I’m a big fan of Chip and Joanna Gaines.  So big that I paid $10 on Amazon to watch Season 2 of Fixer Upper after I saw Season 1 three times.  During the third round of season 1 Darren said, “Haven’t we seen this one before?”  I just smiled and handed him some popcorn.   Season 2 didn’t disappoint.  Chip had me screaming, laughing, and cringing and Joanna made me want to appreciate my kids a little bit more.

Greenery breathes life into a room. If I step back in a space and feel like something’s missing, a plant usually fixes it.  I’m not great at keeping plants alive, so I’m ok with using realistic looking faux.

When I saw Joanna’s Magnolia Wreath used in season 1, I loved it.  I clicked over to her site to check buying options and saw the $95 price tag. The reviews were mixed.  I added it to my Christmas list knowing it was way out of budget. After Christmas, Joanna sent out a 20% off coupon! I added the wreath to my cart and calculated the new price $76 (plus shipping). … I still couldn’t do it.  Sigh.

This room hasn’t been updated since 1972.  It features lime green sculpted carpet, a popcorn ceiling and lightly patched and stained walls.  Somehow the wreath makes it easier to wait a little bit longer for the changes to come. 

I searched Pinterest for tutorials on how to make a homemade magnolia wreath and they all started with Magnolia leaves that you pick off the tree in your yard……. Kansas City in January is a terrible place to look for fresh Magnolia in your yard.  My next stop was Hobby Lobby to see if I could buy paper Magnolia leaves.  You can’t, but they have Magnolia garlands that every few weeks go 50% off.  They also have Magnolia bushes that you can separate into leaves if you want a tidier looking wreath like Joanna’s.  I made a wild looking wreath with the garland and LOVE IT.  I love it so much I made a second smaller one for our other living space. (I used to have a moss covered C here, but the wreath is better scaled for the space.)

Supplies for the large wreath ($19.80):

24 inch grapevine wreath form  (40% off = $4.80)

2-6 foot Magnolia Garlands (50% off = $15)

Wire Cutters

Floral Wire

Supplies for the small wreath ($10.50):

18 inch grapevine wreath form. (40% = $3.00)

1-6 foot Magnolia Garland (50% off = $7.50)

Wire Cutters

Floral Wire

If you don’t have wire cutters and floral wire on hand Dollar Tree carries both. Their wire cutters are a little dull but get the job done.)

All you do is wire the two together.  It couldn’t be easier!  On the larger wreath, I attached one garland around the outer edge of the wreath and the smaller one towards the inner edge.  I like how it went around more than once on the inner circle and made the wreath asymmetrical.  On the smaller wreath, I attached the garland closer to the center of the wreath form.  Once it’s all attached bend the leaves so they make a pleasing shape.

If you want a less wild looking wreath ($31.80), you’ll need 3 of the magnolia bushes (50% off = $27) and a 24 inch grapevine wreath.  Use the wire cutters to snip off your leaves and hot glue them to the grapevine frame one row at a time.  The original wreath has about 75 leaves in it, 3 bushes will give you 90 leaves to work with.  When you think about the amount of time it took someone to make the wreath, the cost of raw materials, and the overhead they have, $95 starts to make more sense.  If you can afford it, it’s always nice to support a family business.

Not that you need it for something so simple, but I made a short video showing you how I made the wreath.

What do you think?  Do you use wreaths in your home decor?