Happy Labor Day friends!
Tonight I am bringing you a tutorial on making a Fall wreath out of Magnolia Leaves!
So Fall isn't exactly here yet, but I have got the bug big time. I am already scheming about my fall décor for this year, and I probably shouldn't admit it, but I have already started to decorate. Shameful I know.... but I have no shame! I LOVE this time of the year, and I am SO over summertime. I am ready for pumpkin everything in full force.
This weekend I pulled out all of my faux pumpkins, apple cider candles, and leafy decorations. I have plans to do something to my faux pumpkins, but in the meantime they sit atop my mantle and give me a quick fall fix every time I walk into the room.
As I was decorating on Saturday and going through my fall hoard collection, I realized that I was missing something. This something is big and substantial and really gives a fall feeling to any space. This item that I was lacking was in fact a wreath.
Now I have an ever growing assortment of Christmas wreaths that I rotate according to mood. I truly believe that you can never have too many. My fiancé would highly disagree with me on that, but obviously he will never understand. I don't however own any fall wreaths of any sort. Crazy right?! How could this happen....? So to fix this very serious problem of mine, I decided to try my hand at making a wreath from scratch.
We have a magnolia tree in our backyard that has been shedding leaves all summer. The dogs love to lay under the tree to escape the hot summer heat, and I love the crunching sound it makes when they run around under it. The leaves range in color from green to brown and every shade in between. Honey colored, golden colored, and even some gorgeous marbled green and browns. I picked a bunch of them out of my yard and set to work.
I wanted to accomplish this task by spending zero money on the project. Yes, I could have bought a nice plain wreath to decorate, but I didn't really see the point. The large magnolia leaves would have covered it up anyway.... so instead I pulled out an old shoebox.
Yes. A Shoebox. Essentially a piece of cardboard. ( I keep shoebox lids on hand for projects such as this) So glad I finally found a use for one of them.
You could really use any piece of cardboard or heavy cardstock that you have laying around. Using what you have is always cost effective. Cost effective is the way to go.
Funny thing is the shoebox was from a pair of boots I bought last fall... which made me even more excited for this fall. Boots, Sweaters, and Scarves = Happiness!
TUTORIAL
Supplies
Cardboard
Exacto Knife
Hot Glue
Leaves
Ribbon (optional)
Cost
$0
Start by cutting your cardboard into a circle. Or a Rectangle or square if you prefer. Don't worry about it being perfect. It wont show. You just need to be sure you have a solid surface on which to hot glue your leaves.
Then, one by one glue your first layer of leaves down covering up the outside perimeter of your cardboard. Working in layers is better for overall aesthetic, but again however you want it to look is up to you.
I rotated green and brown to give it a more balanced look.
Once you get the first layer down, work a second and third layer in and around the wreath like so.
Make sure to cover up any empty spots.
Go back in and place one leaf at a time until you get the finished look you are going for.
Seriously not rocket science guys! Anyone can do this.
This is my close to finished project. I still think it needs something though. A white floral embellishment or ribbon bow of some sort. Play around with it until it suits your taste.
I kind of like the simple organic and rustic feel of it though.
Here she is hanging on the outside of my office door next to our mantle!
Please excuse my overexposed photos. I am still learning how to properly use my DSLR!
Voila!
And here's a sneak peak of my Fall mantle scape!
More coming on that soon!
Have a great week everyone! Hope you enjoyed this tutorial!
Happy Blogging!
