I’ve always loved the fragrant bloom and shiny leaves of a magnolia tree.  We planted a young magnolia in our backyard when we moved into our Florida house.  It grew fast, strong and supplied me with endless gorgeous leaves for endless fresh projects.

I made fresh wreaths like this one over the years using a foam wreath form, a chopstick and a pile of leaves.  Simply poke a hole with a chopstick (or similar item) so your stem doesn’t break then insert the leaf.  Continue, continue, continue.

This is what the wreath looked like after I finished up.  It was very full but you can adjust to your preference.  After time the leaves shrivel a bit then turn both green and brown.  If you look closely at the 1st photo in the laundry room it was past prime but still divine to me!

During the holidays I made fresh garlands using groupings of leaves wired in 3’s then attached to jute.   I wove some lighting in for a festive feel.

Here’s a close up of the assembly process for a fresh garland.

So easy to make and simply beautiful.

One year I spray painted magnolia leaves gold then used a stapler to attach one after another to create a garland for our Christmas tree.

There is a preservation process where you can soak magnolia branches in glycerin after smacking the end of the branch with a hammer to aid in absorption.  Your full and glossy fresh wreath could remain forever young but I didn’t have any luck with this for 2 reasons:

1. I didn’t have nearly enough bottles of glycerin.  The directions said to mix 1 part glycerin and 2 parts water.
2. It was supposed to soak in the mixture for several weeks. Time was not on my side.

Often I would simply slip clippings in a vase to enjoy indoors.  

As you might guess I’m missing my magnolia tree about now.  Thinking I need to find just the right spot to plant one in our yard in Virginia. 

And if you are fortunate enough to have a magnolia tree…….. get busy just because you can 🙂

Kristen