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Bay Leaf Wreath (year round decor)

Do you want a ‘simple little something’ to put up on your mantel?  Or shelf?  Or bookcase? 

 

Oh, and in case you’re thinking that I made this for my Fall Decor or for Christmas…….I didn’t.  This is just some regular ol’ decor.  But would be perfect for your Holiday Decor if you’re needing something. 

 

Anyway, I have been looking for a really simple green leaf wreath, to place up on my mantel.  I didn’t want anything too full and I wanted the leaves to look real….rather than plastic-y.  I looked at the craft store first, in the fake flower/leaf section.  Nope.  I couldn’t find anything I liked.  So I searched online and found a few places selling fresh bay leaf wreaths that will dry out, but are then meant to be enjoyed for months and months longer.  I didn’t like the fullness of the ones I saw online, so I decided to skip the fresh leaf stage, and skip straight to the dried leaf stage.  

 

 

 

 

Yes sirreeeeee……..those are the same little leaves that you have up in your spice cupboard!  (And if you can see in the reflection, I used a little bit of dried moss to cover the back, just to save on time.  But you could completely cover your wreath in bay leaves if you wanted to.)

 

 

 

I was worried that it would be difficult to skip the fresh bay leaf stage and make one from dried leaves, in fear that the leaves would crumble and crack too much.  But nope, it worked out great.  A nice surprise! :)  Bay leaves are more resilient than, say, your old shriveled leaves out on the ground right now.  These little babies can even withstand a little cracking or excessive handling, and will stay together.  And yeah, you may see a few cracks here or there…..but that’s the beauty of using real leaves.  It gives the wreath some charm and looks real.

 

 

 

If you have little fingers around your house like I do, you may want to keep your wreath up high though.  Because they may find it tempting to touch it and crack it and destroy it.  The bay leaf is pretty resilient but, well, it’s not indestructible. ;)  (And yeah, that’s a Cheez-It box Chloe’s dragging around.  She loves ’em………….and sometimes sneaks the whole box out of the pantry.  And then I don’t even notice until she plops herself in the middle of my picture. Ha.)

 

 

I love it up there on that ol’ mantel (which I don’t care for……but we’re renting, so I try to keep it spruced up)!

 

 

 

A few dollars worth of dried bay leaves, some moss, and a styrofoam wreath form.  Success!

 

 

Would you like to make one too?

 

Here’s all you need:  Some whole bay leaves, a wreath form, and some dried moss.  Oh, I lied.  You need some hot glue too.

 

 

I found my bay leaves at Costco for about $4.  I only used about 1/3 of the container.  You’ll find broken leaves in there too but those bay leaf people pack so many in there, that it’s okay, you’ll still have plenty.

 

To begin, start evenly placing your leaves on your wreath form, overlapping and spacing your leaves like shown.

 

All you need is a blob of glue on the back side of each leaf end…….and then tuck it under the leaf tips that are already there.  (I liked my placement better when I worked the leaves this way, by placing the ends under the tips of the existing leaves.  I tried it the other way but my placement didn’t stay as even.  But do what works best for you.)

 

See how nicely and evenly they are overlapped? 

 

Continue all the way around the wreath, making sure to cover the sides as well.

 

Now, you can continue onto the back of the wreath but if you don’t have enough leaves or enough time, you can place pieces of dried moss sheets on the back.  It keeps the wreath looking real but also adds a nice deeper green color to the back. 

 

Keep adding pieces of moss all the way around, overlapping and filling in gaps as you go.

 

Once you’re done adding your moss, you may need to add a few more leaves to the sides, so that you can’t really see the moss from the sides.

 

And then, you’re done. 

 

And have the sweetest little simple wreath……ready to be hung!

 

 

-Ashley

 

 

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Ashley Johnston

Administrator at Make It & Love It
Ashley Johnston is a professional DIY costume maker, sewist, crafter, and owner of Make It & Love It. She is a mom of 5 and a wife to a very patient (with the craft clutter) husband. In case you’re wondering, she always chooses crafting/sewing/designing over mopping/dusting/wiping base boards……but bathrooms/laundry/full bellies are always attended to. Whew!

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Hi, I'm Ashley

Hi, I’m Ashley—the DIY-enthusiast behind this crazy blog!

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