Turn that thrift store ficus plant into a bargain faux magnolia wreath.
Our homes should inspire us to go out to do great things & then welcome us back for refreshment. – Melissa Michaels
In our quest for a magnolia wreath, we turned to some leftovers of a thrift store ficus plant.
Recently there was a Ficus tree that went under the knife to get an updated makeover. Turn what you have into what you want.
If you have been a reader on our blog for a while, you might know that we are trying to reduce debt from a stint of unemployment a few years ago. That means you make do in a lot of areas. But, this is not really new to us anyways and one of the reasons we started the blog.
After the “surgery”, this was leftover~
MAKE A WREATH
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I already had a Styrofoam wreath from another project so I gave it a whirl.
WREATH SUPPLIES
- Styrofoam wreath
- Artificial plant leaves
- Wire cutters
- Hot glue/gun
- Craft paint (white and copper)
- Paintbrush
FAUX MAGNOLIA WREATH DIRECTIONS
- Using wire cutters, I removed all the leaves from the stems. (If you didn’t recently give your Ficus a trim, you can find leaves via Amazon, or you can use other thrift store artificial plants.)
- I took the leaves and applied them all in the same direction on the wreath with hot glue. Side Note – Have you seen the hot glue pot? I am thinking that would have worked MUCH easier. If you have one, please give me the 411.
- I made sure the middle and ends were completely covered so I didn’t see empty spots when looking at it from different angles…….cause you know I’ll look.
- Once the wreath was completely covered, that’s when the artistic side came out.
- Magnolia leaves are rigid and can have a slight curl to them so I glued some of the leaves together at the top. (Notice the glue on my finger? Yeah!!!)
- I glued some leaves to the backs of the other leaves to create some height.
- Basically, it was a lot of looking and gluing until I got what I thought would work.
This is what it looked like prior to painting the leaves:
PAINTING WREATH
The last step was to lightly brush some copper on some leaves and white on others. You may want to play with some color on a practice leaf to test what you like.
The best thing about this project is that it was all for free using what I already had.
MORE SALVAGED PROJECTS
Here are a few more projects we think you will enjoy:
- How to Make: Home Decor Rope Beehive
- Modern Farmhouse Picture Frame; Thrifted Version
- 15 Ways to DIY Age Terracotta Pots
Thanks for stopping by today. Our goal is to help make the most with whatever you have by sharing budget-friendly, time-saving, and reusing/DIY ideas for all parts of your home and life. If you enjoyed this bargain faux magnolia wreath, we would appreciate a share on any social media: Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Plus, don’t forget to follow us as we share even more ideas on each account.
I love how it turned out and how it looks. Great job!!
kirstin troyer recently posted…Fantastical Food Fight: BLT Salad
Thanks Girl. EASY PEASY except the bits of hot glue on my hand 🙂
Awesome! AsI live in Maine, I don’t see many magnolia wreathes! I would love to see it with a gold or red ribbon for the holidays! Understated but elegant (I am usually a magpie and my wreathes’d look good on a front door with a spotlight!)! I have made solid floral wreathes (deadheads picked up off the floor at Wal-Mart and sold for $1/bag) but I have never done one in greenery. Will be worth keeping my eyes out for the greenery. Thanks!
Kathy, Oh, I love the ribbon idea. Maybe I will add that for Christmas! Thanks so much for stopping by!
This is aweome! First it’s a good save and second I love that it’s unique! Pinned and sharing 🙂
Thanks so much Wendi!!!!!
I’ve had a glue pot in addition to my arsenal of glue guns for so long I don’t remember where I bought it. But I see that Michaels has one on their Web site for $13.99. This is a perfect application for a glue pot — fewer burnt fingers and less mess than with a glue gun.
Mandy, That is a great idea, thank you!