We’ve got Magnolia trees everywhere in Georgia and I happen to have two of my very own.  My trees are about 30 years old and have huge leaves, which are perfect for wreath making in my opinion. This year I decided to use some of those leaves for my Christmas decor.  You can’t beat free and they make beautiful wreaths. Of course, I had to check Pinterest for a few DIY Magnolia wreath ideas and I found this beauty:

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Isn’t it pretty! Well, I set out trying to make it, but I couldn’t figure out how the leaves were installed on this one. My guess is that it was done leaf by leaf and I don’t have the patience for that. Usually, you see magnolia wreaths and they are all placed in the same direction, like this:

Outdoor Wreath. Magnolia Wreath, Christmas Decor, Christmas Wreath, Door WreathsI love those wreaths and saw them all over growing up, but they are so time consuming to make. My DIY wreaths were built up from artificial wreaths that I scored on sale at Hobby Lobby the day after Christmas for $5. I started out trying to bundle leaves and then I just began attaching the entire cutting. It was lazy, but I liked the end result. So, this is my loose interpretation of the inspiration wreath.

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This wreath is huge and hangs at the front of my house between two windows.  It’s at least 4ft and fits perfectly in this space.  I did have to buy artificial berry sprigs from Michael’s, but all of the leaves are real from my tree. After making this one I decided to continue the Magnolia theme and decorate six other wreaths that I had hanging over the windows and on the the deck.

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While making these, I decided I would take come clippings from one of my Leland Cypress trees.  My inspiration picture used some pine sprigs, so I improvised. It’s all pine, right??? LOL!

Here is the base of my magnolia wreath.  I see that some people use foam or grapevines, but I think this makes it look a bit fuller and more substantial.

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I took the entire clipping and stuck it into the wreath using the wire sprigs from the wreath to secure it.

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It’s wrapped tight and securely. Some people clip individual leaves and wrap wire around the ends, but I didn’t have time for that. This is much easier and less time consuming.

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This is how it looks once the clippings are all bunched together.  You want to make sure you fill it in really well so that the artificial wreath is completely covered.

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At this point you can add lights, ribbons, berries, pine cuttings, etc.

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Once you clip the magnolias you need to work fast or else they will dry out quickly.  I would recommend you leave the clippings outside until you are ready to work with them because the heat in your home will cause the leaves to brown.

Magnolia Wreath | DIY Magnolia Wreath

We got them all hung and my dad wired everything to remotes making it simple to power it all on at the same time. I really loved the look of these wreaths and I ended up making a swag for the front door.

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We were surprised with an early winter snowfall and my door looked like the North Pole!

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I had enough to spread some of the decorations to the back of the house. The garland had some decorative ribbon and ornaments from last year.  The magnolia wreaths fit perfectly on the deck posts.

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The wreath below was decorated with ornaments last year and I used a glue gun to secure them.  I guess this wreath will have to stay as is, but that’s fine because I still like it a lot.

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Here’s a closer look at my DIY magnolia wreath with a big pretty red ribbon.

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Since the rest of the house was decorated with magnolia leaves I decided to make something for the mailbox.  I found the cutest jeweled ribbon at Michael’s to add to the magnolias and pine sprigs.

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The snow fell soon after hanging all the decorations! It was beautiful and picture perfect for the season. I’m a fan of the classic warm white lights for outdoor decor and love the way the light reflects off the snow.

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Here’s a picture of one of my magnolia trees covered in snow.  To be honest, I have a love hate relationship with this tree. There is a constant battle picking up the leaves throughout the year, but it’s a really beautiful tree otherwise.

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Decorating for the holidays doesn’t have to be expensive and you can find all kinds of good stuff in the yard that won’t cost you a thing. I buy all of my decorations on clearance right before Christmas. You can find wreaths, ribbon, and ornaments on sale at 70-90% off and use it the next year.  Happy Holidays!

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