Wood Leaf Wreath

Wood you like to make a fall-themed wreath with me today? (Pun intended.) I hope so because that’s what we are doing…making a wood leaf wreath.

You might end up loving this craft more than pumpkin spice. It’s that good!

The star of this craft is the new-to-me discovery of wood leaves. Just look at these things. The shapes. The wood grain. Talk about love at first sight.

Thank goodness for online shopping from the privacy of my comfy bed because there was no way I would have been able to play it cool if I stumbled across chunky wood leaves in a regular store. The gushing out loud would have been embarrassing.

What can I say?

I like what I like and I gush about it in writing instead of out loud.

Here’s what you need to make a Wood Leaf Wreath:

pack of 12 wood leaves (These are 1/2-inch thick, so they are nice and substantive.)
12-inch flat wreath form (I cut mine out of plywood, but Amazon has something similar.)
stain or paint
rag or brush to apply stain or paint
wood glue or hot glue
tape measure
optional: ribbon for hanging
optional: polyurethane for sealing leaves

How to make a Wood Leaf Wreath:

Step 1: Stain or paint your leaves and wreath form.

While I will always feel honored if you make a wreath exactly like mine, I’m even more honored if my idea is a creative springboard for you.

I envisioned the leaves on my wreath stained, but you might want them painted, left natural, Modpodged with paper napkins, or something else entirely.

Go forth and make your vision come to life and then make sure to show me a picture so I can ooh and ahh over it.

These wood leaves took the stain quite well. I used the stain colors special walnut, honey, red mahogany, and cherry to mimic how leaves change colors in the fall.

Three process notes:

First, I sealed my wood leaves with polyurethane to give them a bit of shine.

Second, I stained my wreath form dark just because I liked how it looked better with the leaves. I decided this after I stained the leaves. I could see how it would look good painted too for a pop of color.

Third, while I used wood to make a wreath form, I think a wreath form made from really sturdy cardboard could work too.

Step 2: Glue your leaves on your wreath form.

The rule here is to do what makes you happy! That’s the best kind of rule and we don’t get to follow it nearly often enough as adults.

Play around with the design and spacing of the leaves before you bust out the glue.

I laid my leaves out with the stems pointing in. However, they would also look great with the stems lying along the top of the form. You could layer the leaves on top of one another, but you might need more leaves for this idea. You could arrange the leaves on the bottom half of the wreath and wrap the top of the wreath with yarn or ribbon. So. Many. Ideas!

If you want to hang your wreath from a ribbon, take the spacing for this into account when you glue your leaves onto your wreath form. I chose to leave no space for a ribbon.

In terms of glue options, I used wood glue instead of hot glue because I wanted my leaves to sit nice and tight to the form. If you use hot glue ONLY and plan to hang your wreath outside, it’s possible that colder temperatures could cause the hot glue to detach. You know your climate situation better than me, so do what works best for how you intend to use your wreath.

Step 3: Hang your Wood Leaf Wreath.

I simply rested my Wood Leaf Wreath on top of a nail. It was the easiest wreath hanging situation ever.

I can imagine how lovely this wreath could look hanging from a burnt orange or mustard yellow ribbon though!

Didn’t my Wood Leaf Wreath turn out so well?

Yes, I’m shamelessly asking for compliments. Haha!

I love that wreaths come in all shapes, sizes, and styles, but I tend to gravitate toward the understated, minimalist wreaths, especially if I hang them inside instead of outside.

How do you like your wreaths? How about fall? Are you ready for the changing of the seasons? Let me know. Please leave a comment on this blog post, email us here, or reach out via Instagram or Facebook.

Happy crafting!

Thanks for hanging out with me today. If you’re in the mood for more fall inspiration, I can hook you up. Try one of these blog posts. 

Fall Mantel With Leaf-Stamped Wood Rounds

DIY Wood Acorn Wreath

Hallowen Cauldron Centerpiece

*Affiliate links in this blog post. If you purchase anything using one of my links, I receive a small commission. Affiliate links are a great way to support the blogs you read for free. As an added bonus, you can shop with privacy because I don’t know it’s you online shopping from your bed to buy wood leaves or pumpkin spice cereal. You can always tell me later though! Thanks for helping keep this blog up and running.