Hi, it’s Rachel with The Ponds Farmhouse, and I’m back with an easy, rustic DIY Christmas wreath tutorial for you today. If you are looking to decorate your home with a cozy, rustic cabin Christmas feel, you are in the right place. Wait until you see this DIY rustic deer antlers wreath made with a combination of natural elements such as foraged pinecones, magnolia leaves, and grapevine.
This DIY Christmas wreath is an easy project that can be made in under one hour with minimum craft skills. In addition, you can enjoy a crisp autumn day with leaves falling as you gather your supplies.
So grab a large basket, and let’s go foraging.
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Deer Antlers For Christmas Wreath
I recently purchased this deer skull with antlers while thrifting in Wilmington this summer. I have been gathering deer antlers and reindeer serving pieces for the holidays and thought the antler skull would make an excellent addition to this year’s Christmas decor.
I wasn’t exactly sure how I would use the deer antlers, but home with me, it came. I can’t wait for you to see the Christmas wreath I made using my thrift store find.
How to Forage For Supplies?
A rustic, elegant cabin feel emerged as I began decorating the farmhouse. So, on Sunday afternoon, Brad and I went foraging for supplies.
It was a beautiful day, and the autumn leaves were falling like snowflakes.
We gathered a large basket of pinecones and magnolia leaves from around our property. I decided that a Christmas Wreath using natural elements combined with the deer antler skull would be a stylish addition to the dining room.
If you don’t have a supply at your home, ask neighbors and friends to help. I’ve picked up pinecones along the highway and gathered evergreens as well.
How To Make A Christmas Wreath with Deer Antlers, Magnolia Leaves, and Pinecones
Once you finish foraging, you are ready to make your Christmas wreath using deer antlers, magnolia leaves, and pinecones.
Supplies
First, gather all your supplies. You will need several pinecones and a good selection of magnolia leaves.
- Several Medium to small pinecones
- A large supply of magnolia leaves in various sizes
- You will need an 18 – 20 inch grapevine wreath. The wreath size can vary based on your space.
- Hot Glue Gun
- Finger Protectors
- S Hook
Insider Tip – Optional Evergreen Ideas
If you don’t have access to magnolia leaves, this rustic wreath would look beautiful made from cedar, pine or fir. The assembly would be slightly different but the overall rustic appearance would still be evident.
Use your imagination to create a unique one-of-a-kind wreath this year.
Prepare the foraged materials.
Clean the leaves with a damp paper towel to remove any dust or bugs. Then, separate the leaves by size.
Also, clean the pinecones and freeze them for a few hours to kill any bugs.
I am recycling last year’s grapevine wreath, so I removed all the old leaves and as much of the hot glue as possible.
We had just dismantled last year’s magnolia wreath, so I plan to recycle the grapevine wreath for this year’s project. Can you believe the fresh magnolia wreath lasted almost a full year? I hope this one does, too.
Insider Tip
If you don’t have a grapevine wreath to recycle, look for an ugly one in a thrift store. Usually, the grapevine is perfect for a new project. If the decorations are ugly or damaged, the price is usually cheap.
You can also forage for grapevine. Just pull the vine from the trees and make your own wreath.
You want to form a circle the size you need and begin to wrap and intertwine the vine until it is as full as you desire.
How To Assemble the Easy Magnolia and Pinecone Wreath
I have tried many methods for adding magnolia leaves and pinecones to wreaths; by far, the easiest is using a hot glue gun. In addition, when you finish the Christmas Wreath, you can easily disassemble it and recycle the grapevine wreath for your next project.
You want to begin with the larger magnolia leaves and add hot glue to the stem. Press the stem in between the grapevine around the parameter of the wreath.
Place the leaves at a slight angle and overlap them as you go around.
Make an Easy Magnolia Flower
Next, begin to make these easy magnolia flowers with the smaller magnolia leaves and pinecones.
Here is a close look at what the magnolia flower will look like.
Add hot glue to the stems of each leaf and assemble the leaves in a circle, like flower petals.
Then, add hot glue to the bottom of the pinecone and press it into the center of the magnolia leaves.
Repeat this process, allowing each flower to overlap the previous one until the wreath is filled with the natural elements.
How To Hang The Christmas Wreath
Now, you are ready to hang your wreath. You can add the wreath to a door, either inside or outdoors.
I plan to use my Deer Antler Christmas Wreath over my dining room table for a rustic cabin Christmas ambiance.
Because this is a large area, I added a wooden shelving element to the wall and then hung the wreath and deer antlers on it. This added depth and visual interest to the antler wreath.
The deer antler skull is attached to the wreath’s center with an S hook.
Hanging Options for the Christmas Wreath
The Christmas wreath and the deer antler skull can hang on the wall with simple command strip hooks. They are less visible than some of the other hanging options.
In addition, the deer antlers can be attached to the grapevine wreath instead of hanging separately. Here are a few options.
- Tie the antlers to the wreath with twine.
- Hang the deer antlers on the wreath with an S hook.
- If you are using antlers without the skull, they can be attached with hot glue.
- There are many faux antler options available to create a rustic Christmas wreath.
Deer Antler Christmas Wreath with Natural Elements
The combination of natural elements and the deer antlers give this fun Christmas wreath a rustic, cozy cabin feel.
It’s a perfect addition to our monthly Supper Club dinner party theme, “A Cabin Christmas Dinner Party”, which I’ll share on Thursday, this week.
The Christmas wreath was easy to assemble and took less than one hour to make. Plus, the only expense was the deer antler skull, which was a great deal at the thrift store.
You can add a ribbon to the Christmas Wreath or leave it as is for rustic cabin Christmas decor.
Additional Christmas DIY Projects
Here are a few other Christmas DIY Projects you may enjoy.
- The Secret to Making a Magnolia Wreath with Fresh Leaves
- How To Use Fresh Greenery For Christmas DIY Projects
- The Secret to A Fresh Cedar Garland
- Rustic Greenery and Pheasant Feather Centerpiece
Resources
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