I tell myself that I’m going to make a wreath from the leaves on the magnolia trees in our yard.

Well, third year’s the charm, I suppose, because I finally went for it! What I love about this do-it-yourself craft is how inexpensive it is in comparison to store-bought magnolia wreaths (which run anywhere from $50-$100). You do you, but this girl is not spending that kind of money on a wreath. I was able to make the wreath myself for only $5 using four supplies that I purchased from Dollar Tree. (Shoutout to all my fellow Dollar Tree-lovin’ gals out there!)

You will need: 

  • A circular metal wreath frame 
  • Mod Podge 
  • Foam paint brush
  • Floral wire 
  • Fresh magnolia leaves
  • Bin for collecting and soaking your leaves

I will warn you that because the wreath uses fresh leaves, it only stays that lush magnolia green for about a week, and then it fades to a more olive color. Aside from the fading color, keep in mind that this isn’t a quick project; there are a few steps, and it can be quite tedious because each leaf gets hand stitched with wire and attached to the wreath frame. So far, my wreath has lasted for about a month, which is worth the time and effort, in my personal opinion.

Step one: Collect your leaves. Tear your leaves from the trees in such a way that you are left with a stem on each leaf. (The stem is what you will later use to attach the leaf to your metal frame.) Just to be safe, I collected about 80 leaves (I think I only ended up using 60 or so) and placed them in a plastic bin. I recommend trying to keep the majority of your leaves the same size, though I did choose a couple larger ones for the back portion of the wreath and some smaller ones for the front.

Step two: Fill your bin with water and allow the leaves to soak for at least 6 hours.

Step three: After the leaves have soaked for several hours, use a paper towel or cloth to hand-dry each one, wiping off any excess dirt.

Step four: Once each leaf has been wiped and dried, they now must be painted with Mod Podge. Apply a generous amount of Mod Podge with a foam brush to the front and back of each leaf, and then lay them on a flat surface to dry.

Step five: Once the leaves are dry, they are ready to be attached to the metal wreath frame. I cut my wire into 4-inch pieces and made a single hand stitch around the stem of each leaf, wrapping it around the frame clockwise. As long as the leaf is secure, use whatever method you’d like on attaching the wire. Something to pay attention to when choosing what leaf to attach next is the direction in which the leaf is going. Try to keep the pointy part of the leaf facing the same direction as the last leaf you attached. You will notice that your metal frame has four metal rows. Start with the outer row attaching your bigger leaves, because this will be the bottom portion of your wreath. Once your outer row is complete, move on to the next couple rows, attaching the standard-size leaves, while saving the smaller ones for the inner row. Continue on with the process until your wreath is nice and full.

Step 6: Hang your beautiful, new magnolia wreath on the door and give yourself a pat on the back.

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